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A Year (and a bit) in the Self Sufficient Life

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Okay, Mrs Dirty Boots here, Madam of this Self Sufficient homestead.  Yep, I know I have been missing in action from this site.  Rest assured I have been doing my bit though (just ran out of words to ramble about it all really!).  Any-hoo, it suddenly dawned on me (over a bowl of barely simmering lemon curd no less) that a whole year (and a bit) had gone by since we started writing here about all things Self Sufficientish and Frugal. How time flies!  We’ve lived off various home-grown veggies, fruits and home-reared (killed) chickens.  Eaten vast quantities of homemade […]

You Can Be Too Frugal

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The Dirty Boots Gang are pretty frugal.  Indeed, before life on a mountain some may have even implied Mr DB was a little um ‘tight’.  Not I of course, but you get my drift. In September I threw caution to the wind, and cash at the checkout girl and bought Special Salt.  Oh how I paid for my extravagance.  Still it is delightful!  And, I do not share! But, back to the point.  In our frugal living plan, we often avoid buying things.  Even when really we just should.  A question in point is our shower head.  For the last […]

Which Solar BackPack To Buy? Solar Backpack Reviews

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Here at A Self Sufficient Life we rely on solar power for all our day to day energy needs. After the initial set up power is harvested free of charge, a delightful way to make the most of a sunny (or indeed not so sunny) day.  But Solar Power and Solar Panels are not just for the Off Grid Living brigade. Everyone could (and indeed should) make use of the power of solar panels. Click the Links to View All Solar BackPacks & Solar Laptop Chargers Take a look at some of the great solar backpacks via the links above. […]

Schug Chili Paste Recipe

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This year in the Self Sufficient garden, we have had an extremely successful chili crop.  So successful in fact, that even my desire for all things Hot ‘n’ Spicy has been complete satiated. But I had never before made a Chili Paste preserve. I had nearly run out of things to do with them all.  We have a fair few ripe chillies, both large and small drying outside, and many (too many) jars of Pickled Chilies in the larder.  I felt like doing something different and found a truly Hot Chili Paste called Schug.  With a name like that how […]

Outdoor Fire Pits – Gifts for Gardeners

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We’re still talking Gift Ideas at A Self Sufficient Life, not that we’ve actually bought any yet, but the ‘Chrimbo Converstation’ continues.  What started out as Gifts for Gardeners as quickly become ‘Oooh one of those would be nice…’.  It’s due to a gift amnesty which has been in place for a few years I think.  Maybe, just maybe this year will be the one where we buy each other something – from a shop!  Not very self sufficient but quite exciting. My inner consumer is definitely coming out! Check out all the Great Fire Pits for Sale Here… Anyway, […]

Gifts for Gardeners – Kitchen Compost Pails: Compost Pails For Kitchens

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Here at Dirty Boots HQ we try to be as Self Sufficient as possible.  Part of that frugal living is an abundance of jam giving at birthdays and Christmas.   Last night the ‘Chrimbo Conversation’ began and we decided to make a concerted effort to organise gift production and even a few gift purchases in plenty of time for the big day.  The ever spectacular Spanish postal service may well still ensure our family’s gifts arrive late but at least this year we will know we tried. Click to View the Compost Pails I’m Lusting After! As you can imagine we […]

Making the Most of the Harvest – Herb Infused Oil

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Today it’s all about making the most of the herb harvest, with basil infused oil so you always have summer to hand on the kitchen shelf. Okay, so we’re not technically self sufficient in basil.  But, thankfully we know someone who is.  And, better still (for us, not them), they’re spending summer in sunny Blighty.  This means we get to carry out a weekly ‘huerto’ check.  We see that their rather splendid automated watering system is working correctly and that the local bunny population hasn’t stolen all their vegetables. On our last visit, we noticed their basil patch was looking […]