Simple Living

My dear (blogger) friend Rhonda Jean at Down To Earth would like to hear from her readers about their path to Simple Living.

Being short on time, I’m not going to give any history in this post – I’ll save that for another time. I just jump in where I am now: working full-time with but a few years til I retire. I live in a relatively small, half of a one-story duplex in a unique part of a small-but-growing town in northern Idaho. Unique because it is “close in” to supermarkets, gas stations, my job, etc., (walking/biking distance), but our street (a dead-end road) is on county property and lacks city amenities: not paved, no streetlights, no door-to-door mail delivery, etc. A rural setting within the city.

I live here with my 3 cats, my only ‘livestock’ for now. I hope to get some laying hens when I retire. The duplex sits on half an acre, so I have a large lawn that I’m gradually converting to garden. I’m planning on growing more vegetables this year than I ever have in the past.

I’m planning on preserving a large portion of my garden produce this year via canning, freezing, drying, etc. I’ve yet to decide how I’m going to spend Sugar Daddy Bush’s $$, but some of it will go toward paying of credit card debt & some toward either a freezer or a pressure canner.

I’ve never really bought much processed foods, so stopping completing was just the next step. I’ve found that the Internet is a gigantic resource for recipes for any type of recipe you might want, even the convenience foods like dried onion soup mix, all types of sauces and mixes, even Worcestershire sauce! You can make these with your own basic staples plus substitute with healthier, more nutritious ingredients as much as you’d like. I make my own bread, both regular and sourdough. (I’ve read that a good sourdough starter deserves a name, so I have “Nell”.) Future plans call for making my own yogurt and then progress to making my own cheese.

I’ve switched completely to using natural cleaners such as white vinegar, baking soda, Dr. Bronner’s liquid soaps. I’ve yet to try Rhonda’s recipe for laundry detergent, but that’s on my TO DO list. I knit (dishcloths, slippers, hats, scarves), sew and mend. I began scrapbooking a few years ago, but now mostly use my supplies for handmade greeting cards. Since I’d like to make soap, and candles, I’ve gradually been buying supplies, using sales & coupons.

I’m working to become debt-free by the time I retire. For entertainment, I read, watch (mostly) public television, and spend time with my family, esp. my grandchildren. I eat out only when it’s a family event. I bring my lunch to work every day, and carry my coffee grounds, banana peels, apples core, etc., back home with me for the compost pile. My household generates very little garbage, mostly cat litter. I have used cloth napkins for so many years now, I can’t remember when I started! I have cut way back on paper toweling, buying recycled paper towels & using them almost exclusively for kitty puke.

My weakness is books – at one time I belonged to 4 (four!!) book clubs. But I’ve canceled all those memberships, video club memberships, and Netflix. The only book ‘club’ I now belong to was formerly known as Zooba, but it’s now called BOMC2. I'm keeping this one for now because I get 1 book per month for $9.95 (including s&h), and I can maintain a list of books for future purchases. Since birthday gifts this year are books, this is how I’ve been buying them.

I don’t buy a lot of “stuff” – I find I don’t need much. I don’t buy clothes, shoes, toiletries, etc. I DO buy yarn, and have a stash of it for projects. I don’t have high definition television or a fancy sound system – nor do I have an I-Pod or an MP3 player. I DO have a cell phone, but it’s my only phone & I’m on the cheapest plan available. (around $40/mon). I’m debating whether or not to use my coupon to get an converter box to be able to receive digital signals on my TV after Feb 2009 – I don’t have cable or satellite, just an indoor antenna. I don’t have Internet access at home – this will be my reward for becoming debt-free – which is why this will sound a bit disjointed, since I’m typing at work.

I’m stopping for now, but may polish this up a bit tomorrow - TGIF!