Isher 4th Birthday -Win Prizes - Just give us a tip

[Andy Hamilton]

This months competition is a little special for a number of reasons firstly it has been exactly 4 years since I sat in a small flat in Bath and said to myself, "I might put a forum on mine and Dave's Website". I sat up hunched over my computer which was squeezed into a poky little bedroom in a tiny one bedroom flat in Bath and for about a week I staired at a screen working out what on earth a forum was and how to put it up. Discussion thread

To personally celebrate this birthday I will be cycling up to Aberdeenshire and will be staying with some of you on the way and when I get there. I am also collecting money for our local co-operative, more......

I thought that we should celebrate this with not one but two special prizes and a slightly different competition than our usual photo competition- see below. Discussion thread

Prizes

1st Prize

A copy of the Selfsufficientish Bible signed by everyone that I meet on my cycle ride from Bristol to Aberdeenshire. This will be the only copy of it's kind in existence.

I will try to keep it in as best condition as I can on the trip!

2nd Prize

A candle making kit kindly donated by Big Al. He has also promised to make a short video showing the winner how to use it. Thanks Al, top bloke!

Discussion thread

How to Enter

To enter simply give us your best tip. Read though the ones that are already on this thread to ensure that there are no duplicates then post. It does not matter if the tip has been put up anywhere else on this site, it just has to be a tip that you use. For example, "work backwards on your allotment so that you look at what you have done rather than what there is to do".


Rules and terms

• Each person can only enter a maximum of 2 tips.
  If your tip has already been posted it can't be posted again, we will mark on a date order so first person to post a tip
  The tips will be whittled down to 10 by me and that 10 will be voted on by all members.
  Last tips to be posted by the end of (30th) November.
  The winner will be notified by PM and will have to inform us of the address they wish us to send the book to.
  Tips may be used by selfsufficientish in fact the top 10 will hopefully be used by everyone that sees them!
  You must have used your tip at least once.
  A discussion thread has been started here any discussion on this thread may result in disqualification (or all round tutting)
  In the event of a tie break I will toss a coin in front of an independent fella and video the result.
  GOOD LUCK.

[Cheezy]

Tip 1 .

"help I'm over run by ants!" use jam (as recommended by Bob Flowerdew in GQT)

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... f=3&t=9224

This definitely works, even in the allotment

Tip2.

"arrgh wasps are doing my head in." use a "paper baginator"

http://www.selfsufficientish.com/forum/ ... 37&t=10848

With limited trials this year (ie the once we could sit out side this summer ), it worked well

[sleepyowl]

Tip 1) If you don't like Christmas cake use this recipe I created & if you keep adding rum to it, it will stay fresh for ages & may make you drunk after a couple of slices.

250g Demerara sugar
250g Butter
4 eggs
250g Self raising flour
2tbsp Dark rum
2tbsp Cocoa powder
100g Glace cherries
50g Flaked Almonds
200g Dark chocolate (70% cocoa)

Cream the butter & sugar together & then add the eggs. Sift in the flour & cocoa & stir in add the rum almonds & cherries, coarsely chop the the chocolate add it too the mixture, if it feels too stiff add more rum bear in mind it does give a thick constistancy anyway as all Christmas cakes do. Place in a preheated oven at gasmark 4 for 1 1/2 hours. Turn out onto a cooling tray. The cake keeps for a while as long as you top it up with rum from time to time. mmmmmmmm, It also works well for wedding cakes.

Tip 2 If you have a powercut games of shithead by candlelight will keep you amused for hours.

To play shithead the aim of the game is to get rid of all your cards

To start deal 3 cards face downwards (these are the last 3 cards you play which are played blind) on top of these cards place 3 cards face up, then deal 3 cards as usual you alone get to see these cards. Now you can swap the three in you hand with the ones face upwards if they are a lower value than what you have in your hand (aces are high) or if you have any wildcards in you hand as they are best placed in the 3 faced up.

The wild cards
2s- bring the discard pile down to the value of 2
8s- beat the card immediately below it
10s- gets rid of the discard pile

To play
The first person to the left of the dealer with a 3 gets to start they play the card & pick up aother card as each player should have atleast 3 cards in their hand until there is no pick up pile left, then the next person has to play a card of either equal or higher value each person then has to do the same, playing a wildcard as a last resort, if you can't then you pick up the discard pile this person doesn't have to pick up any more cards until he gets below 3 cards. 4 cards of the same value also gets rid of the discard pile but you can only do this if the cards are of a higher value of the previous card. When there are no more cards to pick up & you have got rid of your hand you get to play the three cards face up, the last 3 cards you play blind i.e you don't look at them until it is your turn to play, if it is of a lower value than the cards on the discard pile you pick up the discard pile & don't show anyone else the blind card if it is higher or a wildcard you play it as normal. The last person to get rid of their cards is the loser.

[Milims]

Tip 1
When showering either put the plug into the bath or stand in a large gorilla type tub. The collected water can be used to flush the loo all day!

Tip number 2
Use sea weed around your veg to keep the slugs off. When it's wet it's salty and when it's dry it's sharp. Either way the slugs hate it! At the end of the season it can either be dug in or chucked in the compost.

[Thomzo]

Tip 1
Don't get stressed trying to become completely self-sufficient overnight, you'll burn yourself out and give up if it becomes too difficult. Take small steps and just do what you can when you can.

Tip 2
Keep watching the Selfsufficientish website and forum for great tips, advice and loads of laughs.

Cheers
Zoe

[Rosendula]

I'm decorating at the moment , hence the following tips

1. When using a paint tray and roller, put the paint tray inside an old carrier bag (no holes). Pour paint on top of the bag and use as normal. When you have finished, simply remove the bag carefully, turning it inside-out as you do. The tray will be clean and so won't need washing and the left-over paint can be squeezed from the bag back into the paint tin. Saves paint, water, any chemicals you may have used to clean the tray, time and money.

2. If you have to stop painting before the job is finished, there is no need to clean brushes and rollers. Simply place them inside an old, clean plastic bag, and twist to seal, ensuring all air is removed. This works equally well for gloss and emulsion paints, cuts down on water and chemicals used for cleaning, and it saves time and money.

[eccentric_emma]

1. Save as many cardboard tubes from loo rolls as humanly possible. When they start falling out on top of you every time you open the cupboard (as mine do, yet I keep on collecting), fill them with compost and germinate root veg in (ideal for parsnips which in my experience are particularly fussy). If you have any left over, use them to make crackers for Christmas a la The Good Life, or toys for children (toy binoculars perhaps?).

2. After Christmas, save the flimsy plastic trays from boxed chocolates and use them for ice cube trays. We used the trays from a box of Flake Moments and they are the best ice cube trays we've ever had - massive ice cubes, about twice the size of normal ones, and they come out of the trays really easily without the tray splitting, or having to bang it on the counter to get the ice out (and the box of chocolates we used were from out of date stock from my work so were entirely free! so definitely more Ish)

EDITED TO PUT IN SECOND TIP

[Anne A]

If you live in a victorian draughty home like ours, eliminate drafts, use a candle to see where they are blowing in, we are always broke and use papier mache to fill in gaps in flooring boards window frames etc, you can mould it around doors and frames to create a barrier and it can be painted to match up with existing paint schemes,
Make it with wallpaper paste to stop it developing mould, shread paper by hand, then use a stick blender to get it smoothed and add loads of salt to discourage mice and add fireproofing, if you need to make lots of the same shape to edge a door frame say, make a plaster of paris form, lay cling film over it, lay the papier mache on it, let it 'set' for a day, carefully lift and dry on a flat tray on top of a warm radiator or boiler for a few days, when dry, glue it onto the door frame, and fill in any gaps with more papier mache, if filling gaps in floorboards, add tea, coffee, anything to match up the colour of the wood, remembering it will dry a lighter colour.

[yerma]

Tip
Waste not...always use the very last drops - not just talking about wine! For example, if you have bought things like tomato sauce, when it is getting to the end, leave the bottle inverted so that every last drop is used. A small amount of vinegar shaken in the bottle can also mean none is wasted(Do put the lid back on securely first, my Dad didn't once and sprayed the ceiling.) . Likewise things like shampoo in bottles can be left inverted. If you have fine hair like mine, you really don't need very much, it can last ages and a second wash is rarely needed.Toothpaste tubes can be squeezed flat with a pencil to encourage the last bits out then split open to get the very last dregs. Soap can be collected and remade into new bars, it also lasts longer if its not left with water in the dish. Its amazing how much you can save if you apply these principles to everything you use - 'don't chuck it out until you're absolutely sure its all gone.' Then recycle or re-use the container if at all possible.

[Russian Doll]

tip 1...check everything before oyu throw it...it may be able to be recycled oe rused by someone else

tip 2...you dont need a garden to be self suff.....when i was in my flat we grew potatoes in a growbag...carrots turnips and parsnips...and get the kids involved as early as possible...its there future your protecting

[grubbysoles]

A couple of tips:

1 - for parents. DIY trainer pants - rather than nasty disposable pull-ups, I use normal 'big girls' knickers on my daughter and stuff a folded up fleece nappy liner in them. You can buy the liners fairly cheaply without having to fork out for actual cloth nappies, which can be quite pricey by the time you've bought a few. The liners are good enough to soak up 'accidents', as long as you get to them quickly, and are comfy enough for the Little Person to feel as though they are wearing grown-up knickers/pants and to practise pulling them up and down themselves.

2 - for anyone who has ever lived in a tiny, one bedroomed flat in Bath... Andy, I lived in a bedsit on Wells Road in Bath when I was working at the radio station there, many miserable moons ago. It was tiny and awful, and was about 30 feet from the railway line. Much to my horror, I opened the curtains one morning, wearing nothing but what God blessed/inflicted me with, to see an Intercity waiting outside my window for it's signal to pull into the station. An environmentally friendly way to wake oneself up abruptly without the need for a long, hot shower...

[JulieSherris]

Avoiding credit, loans & overdrafts.....

We've done this for the last 8 years & so far, so good....... you need either an excel spreadsheet page - or you can use an exercise book - whatever, as long as it works for you.

Top of the page: Write a list of your regular weekly/monthly income.... multiply each total by 12 or 52 to find the yearly total & then divide by 12 to find your average monthly total (It's easier if you have a single monthly wage!)

Then make a table - list every single outgoing you can think of..... phone, rent/mortgage, water rates, council tax, approximate petrol costs, leccy, weekly ciggy cost... any and every regular spend you have....
Again, multiply & divide to find the average monthly cost.... (we also calculated the weekly cost)

In columns at the side of each, note the dates of outgoing DD's.... also next to the item, make a note of your account numbers - then when you're on the phone to the leccy company say, & they ask, you'll find them all in one place & no more scrabbling to find the right bill!!

Subtract the monthly or weekly outgoings from the incomings & find your 'spare' cash..... but take it out the bank on a weekly basis.
If you are paid monthly, you'll know then how much 'cash' you can take out each week as spends.... my spends were used for supermarket shopping & anything else - but I found that every now & again I could put a little extra in one side of my purse as my 'secret stash'... for treats!

We also moved all our DD's to the first of the month - when hubby was on monthly pay, his pay date was on the 29th of the month - all the DD's went out when the cash was actually in the bank!!

Be organised with your finances - and check your bank statements every month - then you'll know exactly what your money is doing & how much or how little you have. No more guesswork!

And above all, be vigilant... once you've worked out your weekly cash amount, stick to it - don't think that you'll use your cards when at the shops - you'll be too easily tempted to overspend. At least with hard cash, when it's gone, it's gone - if you take your weekly amount, you won't have to wait long until your next cash day.....

Take back control of your money - and you'll find it'll be a weight off your shoulders.

Julie.

[John Headstrong]

Just to add to the above post
http://www.ofzenandcomputing.com/zanswers/69


and my tip is when you have to buy something online use http://www.rpoints.com/?ruid=100195

you can find bargains AND you get money back

[DrSlippers]

1) my main tip is; use tips. avoid many potential pitfalls by using sites like this and talking to old geezers, etc.
2) Walk through puddles not around them, wet boots dry easier than muddy boots.

[Rosendula]

Avoiding credit, loans & overdrafts.....

We've done this for the last 8 years & so far, so good....... you need either an excel spreadsheet page - or you can use an exercise book - whatever, as long as it works for you.....

I have something like what you describe, Julie. I've also created a blank one with the formulas in and some examples. I was going to attach it, but it won't attach - I get the message "The extension xls is not allowed". If anyone wants the blank document PM me your email address and I'll try to send it to you. And if you get stuck with it, I'm happy to help.