Hello Dear Reader,
If you're a crusty bunch of skinflints like myself and Dearly Beloved, you'll often be seen driving slowly with a trailer on the back of your car. People will think you're off somewhere nice for a camping weekend, but in fact, you'll have been frugalling somewhere after something free, scrounged or given away. Our son is a builder and his work place has scrap wood, which they pay someone to take away in a skip. If you have a look around any industrial estate for builders, joiners or shop fitting companies with a huge skip next to their industrial unit, you will have found a ready source of dry wood, ready to burn.
Occasionally we'll make the trip to the industrial estate and 'claim' some free wood. We've sought permission and it's left to one side for us and we know we have to pick it up quickly so not to let it get in their way. The building firms are happy enough for people to take it away as it saves them the disposal cost. Most of it is perfectly good for building projects too. You just have to be bare faced enough to ask; the worst you can get is a no.
You may have to go out of your way and ask a few firms before anyone will be bothered to keep the wood for you. Most builders have free firewood and it's there for the asking and taking.
My summer holiday is fully scheduled with thrifting, scrimping and stretching along with mending, chopping, sewing and saving all I can in readiness for the winter's expenses. Come join me as I spend five weeks at home, spending next to nothing and having a great time enjoying my own home and garden.
So Dear Reader, what shall we do together this summer?
Until tomorrow,
Love Froogs xxxx
Best scource of free firewood for me was the driftwood off the beach.
ReplyDeleteIt's full of lovely seasoned dead-fall now, just wish I still had my open fire.
Froogs - where should I look to research if my house is suitable for a wood-burning stove?
ReplyDeletebest type of wood is free. We pay $290 a bush cord for our firewood. We need to get a trailer and do what you are doing.
ReplyDeleteI'm back to blogging,
Gill in Canada
And to think for all those years we picked it up bit by bit from the (country) roadside. How stupid do I feel now!
ReplyDeleteWell done,we collect a lot from freeecycle.We meet some really interesting people and usually swop it for eggs from our chickens.
ReplyDeleteWe have just returned from a carpenter's workshop,he has promised us some wood monthly.
Keep recycling and saving.
Leebee x x
I also like the idea of packing one of your lovely quilts in the car and the trailer doubling up as an emergancy bed for naps while out and about lol.
ReplyDeleteJust make sure hubby remembers your in there before he trys to drive home lol
x x x
Froogs I think of you whenever I go past a skip. I eye up the contents for firewood (central heating here) and last week I got a huge piece of clean, new furnishing fabric, it was sitting in the gutter by the bin, it will be upcycled into cushion backs. You have made me much more aware, and I thank you for that. x
ReplyDeletewell you are welcome to come and visit me!would love to see you now that you are soon on break!
ReplyDeleteFriday is the last day of school for us. Enjoy your holiday from work when you get there too : )
ReplyDeleteGood job, Froogs! Some of that wood looks good enough for wood working projects too.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow we are off to the Yukon in our truck and camper. It is a long awaited two week adventure we have been planning for a year. I have been shopping frugally for the past three months to stock up the camper, as food will be one of the most expensive things on the trip,next to fuel. My DH has set up my sewing machine with an inverter and a 12V battery so that I can sew on my quilt blocks when he is fishing - I am a happy camper :-) No internet though-so I will have to catch up on your blog when I get back. Take care.
Barb