Frugally Living Aboard

[Grace and Favour]

>>>>>

We don't use our knucker at home it just takes up space so certainly wouldn't want one on the boat!

Knucker? - - - You call your microwave 'knucker'?

[carlt]

I agree, but when I'm cruising I can nip inside after doing a lock and tied and make a swift cuppa and carry on without waiting for the kettle

No, I'm sorry but making tea with water that isn't boiling is an affront to normal civilised behaviour.

 

[Bettie Boo]

No, I'm sorry but making tea with water that isn't boiling is an affront to normal civilised behaviour.

 

Wow

 

That tea must be steeped perfectly - they all look so very Happy

Edited January 12, 2014 by Bettie Boo

[Laurie Booth]

No, I'm sorry but making tea with water that isn't boiling is an affront to normal civilised behaviour.

 

Spot on my dear chap.

[Phil Ambrose]

Knucker? - - - You call your microwave 'knucker'?

Surely it's Nuker as in I am going to Nuke a pie for my lunch. The word Nuke is common parlance in commercial kitchens when used in connection with Microwave cookers.

Phil

[junior]

The word Nuke is common parlance in commercial kitchens when used in connection with Microwave cookers.

Phil

I take it you've worked for Vintage Inns??

[Woodstock]

Knucker? - - - You call your microwave 'knucker'?

The Welsh name is great:- Popty Ping

[Alan de Enfield]

Nah - its a 'dinger'

[Peter Reed]

Ping Cuisine?

[Woodstock]

Nah - its a 'dinger'

There is a company in Hong Kong who make a range of ready meals and the brand name is "Ding"

 

I still like Popty Ping

[Dottyshirl]

.

No, I'm sorry but making tea with water that isn't boiling is an affront to normal civilised behaviour.

 

 

 

 

 

lol... Looks like somebody asked them "do you drive the boats ladies?"

To which they replied in sequence

"What dear?"

"Me dear?"

"No dear!"

 

Ha ha ha ha

Edited January 13, 2014 by Dottyshirl

[jonny]

Iv'e just been bought a paper log maker, where you soak loads of news papers or tow path mags stuff it into a mold, press the water out and hey-presto a paper log.

The main problem is I made half a dozen on boxing day, just to try it out and I'm still waiting for them to dry out!

Don't even know if they will burn properly,I made these at home and have had them in-doors, so would imagine they'd be almost impossible to dry-out on board.

The idea seems alright and frugal, but time will tell.

The mold or press is made by Black Spur (maybe that says it all)

[madcat]

I wondered about those, do report back on when they dry out. Sounds like a summer occupation making those, plenty of time to dry.

[John Williamson 1955]

I wondered about those, do report back on when they dry out. Sounds like a summer occupation making those, plenty of time to dry.

Reports I've been given from users say that they take many newspapers each to make, take ages to tear the paper up, mix and press into shape, months to dry enough to burn properly and then only burn for a couple of minutes each.

[Grace and Favour]

This is a much better method of making newspaper logs....

 

I use a 3/4" pipe or broom handle as the center. Lay out an unfolded section internal of the fold up, start rolling tightly. When there is still about 6" left sticking out from under the roll, layer another unfolded section on top of the piece sticking and continue this way until it's as thick a log as you want. I use twine to tie it up in three (thirds) places on the roll. Less expensive than tape.
Oh, and slide out the pipe when you're done...

[Alan Saunders]

Reports I've been given from users say that they take many newspapers each to make, take ages to tear the paper up, mix and press into shape, months to dry enough to burn properly and then only burn for a couple of minutes each.

I remember 'log-roll' being advertised in the News of the World etc. in the 1950s. It was probably available from ©18??, you could pay the really poor kids 1p per cwt for your heatlogs!

 

Newsprint was (is?) made from wood pulp so you may get the same amount of heat from newspapers as you would from the same weight of seasoned wood.

But, modern Newspapers, even the black on white pages, do not seem to burn so well. I think they have a high proportion of china-clay. They are useless for firelighting compared to the ones we had in the 1950's - even those produced a lot of flaky ash.

 

Roll up old newspapers as G&F suggests, do not soak them with water. Add any old oil/fat you have (cooking oils/fat, diesel, used engine oil) and you have a good fire-starter. Your neighbours may object.

 

I am still trying to find the name and a reference to a fire-starter used in Canada where chain-saws are common. You keep a bucket of sawdust** with some added diesel*; a trowel-full burns steadily as the sawdust provides a wick for the diesel fuel and is then itself consumed. I have used this for bonfires when felling trees and it worked very well; it burned for some time and was not extinguished by a breeze.

 

* Do not use petrol or other highly volatile subtances.

** Well maintained Chain-saws produce wood-chips rather than 'dust'.

 

Alan

[jonny]

I wondered about those, do report back on when they dry out. Sounds like a summer occupation making those, plenty of time to dry.

I've just had a look back on the search button and found loads of info on the paper logs just type it in and you'll find a few pro's & loads of con's

I think I'll stop making them until I've burnt the ones Iv'e made then I will form my own opinion.

[bargemast]

No one seems to be singing about LEDs here, or have I missed something?

 

Lights are one of the biggest drains on power, because they are on for extended periods of time. There are LED equivalents made for almost every lamp these days, some are pretty cheap, some more expensive, but all will save in the long run!

 

In post # 18 you'll be reading about the use of LED's to reduce electric power consumption.

 

Peter.

[narrowboatmick]

I agree with carlt, free food from skips and biffa bins. Theres even a term for it, dumpster diving, I did it for about 6 months whilst living in a house.I even had to get large freezer from free-cycle to store all the food I was getting. Although some of the big supermarkets are impossible, smaller ones like spar morrisons and the co-op can be quite good if you check them out each day.Red biffa bins at hte back of small shops and bakers are a good sign and if there locked you can always buy a universal key off ebay which fits them.

[Laurie Booth]

I agree with carlt, free food from skips and biffa bins. Theres even a term for it, dumpster diving, I did it for about 6 months whilst living in a house.I even had to get large freezer from free-cycle to store all the food I was getting. Although some of the big supermarkets are impossible, smaller ones like spar morrisons and the co-op can be quite good if you check them out each day.Red biffa bins at hte back of small shops and bakers are a good sign and if there locked you can always buy a universal key off ebay which fits them.

When I was working for a supermarket we used to put out of date food in bins at the back of the store to collect by the refuse collectors. We knew that some people were taking food out of the bins for their own use and we turned a blind eye to it. This was all well and good until one person (seen on CCTV) took some food, from the bin and claimed he had just bought it earlier that day and demanded his money back.

Edited January 16, 2014 by Laurie.Booth

[ImmaDuckQuackQuack]

Some fantastic tips so far, thanks everyone!! Keep going!

When I was working for a supermarket we used to put out of date food in bins at the back of the store to collect by the refuse collectors. We knew that some people were taking food out of the bins for their own use and we turned a blind eye to it. This was all well and good until one person (seen on CCTV) took some food, from the bin and claimed he had just bought it earlier that day and demanded his money back.

Now that is just plain cheeky!!!

[Laurie Booth]

Some fantastic tips so far, thanks everyone!! Keep going!

Now that is just plain cheeky!!!

Sad as we had to put the bins into a secure area, and (in my opinion) good food wasn't getting to the people who needed it.

[peterboat]

At work we use sawdust to soak up spilled oil I use this with latex rubber gloves to light my stove seems to work better than paper or firelighters also dont have to use kindling

 

Peter

[Dyertribe]

There is a company in Hong Kong who make a range of ready meals and the brand name is "Ding"

 

I still like Popty Ping

Me too!

[Guest]

I forgot something.

 

If you can, get a widebeam.

 

Why? Because widebeams have enough volume to fit normal household appliances. If you are insistent on having 'home comforts', then being able to purchase normal household fittings will save you a lot of money.

 

Sure, you can get slimline washing machines etc. But they are dearer than anything standard-sized.

 

Where you can, use 240VAC. Will you have shore-power hookup? If so, don't fit an expensive inverter etc, fit a household (choose a 'garage' model, they are more robust) consumer unit and run a simple ring-main from that. Cheap, simple and safe.

hi please explain what is a household/garage model inverter?