I've been lurking here a while, picking up tips and learning interesting things, and think it's about time I signed up, introduced myself and joined in. You lot seem like a bunch of people I'd like to hang out with
OK, here goes: I'm Rachel and I've been dreaming of living a more self-sufficient lifestyle for some time, but recently my husband Ian and I both quit our jobs, upped sticks and moved to Wales. He now works freelance from home, but while his part of the deal is to earn some money, mine is to reduce how much we spend by growing and making as much of what we need as I can.
It's two months now since we moved and we've only just got the internet (can you imagine - two months without the internet!) so our lifestyle just got a bit more electricity-hungry as we get back online. In general, though, I'm trying to cut down on electricity usage as much as possible - if there's a low-tech way of doing it, I'll try that first.
We have about a third of an acre, some of which has already been well cultivated as a cottage garden. The idea is to grow lots of fruit and veg, but not to keep animals, except maybe bees, which don't mind being left alone if you go away for a week or so. Since it's not the best time of year for planting, I've been concentrating on the 'making' side of things - lots of baking, a bit of home brew, and sweets and smellies for Christmas presents.
That's probably enough for now. I expect you'll be hearing more from me before long.
(thanks)