Bunny Money... or Farming For Beginners.

It's been a while since I posted anything so I thought I'd give a quick update! My paypal account has almost £500 in it from sales on ebay of junk found at auction, things I've refurbished and die cut paper embellishments. I particularly loved these tiger print tables that I bought for £10 and sold for £45 after some painting...

Funky Tiger Print Tables

I've got another set of the tables to use but they cost me £20 so I'm not expecting such a great mark-up on them... might do a zebra print next?

I have also bought a candy floss machine that I hope to hire out to local weddings and parties. For now though, we've had great fun in trying to find the perfect method! I've also been designing a web site to go with it and bought the domain name 'candy magic', and now I have to work out how to point it at the actual site I've designed using a free Wix template.

Jess with her candyfloss

The most recent venture I've embarked on is small scale rabbit farming. 'Farming' is probably pushing it a bit far actually, I have 3 doe rabbits and 2 bucks (one standard size and one mini lop). I'm in the process of setting up hutches from begged and borrowed bits of wood.

My beautiful Californian doe might be pregnant already to a huge blue boy so I've got to get a wiggle on and have her somewhere she can settle down and make a nest - at the minute she's sharing a wendy house and keeps escaping into the garden!

I've to keep an eye to see that I don't spend more on food and bedding etc than I can possibly make selling babies. I also have to be careful not to over-breed and end up with rabbits that I can't sell.

I'm sure that many people won't like that I'm keeping animals primarily to make money from them but they will all be well cared for pets and will be tamer and cheaper than those bought from pet shops. They were also all 'rescue' rabbits so I'm giving them a second chance (not to mention that they were either free or very well priced for their quality).



Dennis Hopper

This is Mark's 'special boy', Dennis Hopper the house rabbit. He love cuddles, cream crackers and chasing the dog around the room (I wish I knew how to upload video as it's hilarious!).

Too Much, Too Soon.

Image courtesy of Imgion

 

As you might have noticed, I don't have the time to post regularly. I'm working extra shifts in my day job as well as starting a couple of new projects and trying to keep on top of my wedding stationery orders and I've got to the point where something's got to give!

I'll try to pop back once in a while to update you on the progress of my saving and, if you would like to get in touch, then my inbox is always open to you!

For now I will just let you know what my next plan is. Using the money I have saved/raised so far I have bought a commercial candy floss machine and am going to hire it out for weddings and parties etc, as well as attending local fete's and fairs. There will be fresh popcorn with lots of new flavours and vintage sweeties in stripy bags.

Good luck to you, and thanks for reading,

Nikki xxx

Homemade Mini Donuts

About 4 years ago I bought my daughter an electric donut maker for Christmas. Then we never had the time, or the right ingredients, or the energy... or the inclination to use it. So it sat, in its box, gathering dust.

Tonight, for some unknown reason, I hankered for a warm cinnamon donut.

So after looking through a bakers dozen recipes for one that sounded simple enough for a first attempt, as well as having the required ingredients, we settle on one from the Australian site Wheel & Barrow. A really simple recipe that uses basics from your store-cupboard and it makes light, fluffy donuts.

Ingredients

• 225g plain flour
• 100g castor sugar
• 10g baking powder
• 125g melted butter
• 190ml milk
• 1 egg

Photograph from Wheel and Barrow

Method

Turn your donut maker on to heat while you prepare the ingredients. Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Whisk the milk, egg, and melted butter together briskly, before stirring into the dry ingredients. (Don't over mix it as the finished donut would be dense.)

Brush some oil onto the hot maker and add your mixture. The original recipe telly you to pipe the mixture into the rings but we just ladled it in - slightly less than full but experiment and see what works for you.

They need to be in the closed machine for a least 2 minutes. We gave the first batch 5 minutes to try and brown them but they were still quite anaemic and a bit chewy. So for the next batch I took them out after the 2 minutes and left them o the cooling rack. I heated some oil (about an inch) in the bottom of the pan and dropped a few in at a time. It takes just a few seconds for them to turn a beautiful golden brown, then turn for a few more seconds before shaking off the excess oil and sprinkle with cinnamon or vanilla sugar... or glaze them, or dunk them in chocolate or drizzle with caramel... the possibilities are endless.

I think we made roughly 30 ish donuts for about 30 - 50p - I've still to work it out properly and I really haven't considered what it costs for our chickens to produce an egg! A real treat, that's easy to make and at a fraction of the cost of buying them at from a stall, or even the supermarket!

A change of name!

As part of my getting organised and on top of things I decided to streamline my blog. I've looked back through my posts so far and feel that I'm lacking direction, or focus or something.

The cutest confused baby bar none!

So I'm going to write a page about what I'm trying to do and why so that I can refer back to it and make sure I keep on subject. I might also have a page with running totals on there so I (and you) know where I stand with the fundraising part of this experiment.

A Blog Planner

My other big blog decision is to change it's name. Originally called 'Project Triumph' because my main objective was to save up and buy a Triumph motorbike. Probably a bit 'mannish' for my posts so far? It also is the name of a project involving Jewish and Arab youths - very admirable but not something I want my blog to be confused with!

So I thought about what I've said so far, and what I have to say. I realised that this is a blog about living well for less, as well as saving up, home improvements and making money with absolutely nothing! I needed a name that showed you could work magic with money, making it stretch further than you imagined and raising enough (£5K) to buy your dream (Triumph Thruxton). And so... Frugal Fairy was born!

Okay, this would be a really great place to put my Blog Logo (or is that a Blogo?) but I don't have one!!! If you could design me one I'm happy to trade skills - perhaps you want a soap sock stock pile or a bunch of scrunched hearts? Get in touch and lets chat ;)

Nikki xx

Unexpected Result!

This week I thought I'd try a little experiment with my other blog www.craftuk.blogspot.co.uk to see if it was possible to link a few of my online activities together,

Firstly I wrote a tutorial on making soap socks. At the end of the tutorial I mentioned that you could also buy them from my Etsy shop if you really couldn't be bothered to make them.

My soap sock

I then pinned the above photo of the finished soap sock onto my pinterest which also links to my Etsy shop... you get where this is going, right?

As I don't use Facebook (although I am considering it for business purposes) I posted one single tweet about the free tutorial onto Twitter (@ttwolittlewordz if you want to follow me). Then I forgot I'd done any of it, and spent a while dreaming about the day I own my Thruxton...



Photo courtesy of Motographite

Then something unexpected happened... I sold 3 soap socks through my Etsy shop! Now the profit margin isn't huge but there is profit. It also proves to me that social media might not be just the latest waste of time!
If you are crafty (in the creative way, not the sly way) then why don't you write me a tutorial for something you make? I'll feature it on my craft blog with links to your chosen web site and credit for the article. It could take you a few pounds closer to reaching your dream.

Slow start to 2014

This year seems to have go off to a bit of a slow start when it comes to money making. I just haven't had the time to be doing much other than my day-job, but I have had a little 'me time' and visited some close friends where we talked about how saving money in the everyday living can be just as beneficial as making a little bit extra.

It got me thinking that if I really looked at where I'm spending money day to day I might be able to cut back and free up a little more cash. One area I know I spend too much is the kitchen - I don't plan meals in advance so often have to take the 7 mile trip to town to buy just one ingredient or even ready meals as I'm too tired to cook from scratch. God knows what this is doing to our insides, never mind our bank balance!

They taste ok but at what cost?

So I'm going to start planning our meals and cooking double sized batches to save time and money. I figure we'll be eating better for less and it should save me time. I'm going to buy a sack of potatoes from the farm and make sure they are used before they go bad!

I'll be looking out some frugal recipes and posting the results on here. If you know of any please let me know. I'm also going to make good use of our chickens eggs this coming year (when they eventually start laying again) and have plans for tasty quiches, French toast (eggy bread) and baked custard tarts.

I mentioned before that I want to plant a vegetable garden and have decided that garden peas, carrots and some sort of onion would benefit us most so that's on the 'To Do' list for as soon as this daily rain stops.

Time to get organised!

As usual, once Christmas and New Year are over I stop reflecting on the past year and start looking forward to the next. I have high hopes and some pent-up energy just waiting to be unleashed - it's the same every year. This year I'm breaking my 'ambitions' into 4 areas..

Myself...

I'm not going to say how fat I am or how I drink too much (as I'm only 9 stone and almost tea-total!) but I could be fitter, my hair is a bit bedraggled and I haven't had a decent manicure (home or paid) for about 8 months now. So I want to sort myself out before letting it slide a little becomes irreversible!

My Home...

I've deliberately said 'home' and not 'house' as I feel they are very different - a house is a building, whereas a home is that building, the people in it and all the things we would want to rescue if there was a fire. Now my 'New Year sort-out' is mostly about the 'house' side of things. It's a very small house and not really laid out the best for a busy young family, so I need to have a declutter, organise what I'm keeping and finish off some of the many, many projects I've started. The knock-on effect of this will be a nicer home for us to be together and build a few more memories before the kids get to old to spend time with mum.

Where there's muck there's brass

I also have to pen in the chickens, sort them a new coop and claim back my garden. I'd like a vegetable patch - partly because it will save me a few pence but mostly because there's nothing quite like pulling your own carrots from the ground and eating them for tea.

The list in the 'Home' section is ever-growing and ever-changing, so I'll need to keep this updated regularly and try to keep on top of it!

My Finances...

We are far from destitute but if something major breaks (like the fridge did last year) we do have to scratch around for the money to replace it. It makes sense to have a safety net for those 'just in case' moments. It would also be nice to get home to Belfast to visit family... not to mention Project Thruxton! This is the year for economising on the silly things - the extra chocolate bar, the coffee on the way to work and making the most of what we have. I've got to get serious about selling the stuff I buy at auctions - and the bonus is it will help with the afore-mentioned de-clutter.

I think I'm going to need around £500 to pass my test and then around £1200 - £1500 to buy a half decent bike. Then I can save up the £6K to buy the dream :)

So, included in the 'Finances' department are building a nest-egg, paying for a holiday, clearing the credit cards and sorting the bike ambitions too! Wow, this one is going to be a tough on - I'll have to concentrate on saving pennies as well as making them.

My Business...

As I've mentioned my partner has a second hand furniture shop that I sometimes sell pieces through. I also own the domain www.bigredbarn.co.uk that I've used for various things over the past few years but it really lends itself to selling handmade bits and bobs as well as the furniture I've done up. I could link from there to ebay and other selling platforms, and visa versa in the hope that it eventually gets some decent traffic and makes a few pennies.

My 'main', if slow, business is www.twolittlewords.co.uk. I design, make and sell wedding stationery. Without any promotion or pushing it brings me in regular orders so I really should try making a living out of it! I absolutely love designing the perfect invitation for couples and have so many ideas for new designs buzzing around my head that I need to organise the time to really sort it properly!

Our most popular design is the storybook invitation!

I really must work on Blogging too - I'm sure it could be so much more beneficial if they were better organised. This (my favourite mish mash of ideas) in particular could do with some fine-tuning and proper sections made for the categories I cover. I'm hoping that it will develop naturally into something sleek and beautiful but, eventually, I fear I will need to learn how to add pages, reviews and tutorials so watch this space!!!