Book Sale & Life Update

Hello frugal friends! I am aware it has been a while since I wrote a new post, so I thought I would rectify that today and let you know what I have been up to. So here is some news and a general life update.

Book sale

Firstly, as Christmas is coming and you might like an idea for a gift for somebody who could do with some frugal inspiration, I have reduced the price of my book, Extreme Frugality: Save Money Like Your Grandma.

The paperback is down from £9.99 to £7.99 and the Kindle version is £2.99, down from £3.99. You can click here to buy through Amazon.

I also have a few copies that I plan to put on my personal eBay account (rather than my shop  – the link for that is below), if you are avoiding Amazon! I will be selling them on there at £6 plus postage (be quick if you want one – I only have 10!).

YouTube hiatus

If you subscribe and watch my YouTube channel, you will know that I have decided to take a bit of time out. I really enjoyed making the videos, and loved chatting to viewers in the comments. However, two videos a week took quite a bit of time to make and YouTube pay their small creators so badly! 

Most months I was earning between £150-£200 for a lot of effort and, whilst money isn’t everything, it is important when you have bills to pay! I decided to have a break for a bit to focus on my online business selling vintage collectables.

You can check out my official eBay shop here. 

In truth, I do miss it, so I might come back to do the odd video in the new year. I’m not sure yet. If you want to support me, you could go and watch some of my old videos and let the adverts run, even though they are annoying.

Illness in the family

Justin’s mum has been ailing since April, when she was taken very ill with some sort of virus. Justin and his family have been caring for her full-time ever since, as she has been more or less bed bound. It is taking its toll.

She had a very bad turn a few days ago and is currently in hospital. However, she perked up yesterday so we have everything crossed that she can go home soon.

Hospitals these days are not good for your health. So noisy, chaotic and understaffed. The NHS is a fantastic institution and I thank God it exists, but it is chronically underfunded.

Last of the harvest

We had a decent veggie garden this summer, growing tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, chillis, cucumbers, courgettes, runner beans, leeks, butternut squash, beetroot, chard, various herbs and kale. I also attempted pak choi, which went to seed almost immediately, and broccoli, which got eaten by the cabbage whites. We need to get a cage if we are going to successfully grow brassicas in the future.

We still have tomatoes and peppers coming, and the butternut squashes have scrambled all over the garden! We keep finding them in unlikely places, like climbing up the gazebo and in this tree!

I made some delicious autumnal soup with one of the squashes and some of our herbs this week. It was from the Boursin website and is absolutely delicious. I think it will work with pumpkins too – soon to be in the reduced section of a supermarket near you after Halloween!

The recipe is here. I substituted Boursin for a cheaper Lidl version and only used one pack. Two would have been far too rich.

Autumn/winter projects

Having finally sorted and decorated my office, things are a lot less chaotic. You might have seen me undertaking this task in this video. My next DIY project will be our bedroom. We have had no time or energy to start it with Justin’s Mum being so ill. However, I want to get it underway, then do the hallway. 

The plan is to buy carpets for all of the rooms upstairs, including the stairs and landing, in the post Christmas sales, so I want all the painting done before then.

Anyway, that is my update for the time being. I will try to write a weekly post going forward now that I am not doing YouTube. What are your plans for autumn and winter, and how is life treating you?