What I do

I live in a 2800 sq. ft. house on 0.8 acres, in a gated HOA housing tract.

Here’s what I do in my day to day life. It might seem ‘out there’, or it might seem like ‘nothing’. I’m not comparing myself to anyone, I’m just showing you what I do. Perhaps it might inspire some thought or discussion.

Food

  • Grow some of my own food using organic methods. I’ve been doing this for about fifteen years (the last two years or so at a new home, so I had to start over). I use row covers to extend the harvest, and was able to have salad, cooked greens and turnips all last winter.
  • Buy grass-fed beef, organic free-range chicken, wild salmon, grass-fed buffalo and lamb. Yes it costs more but you need less to feel full and healthy, as you get more nutrition and less chemicals.
  • Try my best to buy local when possible, especially produce and meat.
  • Eat meat only once a day (usually at dinner).
  • Joined our local food co-op.
  • Frequent the year-round farmers’ market, when I can’t find what I want at the co-op (which isn’t often)

Energy conservation

  • Have the a/c set at 76F in summer, the heat at 60F in winter.
  • Wash my clothes in cold water, using about a tenth the laundry detergent. Been doing this for years and my clothes look, smell and feel fine. Whites white and all that.
  • Hang dry everything but heavy jeans and towels, which don’t dry well in our humid weather.
  • Do a lot of shopping online rather than driving to stores.
  • Turn off lights, fans, and computers that aren’t in use and harass my kids to do the same ;)
  • Cook with a solar oven when it’s hot out.
  • Turn off the regular oven or stove when the food is almost done, letting the heat that’s already there finish cooking the food.
  • Open the (turned off) oven door when the food’s done in winter, to let the residual heat from the oven heat the house.
  • Open (screened and secured) windows at night to cool off the house in summer.
  • When making pasta, I heat the water to boiling, put the pasta in, then heat to boiling again, stirring it around until the water covers it, cover the pot and turn off the heat, letting the pasta sit for 10-20 minutes (most pasta I use 10 min.; thick ones like lasagna or spaghetti get 20.). I set a timer then drain and serve as usual at the ending.

Garbage reduction

  • Compost just about all the kitchen scraps I can, as well as the used Kleenex and a lot of the junk mail and paper packaging (I shred it by hand).
  • Wash the sturdy ziplock baggies in the washer then reuse them, except ones that are greasy or that held raw meat; those I use for kitchen scraps then throw out. I put the ‘kitchen scraps’ baggies in a nice basket so you can’t see them.
  • Use cloth napkins, real plates and utensils (the good stuff!), and use kitchen towels and rags instead of paper towels. Also been doing that for years.
  • Way back when I had my twins I used cloth diapers with a laundry service. Saved a bunch of money on disposable diapers that way.
  • Use cloth pads for ‘that time of the month’. Been doing that about ten months and I like this better than disposable pads also. This cut down our garbage a lot.
  • Quit buying soda. No more little cans or plastic bottles.
  • Unfortunately, my husband and kids love bottled water. So I use the dishwasher to sterilize and reuse the bottles and caps, which they like, since there’s lots of nice cold water in the fridge for them.
  • I stopped using shampoo (which means no plastic bottles). I use a shampoo bar when my hair needs it (it looks like a bar of soap, but is for the hair), and I like it a lot. Once a week I rinse my hair with vinegar, which adjusts the pH and makes it really soft.
  • Use otherwise unusable cloth for rags rather than throwing it away.

Gasoline conservation

  • Keep my RPM’s below 3000 when I drive (below 2000 when possible). My gas mileage has gone from 21 mpg to 25.7 mpg just from doing that.
  • I got some long-handled grass shears to use in place of a weed whacker.
  • Slow down, plan ahead, and coast when possible.
  • Buy local. Getting something shipped from another country that can be bought here wastes gasoline.
  • Avoid flying. I’ve turned down a couple trips now already. Once a year to bring my kids to see their grandparents is what I’ve limited myself to, barring emergency.

Water conservation

  • Taking shorter showers, less often.
  • Washing dishes by hand. I wash in a basin then put the dirty water in the compost bin if it’s greasy, if it’s not it goes in the garden. Dishwashing soap is good for plants and repels bad bugs.
  • Flushing when things are ‘brown’ or stinky (as opposed to every time). Reusing bath water to flush toilets or water the garden is something I do from time to time.
  • Started a rainwater harvesting system (aka downspout rain barrels) for watering the garden when it’s dry out. At present I have five 55-gallon barrels; I’d like to get some more. :)

Clothing

  • Only buy when I need it (which is pretty rarely)
  • I’ve learned to spin and knit, and I got angora rabbits for the fur. I almost have enough fur to spin some yarn!
  • Mend, refashion, darn, etc. rather than buying.

What I’m thinking of doing:

  • Learning to use a scythe to deal with the ‘meadow’ out back. :)
  • Making a large rainwater catchment trough around side of the house, for watering the far back yard.
  • Digging a pond in the far back yard.

This list will change and grow. Check back if you like, and feel free to ask questions.