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My Frugal Home in France
Приєднався 30 жов 2012
My husband and I bought a 17th century farmhouse in Normandy, France. Now, we're fixing up the house and garden, and having a blast exploring all the things that make everyday life in France unique.
French Farmhouse Christmas Home Tour 2024
Come take a tour of our 400-year-old French farmhouse and see how we decorated for Christmas.
How to Sew a Drawstring Gift Bag: www.myfrugalhome.com/how-to-sew-a-drawstring-gift-bag/
How to Make Christmas Stockings From an Old Quilt: www.myfrugalhome.com/make-christmas-stockings-from-an-old-quilt/
How to Sew a Drawstring Gift Bag: www.myfrugalhome.com/how-to-sew-a-drawstring-gift-bag/
How to Make Christmas Stockings From an Old Quilt: www.myfrugalhome.com/make-christmas-stockings-from-an-old-quilt/
Переглядів: 4 646
Відео
Beginning to Decorate Our French Farmhouse for Christmas
Переглядів 950День тому
This week, some fallen trees prompted us to make Christmas wreaths, we scored some second-hand Christmas decor, painted ornaments and made homemade peppermint ice cream. Yum! Here are links to the recipes featured in this week's video: www.myfrugalhome.com/peppermint-ice-cream/ www.myfrugalhome.com/gingerbread-ice-cream/ Featured Music: Deck the Halls B by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Crea...
Snow Day in Normandy
Переглядів 99814 днів тому
It's snowing in Normandy, France! See how we prepared for the storm, and what we did on our snow day. Here are the recipes featured in this week's video: www.myfrugalhome.com/lentil-soup-mix-recipe/ www.myfrugalhome.com/split-pea-soup-mix/ www.myfrugalhome.com/potato-soup-mix/
Beachcombing, Grocery Shopping & Other French Adventures
Переглядів 59021 день тому
In this week's video, we do some beachcombing, eat at a French McDonald's, shop at a French grocery store and finish up a DIY project. Here are the recipes featured in this week's video: www.myfrugalhome.com/crockpot-sweet-potato-casserole/ www.myfrugalhome.com/pumpkin-pie-spice/
French Farmhouse Life
Переглядів 3,4 тис.Місяць тому
See what a typical week living in a French farmhouse is like, as we tackle a garden project, build furniture, cook and run errands. Here are links to the recipes featured in this week's video: www.myfrugalhome.com/sheet-pan-breakfast-fajitas/ www.myfrugalhome.com/homemade-fajita-seasoning-mix/
French Grocery Deal Unboxing + Everyday Life in France
Переглядів 3,5 тис.Місяць тому
This week we unbox our latest grocery store deals, score some second-hand bargains for our French farmhouse, work in our orchard and cook up some tasty and frugal foods. Here are links to the recipes featured in this week's video: www.myfrugalhome.com/bread-pudding/ www.myfrugalhome.com/bell-pepper-soup/
A Spider & A Special Delivery
Переглядів 396Місяць тому
In this week's video, we continue renovations on our 17th century French barn, and make some unexpected progress, thanks to a grocery store deal. Here's a link to the pumpkin soup featured in the video: www.myfrugalhome.com/creamy-pumpkin-soup/
Gite Improvements Indoors and Outdoors
Переглядів 456Місяць тому
See the improvements we made to the gite terrace and bedroom, and try a couple of our favorite fall recipes. Here are links to the recipes featured in this week's video: www.myfrugalhome.com/creamy-tomato-soup/ www.myfrugalhome.com/mocha-hot-cocoa-mix/
Barn Improvement and French Grocery Store Deals
Переглядів 9642 місяці тому
Check out our 17th century barn improvement project, watch us unbox some French grocery store deals, and see our latest recipes. Here are links to the recipes featured in this week's video: www.myfrugalhome.com/4-ingredient-apple-pie-muffins/ www.myfrugalhome.com/2-ingredient-apple-pie/ www.myfrugalhome.com/how-to-make-bread-crumbs/ www.myfrugalhome.com/crockpot-vegetable-broth/
Furniture Finds for the First Floor Living Room
Переглядів 5362 місяці тому
A lucky consignment store furniture find finally has our first floor living room coming together. Check out the progress.
Rain = Lots of Progress in Our French Farmhouse
Переглядів 1,3 тис.3 місяці тому
It pretty much rained non-stop for a week and a half, so we got lots of work done inside our French farmhouse. Come check out our progress.
Hornets, Heights and Hedgerows
Переглядів 7203 місяці тому
It was a busy week at our French farmhouse. Our projects included hornets, tall ladders, tiles, an unruly hedgerow and a piano.
A Week of Progress at Our French Farmhouse
Переглядів 3,8 тис.3 місяці тому
Come see the progress we've made at our French farmhouse over the last week combining our DIY skills and second-hand finds.
Road Trip to Saint-Malo for a Facebook Find
Переглядів 3544 місяці тому
Come along as we road trip to Saint-Malo, France to pick up a Facebook Marketplace find. On the way back, we'll tour the ramparts, the old city and Fort National. Then, we'll stop off in Normandy to visit Mont Saint-Michel. Be sure to stick around to the end on the video to see our finds from the trip. Featured Music: Folk Round by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution ...
Seafood Vending Machine in France
Переглядів 1724 місяці тому
In France, you can buy shrimp, oysters, mussels and other seafood from a vending machine. See one of these machines, and learn how it works.
Discovering What's Hidden Under All the Weeds
Переглядів 4265 місяців тому
Discovering What's Hidden Under All the Weeds
Grocery Shopping at a Vending Machine in France
Переглядів 1,1 тис.5 місяців тому
Grocery Shopping at a Vending Machine in France
Making Over a Second-Hand Mirror for Our Primary Bathroom
Переглядів 4615 місяців тому
Making Over a Second-Hand Mirror for Our Primary Bathroom
Making a Curtain for the 3rd Floor Bathroom
Переглядів 2525 місяців тому
Making a Curtain for the 3rd Floor Bathroom
Planting Lavender in the Lavoir Garden
Переглядів 2035 місяців тому
Planting Lavender in the Lavoir Garden
I love the pine (?) Dining table. I want one like it. Did you buy it there? Make it? Please share. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
I just love the idea of reusable gift tags and reusable gift bags. I will definitely be making both of those.
Just getting to watching this and WOW! It looks amazing. I love the vignettes and the gumball machines are the best(my next acquisition). I too got into tablescapes when we moved a year and a half ago. I also do a coffee station. All is thrifted. While we religiously reuse gift bags here very rarely buying them, I think I will try to do this for next year. I do not sew, but I am thinking wrapping in material. I will start small, my daughter's birthday is 12/28. Thank you for your inspiration.(Oh, and I decorate and hubby does the trees-seems to be something that is common). Have a wonderful holiday time with the kids and new friends.
Only just found you, and I'm glad I did. Don't know the backstory but love your home in Normandy. Your Noel decorations, etc. suit a European home to a tee. Excellent and sensitive "homemaking".
A couple of thoughts from a fellow American who very much enjoys your farmhouse & you two: are yr pears Perry pears if so they are small & bitter & used to make some alcoholic drink that I've never come across here and be careful with the ferns (bracken)they can be very invasive & take over whole fields with their seeds.,etc. Just a couple of other gardening thoughts, if plants are free they spread & ground covers are always invasive, wondering if putting flat natural stones on the sides of the burns could prevent erosion & become a rock garden like yr sedums?
Beautiful Home 🏡 ❤
Thank you :)
Loved this video!
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Your sideboard is fabulous. I'm drawn to the simplicity of your decorations for the Christmas season. Your stone fireplace is amazing. I agree your Noel banner looks lovely hanging there. The little vending machines are so unique. What a find! Your home looks beautiful. ❤
Thanks, I find myself craving simplicity these days, so we're being very slow and deliberate about how we furnish and decorate the house. I want to be surrounded by things we love and that have nice memories attached to them. The sideboard was a lucky find in a NYC thrift store. I'm really glad we were able to bring it with us. Same for the vending machines :)
Beautiful home tour. Love the story behind your curated collection.
Thank you :)
Nice tour! Everything looks very christmassy. Those giftbags is a good idea! Thank you!
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
I absolutely love you sharing your new home. The Christmas tour is wonderful and it makes me wish I was thirty years younger. It would take that, or more for me to keep up with all of your special projects. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and safe holiday. Trish from Alaska
Merry Christmas to you, too. It's a pleasure to be able to share the experience with everyone, and I'm glad you're along for the journey.
Beautiful vintage decor. The wooden Santa is creepy, I agree. Reusable bags = genius!
Ha! That's one vote in the kids' favor. They will be pleased :)
Erin, you did an AMAZING job! I love how you pick up those things for a few pennies/euros! Are you doing your $100 Christmas gifts again this year? Would love to see what you have!
Thanks, Tamara. I decided to give myself a couple years off from Christmas Under $100 while we figured out gifting on two continents and settled in to our new life, but my gifting habits are deeply ingrained, so even though I haven't been keeping a running total and documenting all my purchases, I'm still very much up to my old ways. I've found ways to get many of our gifts for free or very cheap. For example, earlier this year Intermarche had a sale where you could buy up to 30 Euros of health and beauty products for 80% off. I used that deal to load up on nice French soaps for gifts. The store loyalty programs are really good in France, so I'm having fun exploring all the new ways to save. I might get back to doing my Christmas Under $100 posts next year. I really enjoy doing them.
@@MyFrugalHomeinFrance I'm in France, mostly Paris, quite frequently and I always go to the Lidl or Monoprix and get French soap! Thanks for the response.
The reusable gift bags what a great idea. I have some of the same material in tree skirts my mom made me. Such a lovely memory of her that floods back when I pull them out . Thank you for sharing your lovely home with us.♥
How lucky you are to have tree skirts that your mom made for you. And I know just what you mean about the memories that flood back. When I unpacked our Christmas card holder this year, I immediately thought of our friend as I always do, and I realized I'd never shared that with her, so off a text went.
Absolutely love the side board and decorations:)
Thanks. The sideboard is my favorite piece of furniture. We found it in a thrift store in NYC years ago, and had it shipped to TN. It was a major bargain, even factoring the shipping in. I'm really glad it fit in our container. I would have missed it dearly.
Love watching your Sunday updates. You are both such an inspiration. I love your sea themed Christmas tree. Also, your gift bags are genius.
Thanks, Janet. I enjoyed putting the Christmas home tour together for you guys :)
I’ve been using old scarves and fabric remnants to wrap gifts for the longest time, but your giftbags are definitely worthy of copying.
Thanks, Margot :)
What a very thoughtful decoration display. Love your beach tree and I remember those tiny ornaments from my childhood. Did you mention in one of your past vlog, but do you and your husband speak French? 🎄
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I speak intermediate French, which is to say sometimes I have all the words I need and sometimes I have none of them :) Every day is an adventure. My husband started studying French when we decided to move to France, so he is still early days. We're both committed to becoming fluent, and study every day.
HOTLINE TO SANTA.... love all your decorations. They look amazing.
Thanks! I really had fun decorating for Christmas this year.
Another super video, I love to you guys looking so happy. Always a tonic to see what you have been doing in your week. Thanks so much. Pam in Texas.x
Thanks, Pam. It's always a joy to be able to share our adventures :) I appreciate you tuning in each week.
Those pretty berries at 6.14 are Spindle - in Dutch we call them Kardinaalsmuts - Cardinal’s Hat.
Thanks, I've been working on identifying all the plants in our garden. I'm happy to know the name.
E and A as usual I was happy to watch your crafting and cooking. You are amazing and such an inspiration in being frugal. Wish I was 40 years younger and could enjoy doing some of the things that you are doing.
Thanks, Janet :)
24:48 Is the lintel over the door stone or very gray wood?
It's a wood lintel.
Well done Erin and Aaron.
Thanks :)
😊😊😊 LOVE WATCHING EV WEEK!!! VERY INSPIRATIONAL AND INTERESTI NG! XO HAPPY jour de repos!
Thanks :)
Erin, How did you find your home in Normandy? Did you use a realtor or agency? Thanks!
Hi Tamara, We found our house by searching on French property listing sites, like french-property.com. Then, we contacted the listing agent to set up a viewing. The house was owned by a British couple, and listed with a British agent, so we just worked with him.
You’ll have to find an earthenware caquelon somewhere: eating cheese fondue out of a pan is a sacrelidge.
Hi E & A. I always look forward to your Sunday email updates on what you are doing. I really love the view of your home looking through the arch towards your house and with the snow it looks even better. I love the recipe ideas too. Thanks for sharing. Janet Allies Mama.
Thanks, Janet. That's my favorite view of the house :) When I saw that gate in a listing photo, I knew we had found our house.
I use Petit Beurre cookies for my cheesecake crusts and now prefer them.
Oooh ... I bet that's tasty :)
What a lovely place. Your stone home is a bit like "Sean's World" (another Utuber in Normandy). His bldgs are 250-300 yrs old. Yours look younger. We have had a few snows in Minnesota, already, like you, but they have melted away, so far. Winter is definitely coming. Snow is so magical...like fairyland everywhere. Interesting video with soups, groceries, wood from the garage, boot repairs. I, too, live frugally, so appreciate your ideas. TY. Just sub'd. France is my favorite place in the world. Stay warm.
Thanks, Suzanne. I watch "Sean's World," too. Believe it our not, our house is over 400 years old. It was a ruin when the previous owners bought it, so it's come a long way.
Just discovered you...delightful and positive!
Thanks, Suzanne , and welcome :)
Now I need to make some of those soups to add to Kurt and Kris's baskets for Christmas. Aaron, you got to make your snow people.
Yep. Norman and Norma, from Normandy. Sadly, they melted away, but they'll be back again someday. --Mr. Huff
We were in Orlean last week and the snow was so beautiful! Unfortunately, it seemed like no one knew how to drive in it or how to clear the roads. We hunkered down in a hotel and it took a looonnnggg time to make our way back to Paris.
Ha I thought that was a fake fire until you mentioned it! It looks so perfect.
Yes, my husband and I were joking that it looked like we had some sort of fireplace screensaver on in the background :) It's one of my favorite things about the house.
Your soup looks very delicious. Dare i say, very American, with the marshmallows and the sugar. Wow. I would make it but omit those 2 ingredients.
Ha! Yes :) Sweet potato casserole is a Thanksgiving side dish in the U.S. That's really the only time of year that it's eaten. With the brown sugar and marshmallows, it's a dessert pretending to be a side dish :)
What area is this in france? Its beautiful. 🎉
We're in Normandy.
Lamps are gorgeous. I'll try that too.
Thanks :)
Another great video, you guys are so inspiring, thank you very much. Pam in Texas.x
Thanks, Pam. I always enjoy seeing your comment each week :)
Tried your fajita breakfast recipe. DELICIOUS!!
Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed it :) Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Love the size of the shells you found while beachcombing.
Yes! I plan to turn them into Christmas ornaments for a coastal-themed tree. I think they're the perfect size for that.
Fast food, especially is never a good value. Zero nutritional value and negative value environmentally.
They call it MacDo in Quebec, too.
hi just started to watch your channel... could you possibly put the camera on something and film what you are doing each time... its disappointing to see 4 or 5 mins of you talking about what you did... it would be nice to see what you are attempting to accomplish each time.... like other renovators in france do a good 10 or 20 mins of working so we can see the progress ... its great to see someone doing a great job at working to bring back a great building with history. thank you.
Hey guys we are moving to France next year in May, I am just loving your channel and wish you guys so much luck. Tryna soak up all your knowledge, you guys are troopers for sure!
Good luck with your move to France, Amy :)
We have massive monkey puzzle trees in our cemetery in Scotland they are very beautiful and rare your tree will be able to grow bigger blessings 🏴🌹
Hi Abigail, I didn't realize money puzzle trees were rare. Your comment led me to do more research on them. Quite an interesting tree.
Wildlife needs ground over…don’t mow everything within an inch of its life….
Not to worry. It's still early days, so our intentions may not be clear yet, but right now most of our efforts are focused on removing the invasives that are choking out native plants (and as a result limiting natural food and shelter for wildlife--like bees, hedgehogs, etc). That's why you see us removing ivy and leaving things like the ferns. This project isn't about trying to gain more lawn. If you follow us throughout the year, you'll notice all sorts of things we do to help the wildlife. For example, we delay mowing in the spring, so pollinators can benefit from the lawn weeds when little else is in bloom.
Get a wood fired cooking stove like Frugal Queen in France….
Good morning, I've just discovered your video and find it interesting. The small green fruit are as you suspected part of the plum family, in England and Ireland they are called Green gages. I live in Bretagne and was surprised to see that some of the things that you mentioned are more expensive than here. The Intermarché gas bottles are €29.99, the "anti-gaspillage" boxes of fruit and veg are €1.00 and the Bread bags are €1.00. I wonder if other things are cheaper in Normandie.
Very interesting. I would have assumed the prices in Bretagne and Normandie are quite similar. I sure wish gas bottles were 29.99 here.
I was surprises too.
Reminds me of the old Automat restaurants in NY.
On the sheet pan fajitas, can it be a sugar substitute? I cannot have regular sugar.
I don't see why not. I would just use a 1:1 sugar substitute to keep the measurements the same. Another option would be to leave the sugar out. I think either option would be fine.