300 hours of well spent time

[powerspade]

Kitty  You have sussed me out I`m a musican low money but high in pleasure,

[powerspade]

[Justy]

There is no way that my lottie saves me money on veg! However that is probably the last reason that I have the lottie.  Fresh air, exercise and just general fun are my motivators!!    ;D 
Roll on the summer holidays.

[kitty]

ha!powerspade-we're lucky to do something we love-moneys no compensation is it?(i aint stupid tho,i know its quite useful!!)
power to us arteests!
best wishes
kitty

[betula]

ha!betula-perhaps powerspades an arist like me-i aspire to £2 an hour-but i dont compain because i wouldnt swap my job for anything-i live very cheaply and the lotties a great source of food and inspiration.
having a lot of money doesnt equal happiness(as you know i'm sure ;D)and so long as i dont owe anyone any money and can pay my bills i'm as happy as a pig in poo-i dont seem to go without anything-well,apart from holidays i spose-but then-i got the lottie! ;D ;D ;D
i think western cilvilisation would be a lot 'richer' if it took no more than it needed -from wages to food.....and the first people on the list for downsizing would be m.p's.......
think allaboutliverpools got his priorities right....
kitty#xx

Only just read this.

What a lovely idea to only earn £2 an hour and be able to pay all your bills. ;D

I am still trying to work out how you pay rent or mortgage.What about fuel bills?
Council tax?

I do not cost my lottie out.To begin with it cost more but not spending so much as time goes on.

Fresh air,veggies,exercise all make up a great hobby. ;D

[debster]

all about im an a and e nurse and one of the most important parts of gardening for me (dont have a lottie) it gives me chance to work out any stress and also think things over that have gone either well or badly

[DenBee]

I didn't do much growing last year for various reasons, and probably left it a bit late this year too before I got going again. But when I started sowing, potting on, etc. I wondered why on earth I'd stopped doing it.  It's very therapeutic mentally, and hours can pass peacefully in your own little green world.

Have to say though that it hasn't cured me of any shopping habit.  Just redirected it slightly.  ;D

[hellohelenhere]

I don't know how much time I spend in the garden - I do know there are lots of other things that need doing, that aren't getting done at the moment! I love having the time outdoors and noticing all the wildlife, whether it's the birds (red kites, robins, magpies, starlings) or the micro-wildlife that is really fascinating me lately - damsel flies, beetles, spiders - so much of it there when you look. Plus I'm stronger and fitter than I was before I started the garden. As for money - this year will be relatively expensive, as I'm starting out; had to buy tools, lots of compost, seeds, etc etc. But even there I did it cheaply; got a water butt via a Freecycling friend, a fork for £3 from a house clearance shop; used reclaimed wood to edge my beds, acquired plastic for nothing, to use for my cloches; and got lots of seeds via swaps here! :)

In terms of costing food - everything I grow is organic, I know there isn't any chemical residue on it (other than whatever is in the air, generally, in Reading!) - so I'd be comparing against fancy-schmancy organic grocery prices. We eat a LOT of greens, and spinach is expensive to buy. Some of what we're eating now, you probably can't buy even if you wanted to - eg Red Mustard Leaf and chard.

There are so many good points - the only bad one, as I said, is that I'm neglecting other things in life which have rather been pushed to the back. I'm creating this garden from scratch, so that's my excuse. Next year will be much easier, I won't have to dig beds from couch grass. :)

[GrannieAnnie]

Allaboutliverpool,
Tour allotment video has been an immeasurable inspiration to me and probably others which should be included in your list of benefits- a benefit with global impact. ;D