Welcome!
I'm Frugal Trenches (no, not my real name!) a lover of natural, simple and frugal living! I use this space and my camera to document a beautiful, purposeful, downshifted and abundant life! Life is not always simple (oh how I wish it was!) but it is always rich and I hope this space demonstrates beauty and joy!
If you have a question, feel free to leave it in the comments! I read and appreciate every comment and will reply to questions within the comment section, even if it takes a day or two (or three, but whose counting!).
Archives
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Money Spent On Groceries in 2013
January $198.39
February $231.88
March $248.71
April $Books Read in 2013
Myself
Fiction:
1.The Help
2. Away
3. Flowers For Algernon
4. Animal Farm
5. Room
6. The Secret DaughterNon-Fiction:
1.The Two Nazanins
2.Confessions Of A Bad Beekeeper
3.The Encouraging Parent
4.Freakonomics
5.Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?
6.Raising A Right Brained Child In A Left Brained World
7.How To Make Your Child A Reader For Life
8.The Bookseller of Kabul
9.The Sane Woman's Guide To Raising A Large FamilyDaughter Grade 3 (Chapter Books)
Stanley's Christmas Adventure
George's Marvelous Medicine
Sarah Plain and Tall
Ramona Books x 5
Road To Avonlea Chapter Books x 3
Junie B Jones Chapter Books x 6
James and The Giant Peach
Freckle Juice
Reader Level 4 Books x 9Son Grade 1 (Picture Books)
January: 62 books
February: 73 books
March: 95 books
April: 89 books
The journey of a gal living the simple life, trying to take beautiful photos, find inspiring words, as well as heart warming stories & share a frugal note or two!
I think this blog is amazing. I get so much inspiration from you. The world would be a better place if there were more people with your values and ideals. Thank you so much for this blog, it has made me re-think my life and what lessons I want to pass on to my son. By the way, your future children will be blessed to have you for a mum!
What a great blog. Your writing style is very nice, and you have a wonderful ideas.
Good luck with everything.
I just found your blog while I was looking for some encouragement. You are wiser than your years. I also am a christian, I live in Michigan in the US. England looks so lovely. I love the ocean. I am finding much inspiration from you on how you apply scripture in your life and how you do not submit to the temptation to feel sorry for yourself in sometimes difficult circumstances. I struggle with that. God bless you.
Hi again, I have now looked at all the good causes that you support, and think that it is wonderful. and that you are making others think about doing so.
I thought that you might be interested in another one that we support. Here is the link, http://www.hollows.org/
Thanks again and very best wishes to you, Caron
love your information!! learning a lot! thanks so much for sharing!!
http://liveandcreatelight.blogspot.com/2010/03/country-and-whos-queen.html
Just used the gorgeous photo of Devon you took the other day and gave you full credit, in my blog in addition to a bit about when I lived in England, I don’t normally put other people’s photography up without asking and forgot to ask before I hit post, but I wanted to tell you I am continually inspired by your posts and absolutely love this blog.
I read an article today I’d like to share with you:
http://thechronicleherald.ca/ArtsLife/1173143.html#recommends
It’s about a man who lived on $5000/yr for 16 years when he decided to live a simplistic lifestlye.
You are AMAZING! I LOVE yr blog and am still going through all the old posts. Love it! So inspiring on so many topics! Keep up the awesome work!
I absolutely love your blog!
You are wise beyond your years, and the photos are fantastic. Thank you for sharing your blog.
Is the China Kidz Project open to the USA?I have yet to get a response that I felt was from you. If I did, I may have deleted it,not being sure.I know I would not have done so, if it came from your email address. If someone else in the project responded to me,it is very possible I did delete it.My grand daughter and I had high hopes that we were invited to participate in the project.I will be watching closely for your response.Thank you.
Hi Sue, I did email you directly myself (I’m the only one organizing this!) I’ll try emailing you again now!
I encourage everyone, especially retirees, to purge their clothes closets, also incl kitchen items, and give to group homes, women’s shelters. Also, how many sets of sheet and towels do we need? Most of us have way too many, so purge these too. Many charities in most cities, incl homeless shelters, and handicapped homes.
I don’t know where to start saying Thank you, this blog and many many people who have sent the Butterfly Home gifts for the babies, some who have now passed away. You are amazing, I think the postman had tears in his eyes as most days he carried a parcel to our home, the people see all this and start to ask why…..”its because of love” people who may never come, see touch the babies still love them. frugaltrenches we salute you, we give you 1000×1000 thanks, to see smiles on the babies faces knowing someone somewhere loves them…..don’t ever stop writing, and supporters don’t ever stop being encouraged in a little corner lost in a 10,000,000 folk city is The Butterfly Home and partly thanks to you. Love from the babies in the Butterfly Hospice
LOL just read today’s blogged and laughed – I didn’t realise your pets were named after me
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best wishes, Sophie Genevieve McInnes!
Hello. I have been reading your blog for several years now and even though I don’t know your name I feel as though I know you. I have noticed that a post you wrote recently has been taken down, and that you haven’t posted since-publicly- since then. I just wanted to write and say that I am praying for you and hoping all is OK with you and your major “project”. I hope you are finding God in the hard spaces, because that is where God always will be found.
EGC
What an inspiration your blog is! My entire work week is devoted to the natural industry and making earth friendly/sustainable/body friendly foods make their way onto Pacific Northwestern shelves and I deal with so many people that are passionate about the earth or their bodies, but I see practically nothing from those claiming “God” in their lives. And yet, change should start with us, because we are the ones called to love, give and protect. Honestly, you have given me hope – thank you SO much!
Hi , i love reading the blog, especially the frugal food. I wanted to follow it if possible? I am trying to write my own blog about feeding my family world war 2 rations – this is our first week and it is going quite well, but makes you realise you have to be super organised !
thanks
Kellie
Wish I could send you some coffee – my husband works at Starbucks and we have extra!
Not quite sure whose blog led me to yours but after getting here I just knew I had to write to you. I adopted four older hard to place kids when they were 4, 5, 5, and 8. Two sibling sets although one of the sets came in two seperate parts. They are now 30, 32, 33, and 34! My 33 year old is a flake and I’ve now adopted two of her kids who are 9 and 10 so I’m doing it all over again. I was single for the most part of their raising and am single now and probably forever. I look back at my oldest four and don’t know how I survived it. Things got rocky when they hit teens because not only do you have the regular teen issues but you also have the adoption issues that seem to boil over when they hit their teens. It’s ugly. You will survive and come through wonderfully. I think trying to live a frugal lifestyle will turn out better kids.
I am sitting here trying to hld back the tears to read through your blog. I just wonted to let you know how much you have touched me. At the start of this year my ds started school, and in a way so have I, haha, I started staying to help out the teacher for a few things here and there and now stay for mornings and am now known as one of the teachers. Through doing this I have started to feel myself being pulled in the direction of needing to look after more childern who come from “famailies” (a term used lightly). fostering and adopotion has also come to mind. unfortunatlly my other half is not in the same thoughts as I so I try to do what I can at the school leavel. To read about you and your children, espesilly the posts of where they were with thier schooling as to where you have goten them to is amazing. My hat goes off to you and the brave people like you how take these kids on, heres hoping I too can be like you one day. All the love and whishes to you in the furture. Dianne.
Hi again! I didn’t want to email in case I ended up in spam again, but commenting on recent posts also doesn’t seem right. I am a very long time reader but never a commenter. I think I only commented once years before when your blog description was just about being frugal and I said it was so much more than that! My last comment about size and location might have come across as really weird. I truly don’t want to seem like a nutter so I won’t keep mentioning sending things. I will keep the things I have around a few more days before I pass them on around here, in case I do hear from you. I just have always appreciated your writings so much, and admire your life choices, that I jumped on an opportunity to show you gratitude. But I do understand you feeling awkward about it, but please don’t. If you’d like to email me, great, and if not I will not have my feelings hurt
All boxed and ready. I am headed to the post office this afternoon for stamps, and it would be great to send it off today, so let me know where it’s headed and I will have it on its way. 🌟✨
I have been reading your blog for quite awhile and find it so inspirational. You are amazing in all that you do. I would really like to send a package with some odds and ends of craft supplies if you choose to accept. If not it is okay, just feel the “want” to help. I know the single Mom feeling very well and remember the little things sometimes seemed like lifesavers.
My Grandson suffered from terrible night terrors he had his adenoids out last September and has not had one since. ENT are not keen to take them out unless they find they are large as they did when he has grommets put in. He is a totally changed little boy he can hear and he sleeps.
I just wanted to drop by and wish you a very happy mothers’ day. All your hard work is making a huge difference and you inspire so many. God bless your day.