The New Sustainable Lifestyle

I've been pondering this urban homesteading lifestyle lately and have come to the conclusion that once you plant veggies in your yard you begin re-thinking different aspects of your life.  Well, that's been my experience anyway!  I think I came to some sort of a cathartic moment the other day when I was doing planning for the fall when the kids go back to school.  I had been working out at a gym in the spring before the kids got out of school and during the three hours or so while my little guy was in pre-school I would dash off to my gym, get my work out in, eat lunch and pick him up.  So I was pondering which gym I should join this fall, since I wasn't super happy with the last one I had a membership with honestly.  Then it hit me - why should I be paying a company for my work out?  I mean seriously, how ridiculous is it that I should have to pay someone for exercise?  Yeah, I know it's convenient and makes the work out fun, but why spend fifty bucks per month, (at least), to work out?  I mean there are plenty of other ways I can exercise this body than working out at a gym.  I have a Wii fit, I can walk, I can get some weights and use them at home, I can get a work out video, and the list goes on.

Then that train of thought led me to thinking further about this consumerism society and all of the "must haves" we have been brainwashed into.  Society tells us what to eat:  processed foods, junk food, and sugar.  Society tells us what we should buy:  that new car, the dream home, the gym membership, designer clothing and the list goes on.  I'm not saying that all of these things are bad; I'm simply making the point that this lifestyle we're being sold, this "American Dream" is making us sick, burning us out, and making us broke in the process.  Drying clothes on the line until recently would have been considered "back woods", at least in California anyway.  But now, there is a huge growing movement that is working hard to lower energy and live a sustainable lifestyle.

I've been scrutinizing my own lifestyle and have come up with some big changes recently.  I have a long ways to go to reach what I feel is a fully sustainable green lifestyle, but each small change will get me closer to my goal.  I'm not going to become a hippy living up in the hills off the grid, but I am going to do my best to live a sustainable lifestyle and respect the planet and my body.  I'm amazed how many activities in my life cost, and how I can save money by doing them myself, or coming up with creative solutions.  Here are some of the changes I'm making in my life and the reasons I've made these decisions:

Growing a garden:  Sustainable living, cheap pesticide free veggies, health reasons

Cutting out sugars and processed foods:  They make me sick, they will shorten my life span, they will ultimately kill me.

Cooking from scratch:  I can control the ingredients that go into my food, it's easier on the budget, it's healthier.

Working out on my own:  It saves money, it saves gas because I'll be working out at home.

Buying clothing and goods second hand:  It's cheaper, I don't want to put my money toward companies that aren't fair trade, it's recycling at its best.  This can be challenging with kids, since they always want the new name brand clothes.  I'm still trying to figure out the balance on this one.

Buying Fair Trade:  Chocolate companies are mostly non fair trade and many of the cocoa plantations use children as slaves.  This is a fact, and the only way you can be sure your chocolate is fair trade is to buy chocolate with the fair trade label.  There are many other goods such as clothing that aren't fair trade.  I plan to do a post on this issue, so be keeping an eye out for it.

Recycling:  We recycle all plastics, glass, and paper products.  I'm trying to reduce the amount of plastics we use, since they are full of toxins that cause diseases.

Car Pooling & Taking Public Transit:  We're reducing the amount of gas we use by taking the bus and car pooling.  Our gas bill a few months back was $500 per month, now it's down to about $200.

Trading services or getting recycled items free:  You would be amazed how many people are willing to trade services.  We've gotten our cars fixed in trade for garden advise and work, I've traded my art for art or other services, and most of the structures on our homestead, (i.e. greenhouse, chicken coop, etc.) were re-purposed from friends.

Limiting TV and computer time:  This is by far our biggest challenge.  I have the good excuse of researching how to live a sustainable life via the computer, but eventually I hope to limit my time once I have this whole thing a bit more figured out!  I'm working on keeping the kids active outside and in the garden instead of watching TV and playing computer games.  I have them involved in sports which helps a lot, but I've had to set limits for screen time.  The American Society of Pediatrics says no more than 2 hours per day, which I feel is still too much!  (Again, I'm questioning everything the medical system tells me.)

Natural Cleaners and Make-Up Products:  I just recently realized that we aren't as green in this department as we should be.  I switched over to natural cleaning products and detergents a while back which surprisingly aren't more expensive than the conventional kind.

Cloth napkins and towels:  We used to use a boat load of paper towels and napkins.  I did some second hand shopping and found some cute vintage napkins, and we requested kitchen towels for Christmas one year so we've got a great supply.

Energy conservation:  We had the PG&E folks come out for an energy audit of our home and we scored high, so there's not much more we can do to cut back on our energy bill.  We use the compact fluorescent bulbs and restrict our furnace use in the winter.  We'd love to get a wood burning stove eventually.  This summer one of our projects is to put in a clothes line.

So what are you doing to live a more sustainable affordable eco friendly lifestyle?  If you have more to add to my list I'd appreciate the tips!

How to Get Huge Savings With a Creative Budget

With gas prices getting only higher it seems like everyone is tightening up their financial belts in a big way.  We thought things were tough before, and then the gas prices go up even higher!  Currently my family spends $400 on gas per month, yikes.  We have only one bread winner in the family at the moment, so we are becoming frugal experts, (or so I like to think!), these days.  Growing our own food on the homestead is definitely helping us in saving costs on groceries, but we're being forced to come up with very creative solutions for cutting our costs down lately.  I'm really glad I was raised by parents and grandparents who knew how to stretch a dollar right about now.  Here are a few creative solutions we have come up with for ways to cut down on costs, many of which also lesson our energy foot print, interestingly enough.

Ron is going to take the bus to and from work.  His ride will be extended by 1/2 hour each way, but it will save us around $100 per month.  It's also easier on the planet, great side effect.

We're going to be brown bagging it for school and work.  We're guesstimating that will save us around $100 a month as well.  Now we're up to a surplus of $200.

I'm planning on making snacks for the kids and I'm not exactly sure what the savings will be, but I'm estimating around $50 per month.  We're also planning on making a lot more meals from scratch.  I would guess we're talking around $100 in savings total.  This will be better for our wallets and our health!

When the car breaks down we trade services with friends.  Recently a friend offered to trade fixing our car for some truck loads of horse manure for his garden.  Instead of buying new wood from the lumber store we often are given re-purposed wood from friends for building on the homestead.  You would be amazed how many people are willing to trade, or give away used materials if you just ask!

We just switched from a cable company to a dish, which is saving us around $50 per month.

Growing our own veggies is probably saving us around $50 per month, at least, in produce costs.  When we start canning the savings will only go up.

Generally we shop at a local discount grocery outlet quite a bit, and avoid the Safeway stores and the like.  I estimate this saves us around 1-200 per month.

We used to spend probably around $100 per month on entertainment.  Now instead of going to a movie we rent one and have movie night at home, have friends over for dinner, or enjoy nature.

We're focusing more on using less energy - both electrical and otherwise.  We actually saw our PG&E bill go down by about $50 when we were more aware of turning off lights, using less water, etc.

The total savings here is about $500 per month!  It's amazing how easy it is to save when you take the energy and effort to make it happen.  At first the sacrifice can be tough, but once you're used to it you actually enjoy consuming less.  Life has so much to offer apart from material things, and you enjoy the important things more when you have less.  I think you actually gain a whole lot more by streamlining your life, and many of the choices you make help the earth.

So what about you?  What are your creative budget secrets?

Saturday Thrifting Finds

Many of you know me as an urban homesteader, but I'm also very much into sustainable living as well.  I've always loved thrifting from the time I was a kid mainly because my Grandma did most of her shopping at thrift stores, garage sales, and junk stores.  She taught me how to spot a deal and educated me about vintage and antique pieces.  Her farmhouse was filled to the brim with antiques, most of which she got in thrift stores.  I remember when we could get vintage Fiesta plates for a few dollars; those were the days!  She had many other thrifty tricks up her sleeve, probably gained by living through the Great Depression.  I remember her getting free cans from grocery stores because the labels had fallen off.  It was my job to shake the cans and figure out what was inside.  Grandpa scavenged bucket loads of free past date old produce from the grocery store and would feed the chickens and cows with it.  Some of the produce was in perfect shape so it ended up on the dinner table.  Now that's what I call sustainable living!

I love collecting vintage things, and most of the antiques and vintage items in my home are from thrift stores, garage sales, Craig's List, or were inherited.  I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the items that I bought at an antique store.  Most of the time I pick up things from the 30's through 70's era, but once in a while I do happen upon a real antique.  The great thing about thrifting is you never know what you're going to find, and chances are you won't walk out of the store having spent a ton.  When I get tired of looking at things I just donate them back.  Another benefit of thrifting is that I'm not helping out the huge corporations, and that gives me great satisfaction.  I admit I do shop at Target sometimes, mainly for the kids because they like new, but I'm working on educating them about the benefits of thrifting I can promise you.

Today I took a trip over the the thrift store while my daughter was in ballet class.  I scored some awesome stuff, and the grand total was only $8!!

So what was your latest thrifting score?    

Spring is coming and you can never have enough vases for flowers.  I got these beautiful emerald green vintage vases for a grand total of $4.  I'm starting a green vase collection, and I think I have 4 now.

My daughter just started ballet pointe classes and she loves little knick knacks, so this ballerina figurine was perfect for her.  The vintage soap dish was made in Japan and is in perfect condition.

I have a thing for plates, especially those with a blue motif.  This winter farm scene is so charming.  The cost? 50 cents.

The Reason I Do Urban Homesteading on my Urban Homestead

When I moved to Humboldt County California 15 years ago I barely knew what the words recycling, green, or sustainable living meant.  I had come from a large city where we did curb recycling and nothing more to help the environment.  I was rapidly inundated with a community that demanded its participants to care for the Earth in all areas.  There is nothing like peer pressure to get a person to toe the line!  Recycling was an easy thing to get "down", but this whole green living thing took time and effort.  Living in a town where people use Diva Cups and bring their own plates and silver to potlucks was a bit strange at first, I must admit, but in time I grew to love my eco-centric community and I realized that we were truly making a difference for our town, community and ultimately the Earth.  I admit there are areas I need to work on towards my goal of sustainable living, but I feel that creating an urban homestead is a huge part of this commitment.

Food is such a huge part of our lives, and what we put into our bodies can either make or break us health wise.  Having dealt with health issues and food sensitivities most of my life I am constantly trying to come up with ways to eat healthier and more responsibly.  Our town is huge on organic and local foods, but with only one partner working and two kids there was no way we could afford to buy all of our organic veggies.  Enter the urban homestead!  I am lucky to be married to an amazing gardner who loves planting veggies year round, and the more the better.  I think our kids got tired of the greens we had last summer, "Mom, is it veggie stir fry again??"  But, in time they grew to love them and now ask for their green smoothies!   Not only do our kids love the greens, but our friends and neighbors do as well.  We love sharing the love so to speak and teaching others how to grow their own greens, make good compost, and build from sustainable materials.

Urban homesteading has become a way of life for us.  Once our garden was up and running we realized we needed a greenhouse due to the fact that we don't get a whole lot of sun, if any, in our area.  So we went for it and recycled the windows we had pulled out of our house when we did some construction a few months back.  Now we're working on a chicken coop, and I'm sure some big project will be in the works soon out in the garden!  It's been an amazing journey, tilling our land and watching our little harvest grow.  I feel like the Earth has given back to me, by honoring it and using it to create healthy sustainable food.  It has actually changed my life, for the better in so many ways, and what more can you ask for than that?