Adventures in not spending money

At the beginning of January I paid off the credit card I had been using to make purchases during the final (unfunded) year of my PhD. While the credit helped me through what has been the toughest year of my life, reality is now here and I have no income other than a monthly transfer of £80 from mine and Jon's joint account. (For the first time in my life I am not earning and paying my way which I am finding HARD).

This is a perfectly reasonable amount of spending money in most cases, but as I am trying to set up a business without getting into debt, and am due to get my sewing machine fixed (which will cost £80) things are a bit tight. No more actual money for me until March.

But I like a challenge.

Reading "How I lived a year on a pound a day" definitely helped get me into the right mindset. If Kath Kelly can do a pound a day for food, travel and recreation, I can certainly do £80 a month for recreation. I am, however, now painfully aware of how often I just spent money on things I didn't need. Coffee? Yeah, why not! Bus into town? No problem! A few items in a charity shop? Bargain!

But when I only have a few pounds jingling in my wallet and I know I have a sewing machine to fix, a website to register, sole trader status to sort, visits to friends to arrange... suddenly those impulsive purchases make me stop and think. And £2.40 for the bus feels like a lot of money.

If I buy those pretty scarves in the charity shop, I can't afford to go out with my friend. If I buy some new BB cream, it's going to eat into my ability to pursue the career I've been dreaming of these past years. If I let my library books go overdue it's just wasted money I could use for something (anything!) more worthwhile.

The graveyard

So this week I resisted temptation and made do with my existing scarves, decided to root out an old bottle of foundation from my makeup graveyard, and took my books back to the library on time (thanks to the wonders of the internet it's pretty easy to make sure I do this. They send me a reminder email and everything).

Yes, yes, yes, I know this isn't exactly a massive achievement, but it was hard. I am just so used to frittering my money away each month because I'm busy, stressed and I like shiny new things. It's what I've been taught to do.

So - total money spent this past fortnight: £0. Insight into what I really need in life: growing exponentially. And the weird thing is I don't feel deprived, I feel empowered. Whether/ how I keep it up will be interesting.

TTFN, Bee x

How would you deal with periods if you were homeless?

Today I read an excellent article that has stuck with me. It may make some people uncomfortable, but then, good journalism should.

It was about how homeless women deal with their monthly periods: something I am ashamed to say I had not even contemplated. What exactly do you do when your period hits and you have neither sanitary products nor a private bathroom nor painkillers to help you cope?

Apparently you hit McDonald's and stuff your knickers with loo roll.

It raises a number of other issues too, including that while condoms are often distributed gratis to the homeless via sexual health clinics, sanitary products are not - despite being classed as "sexual health" items.

Image via Jay Black

It also reminded me that while bingo, Jaffa Cakes, houseboat moorings, incontinence products and men's razors are tax free, sanitary towels and tampons are taxed at 5%. Seriously George Osborne, wtf? Are you telling me facial hair is less inevitable than the monthly shedding of my uterine lining?

It made me wonder what I could do, and to be honest I think the main answer is to get up the courage to actually talk to homeless women. I normally just wuss out then feel terrible for days afterwards.

But if you want something else proactive, try one of these:

• go check out FareShare who redistribute food and other items - including cosmetics and sanitary towels - from shops to those who need them.
• Sign this petition from Change.org to make sanitary items tax-free. Y'know, like razors already are.
• Or, even better, write to your MP requesting the same thing. If you don't know who your MP is, find out at theyworkforyou.com  
• And of course, have more courage than me to go talk to a homeless woman and see how she's doing.

Original article is from Vice.com, entitled: For Homeless Women, Having a Period Isn't a Hassle - It's a Nightmare.

Tuesday morning inspiration

Copyright not mine - please contact me if it's yours!

I love me an inspirational banner. I save them wherever I see them. In my humble opinion, this is 90% what the internet is useful for.

How to prep for a PhD viva...

A picture wot I made on a very special occasion

My viva is on the 4th February - just over a week from now.

In my preparation it's been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster: enthusiasm, terror, apathy, anxiety, self-doubt. But I'd be disingenuous if I played down the apathy element. Re-reading my thesis has to be one of the low points of my PhD experience.

Some major thoughts going through my head were "oh my goodness this is the most boring thing I've ever read in my life", "good grief this is badly written", "how on earth did I miss THAT error" and "argh, what was I thinking doing that experiment?!?".

Thankfully, having read lots of 'professional' advice on how to prepare, which sent me into convulsions of fear (as there was NO WAY I could summon the enthusiasm to do the prep work they recommended) I stumbled across a couple of blog posts which calmed me down amazingly well.

I thought I'd share them.

Firstly a post from university of lies on viva prep - lots of swearing and general anger which I felt rather summed up my own experiences (I have tried to be generally positive about the whole experience on here, but find me a PhD student who has not considered packing it all in at some point and I will, well, laugh). This was cathartic and made me feel better, much better.

Next I found two articles written by academics: one about 'the viva experience' and one amusingly entitled 'are PhD examiners really ogres?'. The latter of these was really helpful (go, read it now) as it put me in my examiner's shoes, and made me remember that, like my driving test, they do actually want me to perform at my best. They are not trying to trick me or trip me up. There are things they actually do want to find out.

[slips seamlessly into third person narrative]

The first of these is did you do the work yourself? They need to ascertain if you understood what was being attempted and make sure you didn't just do stuff because you were told to. So you need to understand the subject area and be able to explain why you did certain things.

The second is did you write your thesis yourself? i.e. you didn't just plagiarize the whole thing and put in made up papers you haven't read. Why are you making the arguments you made? Has anyone done other, more recent work? How does your research fit into the bigger picture?

And of course, the clincher: have you contributed to the scientific literature? Did you find out anything new? If you have papers published you can breathe a bit easier on this one, as science says 'yes'. If you don't, be prepared to explain why your research shows something new. Make sure you're at least trying to get it published.

I think everything else fits in around this. Know the background, know why your research is relevant, be prepared to defend your conclusions. Sounds easy, huh?

*laughs nervously*

The main bit of advice I've been given by my supervisors and other academics is: try to enjoy it. Your examiners have actually read your thesis and are trapped in a room with you for 2-3 hours and HAVE to talk to you about your research, which you have been nursing for the past 3-4 (or more...) years. So make the most of it! No one is EVER going to do this for you again. I keep telling myself this.

The last post I read was from the Guardian entitled 'How to survive a PhD viva: 17 top tips' which sums up everything from before: know your stuff, try to relax, and enjoy it.

I recommend it, it all seems pretty sane stuff, and made me feel a whole lot better.

We'll see if they're right. Wish me luck!

Bee x

Government spending

The benefits system has been a source of woe in my life. I am forever hearing statistics bandied about, as to how much this and that costs the government.

I've been unemployed and know the crushing demoralization that comes with signing on at the job centre - how they basically don't want you to have any money and you have to try and convince them you do (unsuccessfully in my case, as I never seem to know the system quite well enough).

But sometimes it is helpful to see figures on government spending visualised, and I thought this wee infographic would help...

Click here to visit the site if it doesn't embed properly!

Very quick book review - How I lived a year on just a pound a day

The other day whilst in the library I walked past a display of books about frugality, and on impulse I grabbed this copy of "How I lived a Year on Just a Pound a Day" by Kath Kelly - without even especially slowing my pace.

I don't normally do book reviews, and don't intend to 'review' it exactly, but as I was so skeptical upon picking it up, so hooked when I was reading it, and so inspired when I finished it, I wanted to share it.

In answer to the questions you're probably habouring: yes, she really did do it, and no, rent wasn't included in the pound a day. Food, transport and entertainment, however, was.

The thing I really liked about this book was that the project wasn't undertaken to prove some sort of point - she did it to save money to buy her brother a kickass wedding gift. The other thing I liked was the unexpected benefits she found from essentially giving up money. I imagine the less you engage with consumerism, the less you need it, and the more you value things like friends, community and time. Ah, it sounds blissful.

Having now paid my credit card bill off (I got the statement today - money owed: £0!!) I am living rather frugally myself, so knowing that a) it can be done and b) it can be rather enjoyable, is actually very reassuring.

Go forth to your libraries and get a copy out! (and if they don't have it, request they buy one - they do have that option :-P)

Peace out,
Bee x

Naturally fermented ginger beer - recipe

Before Christmas I mentioned a few fermentation experiments I was going to try.

Of these, the kefir was a rip-roaring failure (turns out I may need some actual kefir grains to get this particular show on the road), the cider is taking FOREVER to ferment, but the ginger beer was an inspiring SUCCESS!

So, I thought I would tell you all about it.

I've been frustrated for ages by the range of non alcoholic drinks available anywhere. It seems if you're the designated driver your only choice is to rot your guts with sugar or down a bunch of chemicals in the form of aspartame (which makes me sick). This is why I'm always happy when there is tea available at a pub.

I figure that I should give kombucha a go at some point, but I have always LOVED ginger, so when I found a natural ferment recipe for ginger beer in Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz (which I heartily recommend to anyone wanting to try fermented foods) I had to give it a go! Incidentally, Sandor is an AIDS survivor who attributes his current good health to the inclusion of fermented foods in his diet. (Who needs more persuading than that to at least give them a try?)

The basic process is simple:

1. Make a ginger 'bug' by mixing ginger, sugar and water in a jar, covering with muslin and leaving to ferment in a warm place for about a week, 'feeding' with sugar every other day. I popped my mixture into my yogurt maker (which ticks over at c. 37 degC) as I was in a rush, and it was ready in 2 days. I should probably mention that I misread the recipe and grated 3 inches of ginger to make the bug, rather than 2 teaspoons like the recipe suggests. To the 2 tsp ginger you add 2 tsp sugar and 1 cup (250 ml) water. Otherwise you need an absurdly big jar for the process.

When this is bubbling...

2. Make gingery water by grating ginger into water and simmering for 15 minutes. No need to peel the ginger. Add about 3 inches ginger per 4 litres water, more if you like it hot! Turn off the heat, add 1.5 cups sugar (about 300 g) and stir until it dissolves.

3. When gingery water is cool, add ginger bug to it (if you do it while the mixture is still hot you will kill your little fermentation buddies), then strain the whole lot into clean carbonated drink bottles.

IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT under ANY circumstances use glass bottles not designed for fizzy drinks or THEY WILL EXPLODE!! Kilner jars, wine bottles and demijohns may look cool, but they aren't designed for the task, and will shatter glass all over your kitchen/ your face/ your children. Seriously, old cola bottles may look naff, but they are safe and easy to use. Just get over it ;)

4. Leave to ferment, again for about a week. The yeasts in the 'bug' will eat the sugar, turning it into alcohol and carbon dioxide (so yes, if you add more sugar you can make alcoholic ginger beer; but 300g sugar in 4 litres of drink does not an alcoholic beverage make).

Again, I popped the bottles into my yogurt maker to get it going - though an airing cupboard would be better for this. (Unfortunately our boiler is above the sink, making it useless for such tasks.)

Let out some fizz if bottles start to resemble zeppelins.

I found this makes a really nice, light drink which is much less sugary than shop bought ginger beer. I first tried it immediately after having drunk some fancy ginger beer at my mum's and didn't think I liked it, as it tasted completely different to the shop-bought stuff. However, when it's not sampled alongside a sugar-packed drink it's delicious, and has a light, almost elderflowery taste. One evening Jon had homemade beer, and I had some of this ginger beer and he ended up nicking mine! (jammy git)

So there you have it, a nice refreshing drink that is low in sugar and alcohol (of course there will be a trace level of alcohol, but it's negligible - read - unsuitable if you're allergic to alcohol, fine if you're pregnant or for kids).

Have a go - it's dead cheap and dead easy!
Bee x

Trialling soap nuts

A while ago I bought some soap nuts, with the intention, I think, of using them to wash my hair during my no-poo experiment.

This weekend I ran out of washing powder. So, my hand was forced to give the soap nuts a trial in the washing machine. I dutifully popped 5-6 of the nuts in a wee cloth bag and loaded it in with my laundry for a 30 degree wash.

I reckon this counted as 5.5 soap nuts

To be honest, I'm not impressed with the result, and will probably be surrendering my environmental credentials and spritzing the whole lot with Febreeze as it just don't smell clean, innit.

I'm not giving up hope though - for my next load I will be pre-soaking the lot in hot water and adding the water (as well as my bag'o'nuts) to the load. If that doesn't work, I'll up it to 40, and as a last resort, I'll try what it says on the back of the pack and make some 'soap nut liquid' by boiling 50 g in a litre of water, and using that in place of laundry detergent.

Watch this space...

Garlic in honey - recipe

I felt now was the time to try a mini project from the Tsukemono book Jon bought for my birthday last year. I've long felt that garlic is somewhat wondrous in its health-giving properties, and as the recipe is so simple I thought I'd give it a go.

Here is what you do:

1. Peel and remove bases from 300g fresh garlic
2. Sterilise a jar (I did this by popping it in the oven for 30 mins)
3. Put garlic in jar
4. Cover garlic with about 200g runny honey

It's ready in about a month.

The only problem I had was that the recipe said that if the garlic popped up above the honey to add a bit more honey. Unfortunately my garlic very much floated in the honey, and won't stay under. So, I am currently poking it down every day with spoon.

Thus far I have been unsuccessful in getting the garlic to stay put. I guess as the water is pulled out of the garlic by osmosis, and the cell walls break down a bit they'll sink...? If you've tried this and have any tips please get in touch below! (do I just have rubbish garlic here?)

As I am incapable of doing anything with a teaspoon without licking it afterwards (apart from maybe cleaning the drain, ha ha), I sampled the garlicky honey after 24 hours, and was pleasantly surprised by the taste. I was reminded of Joey from Friends when eating Rachel's shepherd's pie trifle: Garlic? Good! Honey? Good!

Didn't think I'd be so positive about eating garlicky honey, but I really don't think I'll have any trouble taking a spoonful when I'm feeling run down in the future. Who knew?

Now, I know lots of bloggers put a call to action as the last sentence on blog posts, but I am genuinely interested if anyone has tried this? I have a Czech friend who mentioned her grandmother would rub garlic on bread to ward off a cold, so there must be a wealth of folklore on garlic out there, and I WANT TO KNOW IT!!

Surprisingly buoyant garlic!

Ok, now I'm done shouting, have a good weekend, y'all!
Bee x

On new year's resolutions and credit cards...

I've had a weird time so far this year. With a new year always comes a sense of renewal, like NOW is the time to sort your life out, and of course that is exactly what I've been trying to do. Over the Christmas break I made a massive list of things that needed to get done, which ranged from some fun, creative things like 'design and publish website' to pretty hard things like 'sort finances' and 'plan for move in the summer'.

This week it's been the finances. Having had no income for the past 15 months, it's fair to say that my finances are in a bit of a mess. The ISA I set up when we got married has been sitting earning very little interest as I haven't had the mental space to sort it, and the interest-free credit card I took out to pay for a few large purchases and a whole lot of commuting to my university, was coming to the end of its interest-free period.

So on Tuesday I hoicked a bunch of money out of savings and paid off the credit card and my overdraft, leaving me with handsome balances of £0.00 in each. Tomorrow I head to the job centre, as my post-PhD holiday is over - I need to earn some money!

It made me realise that despite my 'frugal' approach to life, it is so hard to manage when you actually don't have any cash flow. I'm not sure if I'll ever get a credit card again - they put you in denial about spending money, as it isn't real money you're spending. Future me can deal with this! Consequently buying a couple of bits and pieces in town here and there didn't feel like spending any money. But of course I was. Tricksy credit cards helping me buy things I didn't need to make me feel better!

I've also been doing some research into ISAs, as I'm pretty sure mine is currently earning below the rate of inflation... more about that later.

But happy new year, one and all! Here's to prosperity and happiness :)
Bee x