会合，会う the self-十分な pensioner

By Daily Mail Reporter
Updated: 09:04 BST, 10 July 2008

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燃料 and food prices may be ロケット／急騰するing, but pensioner Gay Cossins doesn't have a worry in the world.

Grow your own: Gay Cossins at work in her garden

The grandmother has 保護するd herself from the 急に上がるing cost of living by making her lifestyle as eco-friendly as possible.

に引き続いて a 過激な 精密検査する of her four-bedroom home, she 支払う／賃金s just £26 a year for gas and £60 for electricity - 7p and 16p a day それぞれ.

And a 井戸／弁護士席-tended garden means her 週刊誌 shopping 法案 is just £10 (or £1.42 a day) because she grows her own fruit and vegetables.

The 64-year-old 達成するd her lowcost lifestyle by 任命する／導入するing a £1,850 スピードを出す／記録につける burner for heating and cooking, and spending £700 on sheep's wool to 絶縁する her loft.

The 支出 is saving her £2,000 a year on energy 法案s, which has 許すd her to spend £1,800 on a 14ft swimming pool in her garden - filled by rainwater and 扱う／治療するd with environmentallyfriendly 化学製品s, of course.

Growing her own fruit and vegetables puts cheap, healthy food on the （米）棚上げする／（英）提議する and collecting wild flowers and 少しのd enables her to create her own beauty 製品s and 薬／医学s.

行方不明になる Cossins, who moved into her terrace house in Steyning, West Sussex, last year, said: 'I've made sure my house has a 事実上 無 炭素 生産（高）. I spend 事実上 nothing at all. It's 広大な／多数の／重要な.

'I was brought up に引き続いて the war so we had to be creative during the rationing years. That's 基本的に what I'm doing now - using the 技術s my mother brought me up with.'

She 追加するd: 'The スピードを出す／記録につける burner I 任命する／導入するd in the living room heats the entire house and I even cook on it.

'And I've used sheep's wool to 絶縁する the loft space and polystyrene 床に打ち倒すing to cover the 冷淡な 固める／コンクリート.

'I grow all my own veg and make all my own hot drinks and desserts. I have no need for the likes of Tesco. I 選ぶ lavender to go with honey and ice-cream, and make coffee out of dandelions. It's a bit of an acquired taste but it's やめる lovely.

'I've got nettles and elderflowers which I use to make a tincture. It's an excellent 治療（薬） for the ありふれた 冷淡な. I even make 直面する-packs out of squashed strawberries and egg yolks. It's 極端に vitalising and so cheap.

'And I use olive oil and sugar as a 団体／死体 scrub. It's a natural exfoliant.' One of her biggest 貯金 comes from scrounging 支持を得ようと努めるd for her スピードを出す／記録につける burner from building 場所／位置s.

'I'm a bit of a magpie. If I see 支持を得ようと努めるd thrown away I take it,' she said. 'When it rots it 放出するs the same 量 of 炭素 as when you 燃やす it, so you might 同様に get the use out of it.'

The twice-離婚d former special needs teacher 追加するd: 'Waste not, want not was a motto I grew up with. I like to 始める，決める an example to my grandchildren Emmeline and Estelle, who are five and eight. They already 再生利用する their bath water. They're good little girls.'

The Daily Mail's Cost of Living 索引 has 明らかにする／漏らすd a 19.8% 増加する in the price of 必須の food items in the past year, 追加するing £1,000 to 年次の grocery 法案s.

世帯 energy 法案s have jumped by around £130 a year to more than £1,000 and 専門家s have 警告するd of a その上の £400 増加する to come.

インフレーション, デフレ and the cost of living

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• A history of インフレーション
• 利益／興味 率s: The インフレーション 衝撃
• デフレ: 勝利者s and losers
• 30-second guide: Controlling インフレーション
• 30-second guide: デフレ
• 30-second guide: インフレーション basket
  
• Calculator: What money used to be 価値（がある）
• Calculator: Your personal インフレーション 率
• （米）棚上げする／（英）提議する: Price changes over 10 years (click & scroll 負かす／撃墜する)

The Centre for 代案／選択肢 科学（工学）技術, which 申し込む／申し出s 解放する／自由な advice on making homes more environmentally friendly, said 行方不明になる Cossins' 業績／成就 was 'やめる amazing'.

広報担当者 Alex Randall said: 'Anything people can do is welcome and will probably save them money 同様に as 減ずる their 衝撃 on the 惑星.

'As energy prices 増加する, I think we will start to see people 存在 much smarter with their 消費.

'There are simple 対策, such as using energy carefully by not leaving 器具s on stand-by and switching to low-energy lightbulbs, which can take 15% to 20% off 法案s each year.'

Her 最高の，を越す tips

? 任命する／導入する a スピードを出す／記録につける burner and collect 解放する／自由な 支持を得ようと努めるd from building 場所／位置s

? Buy 最高の，を越す 質 loft insulation

? 絶縁する 床に打ち倒すs with polystyrene 封鎖するs

? Grow your own fruit and vegetables

? Collect wild flowers and 少しのd which can be made into 薬／医学s and beauty 製品s

? 可決する・採択する the motto: Waste not, want not

? Pass on energy-saving tips to friends and family