I completely stumbled into the sustainable living movement. I'll call it
a movement, as I think more and more people are realizing and taking
advantage of the benefits of such a lifestyle and making the transition.
A number of life events led me to clean eating (which has resulted in
me growing as much of my own food as possible), and a need to cut living
expenses dramatically. I also admit, living "off the grid" highly
appeals to me, and while living such a life is still years away for my
family and I, it will always be a goal I am looking to accomplish.
My husband is an equipment operator, which generally means no work in
the winter. This last winter was harsh. Money was ridiculously tight. I
started looking for ways to live cheap, without completely disrupting
the lifestyle we are used to living (we aren't rich by any means, but
can generally live comfortably). I started with small changes, such as
making meals we would normally order or buy pre-made/frozen from
scratch. Making my own bread (I have posted the recipe on the recipe page),
was my first task. I calculated that by making bread at home, I had the
potential to save my family $165 + each year. While the process takes
nearly all day, the recipe I use makes 4 loaves at a time, which lasts
us 2 - 4 weeks. It also freezes great, which makes this Mom happy :-) A
few other examples of what I have started making myself (foods and other
household products), and the approximate savings per year we see are:
Pizza: $960/year (generally we ordered 2 large pizza's/week @ $35. I make mine for $15)
Lasagna: $100/year
Shampoo: $240/year (I substitute traditional Shampoo for a baking soda/water combination)
Conditioner: $240/year ( I substitute traditional Conditioner for a apple cider vinegar/water combination)
Right there, by making just the bread, pizza, lasagna, shampoo and
conditioner myself, we save approximately $1705 a year. While that may
not seem like a lot to a number of people, try calculating what that
adds up to in a few years! I am continually trying to home-make new
things, our yearly savings could potentially triple once I have
everything I can "replace" done.
So my (mis)adventures in Eco-Friendly/Sustainable living will appear
here. My biggest project right now is growing my own food, which is
turning out surprisingly well. A friend gave up 1200 square feet of his
property for my gardening endeavor, which I appreciate more than words
and a case of beer can show. A lot of what I am growing can be preserved
in one way or another (I make killer pickled beans!), resulting in more
savings (I can't wait until I don't have to buy pickles because I have a
stash in my pantry!). It also makes eating clean convenient (produce in
my town is horrible), and 100% organic (no doubts!). This year is a
learning year, as I have never a) had a garden and b) grown anything
other than a few green bean bushes, trying to figure out what's growing
well, whats not growing well and why, etc.Will keep ya'll updated on
this one; for today here's a few pictures from the beginning stages to
now :-)
