Frugal Living & Self Sufficiency Keep You Fit

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Last weekend I realised how much more fit we were when everything was about frugal living and self sufficiency.  You see, from part time olive farmers, part time vegetable growers, part time builders and full time “never really go anywhere as there is no money for fuel” type folks, we have moved “up” in the world, to become full time laptop typing folks making a living at home.  Yep we still do work on the land and we still do some building (the house will never be finished), but never for so long every day as we once did. It […]

Eco Homes and Not Going Green on Holiday

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We have an old home, a run of the mill rural home, not an Eco home.  But still we think we are a little bit Green.  But take me on holiday and it all comes tumbling down.  I confess my sins for a total disregard for Eco tourism or green vacations.  I just cannot be self sufficient away from home! Being Green at Home Right then, firstly I am not totally Green with a capital GRRR.   We have a car, we enjoy food that isn’t always local and we have a bunch of stinky dogs that cannot be helping […]

Squash and Red Lentil Soup Recipe

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Okay, I know I said we don’t have to eat lentil soup (soup not soap!) any more.  But, sometimes that is exactly what the doctor orders.  So yesterday faced with fine misty drizzle and a dip in temperatures, alongside a woefully sad looking Butternut Squash that has been sitting in the veg basket for over a week, this is what I came up with. Inspired by Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries and the food I love, I rustled up a gorgeous lentil soap recipe in just over half an hour.  How did I do it?  Well, firstly I was hungry […]

A Different Kind of Self Sufficient Life

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So, for any regular readers left from when we were regular writers here at A Self Sufficient Life, breaking news… Well not so much breaking news as – time for a change.   The site has been neglected whilst we have been doing things to earn a little money.  It seems frugal living on a mountain is all well and good, but you do need cash for petrol and other little luxuries, like clean clothes (if Mr DB works out how to fix the washing machine). So, long story short Mr Dirty Boots and myself have been busy tip-tapping away […]

How To Save Money On Food

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Although we are no longer in a bad financial situation, like we were not so long ago, I still can’t help but be very frugal. Making a living from online endeavours, which I won’t bore you with, has allowed us to actually spend money on a few needed things for the first time in a long while. Today I thought I would look back over recent times and give you some tips on how to save money on food costs without actually going down the road of actually starving! Back when we were really pushed for money and the garden […]

Strand Woven Bamboo Flooring

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Sorry for such a long absence, we have been very busy. John, who runs Reclaimed Hardwood Flooring has kindly sent in a guest post all about a great flooring product that is extremely environmentally friendly as well as very aesthetically pleasing. His article also ties in very nicely with the eco friendly flooring questions I posed and seems like a great choice to make. Have a read and see what you think. Strand woven bamboo flooring is one of the best new environmentally friendly products to hit the market. The world has woken up to the dangers of over-logging the […]

Chest Freezer To Fridge Conversion-The Most Energy Efficient Fridge Ever

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Read this and weep all you eco enthusiasts. Want to really be “green” and cut your power consumption massively? Then you need to think a little outside of the box and do something about that power hungry tall white box in the kitchen. Let the self sufficiency website be your guide for the day. This article will tell you how to drastically cut down on your daily electricity costs and how to convert a chest freezer in to a fridge. You won’t break the warranty, you don’t have to touch any of the inner workings of a freezer to turn […]