A year of The Really Good Life

Posted by louisa on Friday 24 June 2011 in Featured, meta | 10 comments

Well what’dya know, it’s a year today since I started this blog!

My first posts were about growing salad leaves, pickling wild garlic seed pods (which is something I’ve been meaning to do again this year but haven’t got around to it), some bargain batch-cooked dinners and about getting our first chickens – and our first egg.

What’s happened in the last year?

• We got the chickens – and got more but then lost two. But still ate a whole lot of eggs.
• Made fresh pasta from scratch for the first time – a big deal for pasta lovers like us!
• Made my first jams & chutneys – a whole cupboard full

• Made things from wood
• Learnt how to make soap
• Assist John in making his ultimately explosive cider ;)
• Learnt loads about making cheese
• Cold-smoked cheese and other things – yum

• Baked a whole lot of new stuff
• Refined some of my favourite recipes while trying to write them up
• Added a new (small) room to the house – will post pics in a couple of weeks when it’s decorated
• Had a “no spend” almost-month and kept a spending diary since the start of this year – which has made me more conscious about casual spending
• Surprised myself by not buying any clothes for seven months and counting

• Had some growing successes in our first year here – and our second year is off to a good start
• Planted lots of fruit trees and bushes/li>
• Made lots of new internet friends :D

I think the main thing that’s happened in the last year though is that between writing about things on here (and getting feedback – thanks for all the comments, guys!) and reading about all the exciting things other people are doing (both in the comments here and on their own blogs), I’ve been inspired to try things I’ve long wanted to try and experiment with other things that I didn’t even know I wanted to try!

Basically, it’s been a really good year :D

First post! Welcome to The Really Good Life

Posted by louisa on Thursday 24 June 2010 in admin | 1 comment

Hi, welcome to The Really Good Life. I’m Louisa and I live really well – but frugally.

I already write about reusing and recycling on my blog “How Can I Recycle This?“, and about composting on my site “Can I Compost This?“, as well as blogging and running other sites but I wanted a new place to talk specifically about growing, making, foraging, cooking – and living a frugal life in general.

The name of this blog was originally going to be something highfaluting and fancy but thinking about it the other day, I realised it boils down to this: I’m living a Really Good Life. Like Tom & Barbara, I live in a city (specifically squished between two industrial cities), I grow my own veg, our chickens will arrive shortly and we live cheaply & sustainable – but with tasty food & pretty things, inside of nasty homemade wine and scratchy woollen underwear.

This blog is about the journey I’m making – because it is a journey – my thoughts, my questions (that hopefully other people will be able to answer!) and where I’ve got some info to pass on, my recommendations & my mistakes – and I hope you enjoy it.