Square logs - frugal friday fuel foraging

So, having the new house has one lovely advantage (aside NOT hearing the current gales) - it has a woodburner and for that I need wood. As Ian pointed out, an odd choice on an island with no commercial forests, however us islands are very frugal and forage for as much free wood as we can. So our logs tend to be square or rectangular rather than round and aren't they gorgeous, only I can truly get so excited by the sight of chopped up waste wood. Mainly firewood in this house comes from recycled pallets, fencing stobs (posts) and drift wood. These are hauled home by some means or others, often legal, and then zapped up in the garage into handy firewood. Its seriously my favourite job ever. Seriously big tubs of fire wood!! I'm very excited.

 And, being the 'island' girl that I am nothing, and I mean nothing gets me as excited as a well stocked wood pile. All the better if its free and foraged. Now I can go and buy 'posh' logs at the garage or the local hardware store but at a hugely inflated price, as there are no wood mills or forests here - all firewood is imported which means we pay a much higher price for it. So truly it makes more financial sense (and its more fun) to go a 'foraging' for it locally. And its comes in pretty colours too, you don't see blue posh logs now do you?

 After the saw has been buzzing for an hour or so I've filled a couple of massive tubs full of wood for the coming weeks. I love chopping up wood - and after the main logs (all square or oblong) I get the axe out and make our own kindling. Again you can buy kindling but why buy what you can spend a bit of time and effort on.

So that's my efforts towards saving some pennies and getting excited by waste wood helping us heat the cottage. A pallet nets over 15kg of wood - which is alot of logs, time well spent. And, I get the fun of chopping both the logs and the kindling too, whilst getting covered in sawdust.  Whilst I use to be scared of the noise of the electric wood saw, now its one of my favourite jobs! Perfect, so that means a hot shower and a cosy fire to sit at, feeling very noble at my efforts. Those are my logs those are, I tell everyone who comes. I'm quite the firewood bore.

 

Yes serioulsy there not much I don't enjoy more than seeing a huge stack of rather weird looking shapes and sizes of 'logs' and knowing I've got them for free!

 

Pop over and see Robyn for her frugal friday spot for more inspired ideas and if you've some of your won why not join in. I'm sure it will be more excting than my 'free foraged fuel'!

Frugal Friday (almost) - Local Grub.

Aside those who have the resources and inclinaton to grow their own, some would argue that local food isn't for the masses. They'd argue that its for those 'foodies' or not worried about a budget. I'm sorry but 50p for a cabbage or a cauliflower is cheaper or more frugal if you like than anything I can buy in the local shops or the supermarket - I'll have one of those, thank you. Brassica's (of which cauliflower and cabbage are part of this family) arent' something I have the space to grow myself. So, I let other's do it for me and rather selfishly reap the benefits. So for those saying local food isn't affordable and for the general public I'd say.

Not so.

My wallets tighter than a ducks whotsit as I'd rather spend money on the garden, adventures or just nonsense, BUT, I like cooking, so if I can find good local ingredients for not alot of money, I'll spend the rest on plants. Just don't tell the family!

Some may say, well that's easy for you lot in the countryside. Well I'd argue probably not, I also live on an island in the far north of Scotland, with a hop and a skip I'd be in Norway (or Shetland, or Greenland), the climate for growing food is challenging and there's not what you'd consider alot of 'bargain basement' living up here. However, if you introduce the concept of trying to find what's not imported from the mainland of the UK or Europe, for less money, your options widen.

Now that we don't have the hens, my eggs are free range and organic - they come from a lovely friend for £1 for a half dozen.
My milk is local and cheaper than the supermarket alternative and travels less than 15 miles to my house (OK its probably less than 7......but I'm being conservative). When I can't find this reduced in the local supermarket, I buy this at the local shop.
I buy just the fish I need not prepackaged amounts at the local fish place, which doesn't charge the earth as everythings local and seasonal. What's prolific, or in season is cheaper.
Meat I can buy locally at the supermarket, and whilst that's pricier than the local butcher, I mix and match.
Fruit - I can't source here except rhubarb - so I shop around for bargains or what's in season or fair trade.
Veggies I buy what I can't grow, and if I do, I buy locally and  seasonally and you'll not get a better deal.

So perhaps, have a wee peek and a look about. Whether its in the supermarket, your local shop with a basket of local stuff, or the man down the road with a decent veggie garden and a surplus to sell and a wee sign outside his garden. You never know what you'll find. So think again about local food and what's seasonally available in your area. On the sustainability pyramid, local is considered up the top with many other fine foods!

For more 'Frugal Friday's' pop over to Robyn's patch to catch up with her and others frugal posts! And if you read Wittgenstein's Watering Can's latest blog - you too can debate the merits of how much grow your own does (or doesn't save you!).