bug house

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Nurture nature in your garden: build a bughouse

I love working opposite Rob, aka Harrogate’s very own Wild Man of the Woods. In he bounds, first thing on Monday morning, to tell me about his latest adventures. A couple of weeks ago, he found a stash of wild … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty1 May 18, 2012

pots for tomato plants

Thrifty Home

Reader tip: free pots for your tomato plants

Short of big pots for your tomato plants? Here’s the perfect tip, from Miss Thrifty reader Sharon: Are you having to pay out for buckets for your tomato plants, or other veg etc..? Take a trip down to your local, … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty1 June 27, 2011

Thrifty Food

Bouquet garni from my garden

I get my bouquet garni (or bouquets garnis) for free: I make them the traditional way, using herbs from my garden. They may look like faddy, fiddly little bundles to make, but they really aren’t. I like them better than … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty5 April 3, 2011

kitchen roll tube

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Five uses for kitchen roll inners

Kitchen paper tubes, kitchen roll inners, “cores”, cylinders or whatever the official term is… First of all I composted them. Then I saved them for use in a (predictably abortive) attempt at poisoning all the bindweed in my garden. So … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty10 January 27, 2011

Thrifty Home

Clean your shoes with a banana skin – and three other fruity tricks

When Frugal Grandma emailed me the other day to say that you can use a banana skin to shine leather shoes, I was chowing down on a banana and it seemed like fate. Or at least, too good an opportunity … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty9 January 10, 2011

Thrifty Home

Yorkshire’s Thriftiest Granny!

Remember Yorkshire Water’s summer competition to find Yorkshire’s Thriftiest Granny? I was invited to judge some of the entries and featured a selection of the thriftiest tips. Here’s a video of the eventual winner, Katrina Cowell from Colton in Leeds, … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty2 September 22, 2010

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One advantage of a messy garden…

…is a lot of yummy blackberries at this time of year! I have written before about the trials and tribulations of our garden: When we moved in the garden was a mess. The previous occupants had used it as a … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty1 September 10, 2010

Thrifty Home

How to fill your Morrisons trolley for £30

So what can you get with a £30 Morrisons voucher? The Sun newspaper’s social media agency got in touch to say that they would bestow a voucher for this very sum upon me, if I told y’all what I’d spend … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty6 July 9, 2010

Thrifty Planet

Chipped cup or mug? Don’t throw it away!

I used to get really annoyed when I chipped a cup or mug, especially if it was one of my favourite Cath Kidston ones. This past few months it has been even more annoying, because of my New Year’s Resolution … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty6 July 3, 2010

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Erica’s Garden Pantry: shooting for the sky

Okay, so here’s a question: do you recognise this plant on your left? Erica, whose green fingers are turning her little city garden into a verdant cornucopia of fruit and veg, has these clues for you: 1. It’s a good … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty2 June 14, 2010

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SIMPLE PLEASURES: flowers from the garden

When we moved in here and the garden was a weed-strewn wasteland, two plants bloomed that first summer. They were both columbines and their sudden appearance that June took us by surprise as, well… we hadn’t expected anything that flowered … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty0 June 7, 2010

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Introducing Erica’s Garden Pantry – and her pond-bath

This is Erica. She is a friend of mine and, like many of my friends, she has superpowers. (Ah, I do pick them.) Erica lives in London. Her superpowers include beautiful illustrations and the uncanny ability to turn little city … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty3 May 26, 2010

Thrifty Planet

Guerilla Gardening: seedbombs in London

“What is guerrilla gardening? “Guerrilla gardening is the art of using a piece of land which you do not own to grow something. One step removed from actual guerrilla warfare, guerrilla gardening takes land not for the people, but for … Get the lowdown >>

Miss Thrifty2 May 10, 2010