Posted by: Frugal Trenches | November 12, 2009

For The Quiet Moments…

With a bushel or two of apples staring at me, cans of pears needing homes, a long list of must do’s and job hunting you wouldn’t think there are quiet moments, yet often when you have the most to do, you need the quiet time all the more…

So what am I doing to steal such moments:

Reading

  • Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
  • The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
  • Dangerous or Safe by Cara Natterson (non-fiction)
  • Magazines available from the library!
  • Book of Romans

Listening To

Watching (via the computer)

Catching My Breath

  • Taking long walks with the blustery wind at my back, admiring the old homes, wondering what the spring will bring, praying for the world to be at peace, for starvation and famine to be a distant memory, for good to reign always!
  • Taking photographs of trees, water, leaves, rays of light, moments when I feel invisible, moments when I feel vulnerable, moments when I feel pure joy…
  • Sipping hot chocolate
  • Feeling the gentle click of my knitting needles!

Remembering

  • Grace
  • Dignity
  • Kindness
  • Compassion
  • Joy
  • That nothing comes easy, which is probably a good thing!

2 Comments

Posted in About Me, Simple Living and Reducing Stress

Posted by: Frugal Trenches | November 11, 2009

Christmas Frugal Trenches Style

Now that it is, yikes, mid November, I need to start thinking about Christmas. I’ve blogged before that I’m as low-key as you can get when it comes to present buying and shopping. I don’t purchase gifts for many people and don’t usually want anything myself. I would rather people give money to charities then buy me something, of course I accept that close family and friends always want to purchase something so I do usually end up with gift cards (usually for a coffee shop and restaurant) that I can use through the year! I always think this blesses me with being able to help friends by taking them out for a meal or coffee when they can’t afford it, so in many ways it is still put to good use.  Also with being in the midst of unemployment (and being single there is only my income) gift cards will certainly come in handy!

This year I want to be purposeful about Christmas. The reality is I don’t need anything so I still don’t want any presents (although I have a good friend looking for a coveted pair of bear claw salad tongs for me which I will very much appreciate!) but there will be a few people that I will be buying and making for and I desperately want their gifts to be purposeful too!

So what will I be doing during this season of unemployment? Keeping it simple and making sure every penny spent helps someone in need.

I will be buying for four friends, my mum and my young cousin.

My mum – I will be purchasing her favourite coffee and hot chocolate (in large quantities) which you can not get in the UK as well as her favourite magazine and a small gift card because my mum does not spend a penny on herself.  Because these items are not fair trade and are not helping others I will be spending the amount of money I will spend on her, sending a Christmas basket to a family in Guatemala. As found on the Mayan Families website

For $35 you can give a Christmas Tamale Basket and feed a family of 12 or more. Our Christmas basket is made of plastic and will be used afterwards by the family to stack and wash dishes, hold food etc. The food items will include: Oil, 15 lbs of Rice to make the tamales, a block of drinking chocolate (this is traditional to drink at midnight), a loaf of bread with which they eat the tamales at midnight, raisins for the tamales, grapes, apples, sugar for the Tamales, 5lbs of meat, tomatoes, one pound of coffee and leaves to wrap the tamales. 

For my friends I will be making each a knitted dish cloth (sadly the only thing I can make!) hand knitted by yours truly in organic earth friendly cotton. I will also be purchasing a good gift each. For one I will be getting her an Africa Bag handmade by someone in Malawi! This friend is very socially conscious but walks around with mass corporation reuseable bags, she also has a real heart for Africa so it seems like the perfect gift!

For Friend 2 I will be making a donation in her name to the Fistula Foundation a fabulous organization I became passionate about after reading The Hospital By The River. If you believe that women have the right to live without being exiled due to complications from rape and childbirth, this is the organization to support! I will also be making this friend homemade cookies!

Friend 3 I will be trying to find something from Toybox Charity to send as her Christmas gift or a bracelet from an adoption fundraiser I found out about!

Friend 4 I will be trying to find bear claw salad hands but have yet to find any that support a Canadian or American first nations community so I will continue looking!

Finally for my cousin I will be purchasing a handmade gifts from Little Travellers and Toybox!

I also plan to bake hundreds of cookies & mincetarts and deliver them to my local food bank for the volunteers, the police & fire stations, the local homeless shelter & YMCA and perhaps the emergency room at my local hospital. This is something I’ve wanted to do for years and this year it will be a reality!

So there you have it, simple, wholesome and homemade (even if not by me! lol)

p.s. Thanks for all the lovely encouraging comments on the last post! I’m really really trying to stay joyful and count my blessings even among a huge move, unemployment and many short term problems!

11 Comments

Posted in Budgeting for Holidays

Posted by: Frugal Trenches | November 10, 2009

You Simply Can’t Do It All

I think there are many dangerous myths in society, one of the ones I personally feel most worried about is the myth you can do it all! I’m here to say, I simply can’t. Right now I’m in the midst of moving, trying to support friends in very difficult places, trying to keep my home peaceful, trying to find time to job hunt (yes, I’m jobless at the moment and praying something comes up soon), trying to remain healthy (& keep my Dr happy!) by exercising and eating right, trying to cope with a few major setbacks and try to get all that canning done! I’m also knee high in the worst excema I’ve ever suffered, I’m sure partly due to stress, so my back, tummy and lips are itchy and painful and sore! I’ve tried to keep a joyful attitude but the reality is today I failed miserably.

  • Cans sit on the side of the kitchen but cupboard space needs to be found to house them
  • I have posts ready for you all with news but I can’t find my camera cord to upload the pictures that go with them
  • There is a major infestation that has me literally scared to eat, move, sleep (oh the joys of older homes!)
  • I had no bed for 10 nights, sleeping on the floor is not good for mental health – thankfully the bed has just arrived
  • There are currently no jobs in 1 of the fields I’m qualified to work in, I’ve found a few in my other field but none have closing dates before the end of November, if not mid December, which of course means it is highly unlikely I’ll be working before January
  • I have no tv (probably a good thing) and no car (probably not a good thing)
  • I’m feeling overwhelmed with a personal situation that somehow I’m involved in although I shouldn’t be  and it is causing major stress!
  • I’ve realized I’m in just the right place for my long term plans but short term it is very isolating!

So what have I learned through the crying sobs tonight? That I simply can’t do it all, that it is, at times, very difficult to be in a season of being alone and that I need to find a way to rejoice!  Tonight I read some scripture that helped me: this is the day that the Lord hath made; rejoice and be glad in it  Psalm 118: 24

So I’m determined tomorrow I’ll be choosing happiness, choosing to focus on joy rather than sorrow and hardships and choosing to trust that all will be OK! I’m going to simply admit I can’t do it all and focus only on what I can do almost like a bare bones day plan

So what do I plan to do to make tomorrow a better day?

  • Apply for two jobs
  • Eat three healthy meals
  • Go to the gym
  • Go for a walk
  • Send an email tying up loose ends
  • Fill out forms for final work hours
  • Read my Bible and pray
  • Do something nice for someone else – I’m thinking I might do a friend’s laundry since I know she is behind and working many hours due to swine flu at the moment!

You know what? An hour ago I was a sobbing mess, now I already feel better! Thanks for listening to my late night ramblings! I do promise all will be back to normal soon!

20 Comments

Posted in About Me, Goals, Lessons Learned

Posted by: Frugal Trenches | November 7, 2009

Just Call Me Suzy Homemaker!!

So why am I quiet at the moment?

I’m knee high in 2 bushels of apples, 2 bushels of pears, pumpkins, squash, garlic, and wheat. The next three days will be filled with

  • Canning apple sauce
  • Making apple pies, apple crisp and apple strudle
  • Canning pears
  • Making homemade break (whole wheat, sourdough & pumpernickle)
  • Making homemade relish
  • Making homemade pickles
  • Making pumpkin puree and pumpkin pies
  • Making squash soup

It’s a learning curve and pictures will follow!! I’m loving it and can’t wait to eventually have that small homestead. The good news is I’ll have the internet back by Tuesday (moving always gets in the way of blogging), so a lot more pictures and a real update then!

In the meantime this suzy homemaker is off to check on the apple crisps!

11 Comments

Posted in Baking Day, Frugal Food

Posted by: Frugal Trenches | November 2, 2009

Something I love

“Sometimes taking a calculated risk means giving up something that is good so that you can experience something that is great” Mark Batterson

Very applicable in my life right now….!

6 Comments

Posted in Purpose Driven Life

Posted by: Frugal Trenches | November 1, 2009

Reclaiming Simple Sunday

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Oh it feels good to once again reclaim my Sundays! A few weeks away from simple Sundays has made life so much more stressful, allowing shopping and dashing to and fro into the very little time reserved for wholesome living had real and significant consequences, so I’m thrilled to be back.

Today included Church, a dim sum lunch which was delicious (shared with fabulous friends), a very long walk with friends and homemade butter nut squash soup. Simple, wholesome and reclaimed!

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We came across a random bicycle; the basket containing a bird’s nest!

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And a smiley face on a log :)

All in all, absolutely fabulous! I hope yours was too!

6 Comments

Posted in Reclaiming Simple Sundays, Simplicity

Posted by: Frugal Trenches | October 31, 2009

A Purpose Driven Life Part II

In Part I of my series on living a Purpose Driven Life I shared that I began “finding my purpose” by reflecting on all that I felt passionate about, making lists and contemplating what I wanted my life to look like & feel like. I think many people have wishes or goals for their life, some people want to be professional photographers, some people wish they could volunteer, others wish to find the time to engage in hobbies and interests. Once I had my list I was very aware that many people can list what they want and few people live it. I was determined to find a way to make this work.

So, for part II of my journey I began to focus on how to make my goals a reality. I know some people are quite happy to set their goals for a significant distance in the future, happy to sacrifice now in order to live a better life in 10, 20 or 30 years. While I am a passionate believer in slow and steady winning the race when it comes to finances and I understand fully that the best things come to those who wait, I also feel that we only have one life and allowing yourself to suffer for years in a soul-destroying job, or working all hours under the sun, can be exceptionally unhealthy and do a lot of long-term damage!

So, I set about finding a realistic plan to make my purpose my reality. I set about on an aggressive debt repayment plan, spoke to my employer about condensed hours, began with the small step of volunteering a couple of hours a week, set aside the small goal of baking 1 thing each weekend. None of these were earth shattering changes and my life certainly didn’t instantly become what I wanted it to be, but I started with baby steps on this amazing journey and finding the path that worked for me.

My best tip is to make a list of five things you can do at this stage in your life (which reflect your purpose) and give yourself a month to do them. Seeing and feeling small changes really will continue to inspire you to keep going on this journey and make your purpose your life’s reality!

p.s. I’m almost finished traveling, so regular blogging will be back very shortly!

6 Comments

Posted in About Me, Goals, New Beginnings

Posted by: Frugal Trenches | October 28, 2009

It’s all about the jars…

This week I was away with my mum. We were not on holiday, not sight-seeing, not going anywhere particularly note worthy, but we both needed a little break prior to the mounting changes in my life (more on that soon), so I was very kindly treated to a night at a Hilton Hotel. As we were swimming, my mum said the following “isn’t it nice to have money in order to be able to do these things” my reply was “isn’t it nice to have jars and a cash system so that the money is there, ready and waiting in your mini-break fund”. And we swam on merrily!

I thought I’d also share how I got the Hilton Hotel for 1/2 off. Firstly I subscribe to their newsletter and become a rewards member. The newsletter is very handy for letting subscribers know about upcoming deals and discounts. Secondly I go to lastminute.com and type in the city/place I want to stay. Very often there is an option for a mystery hotel. They tell you minimal information – only the star rating, major amenities (like a swimming pool) and the distance to a certain attraction. I then scour the hotel sits (Hilton, Holiday Inn, Marriott etc) and find out what each of them offers. I can usually figure out which the “mystery hotel” is and then click purchase. Every single time I have used this system, I have saved at least 50% off of the hotel price!

I’m currently away, which is why I’m not checking on all your lovely blogs! I should be back to normal by early next week. Thanks for grinning and bearing my one sidded blogging :)

9 Comments

Posted in Frugal Living, Frugal Travel

Posted by: Frugal Trenches | October 25, 2009

Tiny Reminder

Do you ever get tiny reminders that you are alive? Yesterday morning I was driving just as the sun was coming up, birds were soaring ahead of me directly in front of my car window, I had a clear view of their beautiful wings and lovely sounds. Later that day I walked through my city of Exeter and saw it’s great cathedral.  I heard our regular street performer singing some jazz and saw children chasing birds. I watched a couple in their 80’s hold hands and call each other love and I saw students conversing in different language so happy and alive. In those moments I remember how blessed I am, how great it really is to be here on this earth each and every single day.

6 Comments

Posted in Oh so Blessed

Posted by: Frugal Trenches | October 22, 2009

A Purpose Driven Life Part I

Firstly, I found out I’ve been featured in the Guardian!!!! The Guardian is a significant source of my daily inspiration and I can hardly believe that this blog has made its way there, especially since the website has 28 million readers a month!!! Thank you Michelle for contacting me!

For a while I’ve been wanting to write about finding your purpose, a conversation recently spurred me on. My mum, a traditionalist to the core, said something to me while we were walking through Haldon Forest, she said that the thing she most admired in me was the fact that I had a purpose driven life. From my mum, that is quite the compliment! It has taken me a few days to really examine what that means and whether I really do have a purpose.

Before I began this downshifting journey I really struggled. I had letters after my name, a good job that friend’s admired, a steady income, but I was lacking, really lacking in all that mattered. One day and one week was not significantly different to the last. I didnt’ feel like I was contributing, challenging myself, living the life that I wanted to lead. Yes I could drop £50 or £60 or even £100 over a weekend if I so chose, but there was no purpose to my thoughts, actions or choices. Somewhere along the way I thought about the choices I was making and really realized they were choices, which means I had no one to blame but myself. Somewhere along the way I realized things could and should be different, I began to look at what my purpose really is.

So I made lists, I found that what meant the most to me was:

  • Living on as little as possible so that I could give more
  • Living off the land where/when possible
  • Learning about cooking, baking, planting, growing and farming
  • Adoption, caring for orphans
  • Treading lightly on this amazing planet of ours
  • Strengthening my faith
  • Serving and helping others
  • Volunteering in areas I feel passionate about like youth clubs,  food banks, homeless shelters, refuges
  • Finding the strength to help those in need
  • Simplicity
  • Changing from type A to type B personality
  • Leaving consumer culture behind to create my own culture, a simple one with people at the heart of the choices I make
  • Continuing to grow, change and learn more
  • Finding a new career

This is a journey and I may never fully get where I want to be, but I’m determined to have a life filled with choices highlighting my purpose. I’m determined to live simply now and in the future, I’m determined to make hard choices to accomplish those things people think are unattainable! I’d love to hear from you. Do you have a purpose and how did you find it? Is your life purpose driven? What inspires you to change?

In the next post I hope to share what worked for me once I found my purpose in life. All these changes are not easy, but they are more joyous for me than simply following the herd.

“A dream without goals is no more than a wish”

16 Comments

Posted in About Me, Goals, New Beginnings

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