The road to simple living is paved with a gravel or two of capitalism

Its hard to get a 18 year old, to start turning the lights off (etc, etc, etc), when she is not used to it. I decided what better of a way, to start her down the path; than something that peaks her interest, the dollar bill. I told her that for every dollar the electric bill is less next month, it will be hers to keep. The fine print is, she must work with me to lower the bill. She has caught on so fast. I can be sitting in a room and all of a sudden it goes dark.

Leaving gentler footprints on this earth

Immediately I will transition to dishcloths instead of sponges, dish towels for drying my hands. I will wait until I have enough saved, to purchase, some of these lovely kitchen towels to replace my old ones. Then I will cut my old ones to napkin size, make a seam and I will start to use cloth napkins. Soon flour sack towels will replace paper towels for cleaning. There is available to me, a endless supply of 5 gallon pickle containers, from work. I have one on my patio, that is going to house, my first tomato plant. Until I start to garden, I will use it on shower days. I will conserve, by reusing shower water. When rinsing my hair, I will fill the bucket; then use the water on my outdoor plants.

How does my garden grow

I have a new found fondness, for frog jars. I have a larger version of the one in this picture. It will now be a permanent fixture on my kitchen table, filled with fresh flowers. This one does not have to be pushed aside at meal time, as it does not hide the faces of those, who come together.

The blessings, that a frog jar holds...

is a place for fresh flowers, to call home.

The snowball affect...

of flowing ideas and things, I never would have considered possibilities.

Now...
I will turn off lights when not in the room.
I will only use the dishwasher when it is full.
I will leave a sink of soapy water, to wash the dishes during the day.

Soon...
I will make a schedule, for the upkeep of my home.
I will compile a list of all that I have in my pantry and freezer, to make meals of.

Eventually...
I want to cut down the use of paper products.
I want to cut down the amount of food that is wasted.
I want to cook.

My dream is...
to start my container garden.
to take time each day to sit on my patio and enjoy the moment.
to dust off the sewing machine and put it to good use.

I am a work in progress and the possibilities are endless.

Gentle re-use

My way of thinking, has changed, to one of recycling what I already have; whenever possible. Not for monetary reasons, but to make a gentler impact on the environment.

Awhile ago, when I was at the Doctors office and I saw these plastic cord covers; that organize the vast number of their computer cords. My son told me they sell them at IKEA. Then last night I was pondering the cord issue. A simple solution, take the cardboard part of the paper towel roll (No I have not lessened the use of paper products, yet). Though who knows what tomorrow may bring. I will buy some inexpensive brown fabric and cover the roll. The fabric will also make the cardboard more sturdy and have a longer life.

Gentle spending

I have decided that every two weeks, on payday; I will put aside $20. I have a tea canister that sits on top of the kitchen cabinets, that is not in use. I will no longer make purchases on a whim. If I want to buy something, only when I have enough saved money including shipping costs; will I then decide if I still want it.

When life throws you..

I knew when our lease expired next month, there would be a increase in rent. I was not prepared for a increase of $155. Life continues and I must find ways to live more simply. I already knew that this is where I wanted my life to go. This has brought clarity, of what I wanted; is now a must do.

Less is more

I gaze my eyes, to every corner. My house is finally a home. Every where I look, I see contentment.

Simple re-use

I have three baskets, slightly similar to this one, that I did not get rid of. They housed my daughters childhood books and such. They have been given new purposes. One is a hamper for my bedroom. One is strorage for extra blankets. The other is turned upside down and is being used for a nightstand. My bed is not on a frame, but sits on the floor; so this is a perfect height.

One of life's lessons

To release ones self from outer clutter, is to no longer have inner turmoil. Instead of dreading, on all that has to get done and feeling overwhelmed, by the vastness of the mess; I am exhilarated at the thought, of what more I can do.

Abundance of gratitude...

for Friday

To keep me grounded, is to remind myself, of what is truly important; gratitude for the simple things.

The journey of releasing myself from the clutter and beginning the journey to a more simple way of living; I am reminded, how blessed and grateful I am
...to have a roof over my head
...t0 have heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer
...to have a stove to cook my food and a refrigerator to keep it fresh
...to have a abundance of running water
...to have access to health care

The road less traveled

The journey of culling has finally come to a end. Not at all sad to see it done. Tomorrow the final trip, to drop off, the unwanted to the thrift shop. Accomplished a lot today. It seems the further along I am, the more I want to get done. In the next week, I plan a light cleaning in the dining room, and in the kitchen a good cleaning. I am giving myself through my next days off, to get this done. After that the mini blinds, windows, screens and lastly the carpet.