We're changing...
I thought I would list the things we have done to change our lifestyle in the last year. It will be fun to look back on it and see if we still feel the same way we do today.
As I've said before, we don't buy into all the "global warming" stuff but we do think that we need to care about the environment God gave us. His creation is worth taking care of well.
So we're changing the way we use and dispose of products. We're changing what we eat and finding out where it comes from. We're thinking about where we spend our money and more about what we buy. We're looking at ingredients in some of the products we use and promptly getting rid of them. You could call us crunchy (or Crunchy Conservatives as this book calls us but we just want to live healthier and more compassionately.
Now to the list. Things we changed.
1. Cloth diapering. I sat down and figured out how much money we've saved since we started. I've spent about $250 for diapers/covers. I do 3 loads of laundry a week at a cost of $.25 a load (I'm not totally sure of this figure but it's the best I could come up with). Approx cost for 7 mths = $271. Works out to $39.00 a month but she won't outgrow these diapers for at least another 6 mths. So assuming she lasts 1 year in the current stash that would mean: $24 a month.
If we had been using disposables the cost would have been more. We used Pampers because I didn't like the fit of the cheap ones. So about $.30 per diaper and average 7 diapers a day. I'm sure you could change less but yuck. Would you want to sit in your own urine for hours at a time?. Anyway, that works out to $2.10 a day x 30 days = $63.00 a month. We would have to get the bigger garbage pick up so that would be $15 more a month. Total: $78 a month.
Obviously we're not cloth diapering just to save money but I don't like to think about all the diapers we threw from previous kids.
2. Using reusable bags. This is so easy. Almost any store (including Home Depot) offers reusable bags. We bring them everywhere including Joanns, Costco, Home Depot and Goodwill. The cashiers don't bat an eye.
3. Using natural cleaners/soap. I've been hating the smell of Lysol, Scrubbing Bubbles, etc and found some great natural cleaners. My favorites are Mrs. Myers, Bio-Kleen and Bare Naked Cleaners (she's a wahm). I've found some moms that make some great soap and ordered a bunch. This isn't too much more expensive then the regular cleaners. They smell great and they are all natural. We also use vinegar as fabric softener and baking soda to clean.
4. Buying free range and local meats. Now this is expensive so we have to limit how much meat we eat but it's worth it. We have starting buying meats from New Season's. They offer free-range, grass fed, Oregon meats. They taste soooo good. I'm looking into buying half a cow so the cost won't be so high. We're also going to order chickens from Deo Volente Farms (the family goes to our church). I've tasted some of that chicken meat and wow! I didn't know chicken could taste so good. We're buying local brown eggs and trying to find a dairy that will sell us milk. In the meantime we're making sure that the milk has no hormones. We're also trying to buy local produce and we'll be growing our own this summer.
5. Throwing out the plastic cup and plates and moving to glass. I had no idea that some plastics were bad for us, especially when heated up. I'm looking for a sippy cup for Molly that doesn't contain bpa's but haven't found one I like yet.
6. Going to antique stores and Goodwill and buying stuff there. Why go to Target and get something new when you can find something similar that needs a new home? It is so fun to discover something you've been wanting for $2.99 instead of $20. Plus it won't have to go to the dump/landfills.
I'm sure there are other things we're doing but I don't have the time to list anymore as Molly just woke up. So I'll leave it at that.
ETA: We also try to buy only high quality items instead of getting the cheapest one we can find. Most of the time that means that we just have to wait longer to get something (we only pay cash for things now). Not only does this mean we don't have to replace the cheap items all the time, but it keeps them out of the landfill.
Oh and we compost our table scraps for our garden.
Have you done anything differently than you were doing years ago?
As I've said before, we don't buy into all the "global warming" stuff but we do think that we need to care about the environment God gave us. His creation is worth taking care of well.
So we're changing the way we use and dispose of products. We're changing what we eat and finding out where it comes from. We're thinking about where we spend our money and more about what we buy. We're looking at ingredients in some of the products we use and promptly getting rid of them. You could call us crunchy (or Crunchy Conservatives as this book calls us but we just want to live healthier and more compassionately.
Now to the list. Things we changed.
1. Cloth diapering. I sat down and figured out how much money we've saved since we started. I've spent about $250 for diapers/covers. I do 3 loads of laundry a week at a cost of $.25 a load (I'm not totally sure of this figure but it's the best I could come up with). Approx cost for 7 mths = $271. Works out to $39.00 a month but she won't outgrow these diapers for at least another 6 mths. So assuming she lasts 1 year in the current stash that would mean: $24 a month.
If we had been using disposables the cost would have been more. We used Pampers because I didn't like the fit of the cheap ones. So about $.30 per diaper and average 7 diapers a day. I'm sure you could change less but yuck. Would you want to sit in your own urine for hours at a time?. Anyway, that works out to $2.10 a day x 30 days = $63.00 a month. We would have to get the bigger garbage pick up so that would be $15 more a month. Total: $78 a month.
Obviously we're not cloth diapering just to save money but I don't like to think about all the diapers we threw from previous kids.
2. Using reusable bags. This is so easy. Almost any store (including Home Depot) offers reusable bags. We bring them everywhere including Joanns, Costco, Home Depot and Goodwill. The cashiers don't bat an eye.
3. Using natural cleaners/soap. I've been hating the smell of Lysol, Scrubbing Bubbles, etc and found some great natural cleaners. My favorites are Mrs. Myers, Bio-Kleen and Bare Naked Cleaners (she's a wahm). I've found some moms that make some great soap and ordered a bunch. This isn't too much more expensive then the regular cleaners. They smell great and they are all natural. We also use vinegar as fabric softener and baking soda to clean.
4. Buying free range and local meats. Now this is expensive so we have to limit how much meat we eat but it's worth it. We have starting buying meats from New Season's. They offer free-range, grass fed, Oregon meats. They taste soooo good. I'm looking into buying half a cow so the cost won't be so high. We're also going to order chickens from Deo Volente Farms (the family goes to our church). I've tasted some of that chicken meat and wow! I didn't know chicken could taste so good. We're buying local brown eggs and trying to find a dairy that will sell us milk. In the meantime we're making sure that the milk has no hormones. We're also trying to buy local produce and we'll be growing our own this summer.
5. Throwing out the plastic cup and plates and moving to glass. I had no idea that some plastics were bad for us, especially when heated up. I'm looking for a sippy cup for Molly that doesn't contain bpa's but haven't found one I like yet.
6. Going to antique stores and Goodwill and buying stuff there. Why go to Target and get something new when you can find something similar that needs a new home? It is so fun to discover something you've been wanting for $2.99 instead of $20. Plus it won't have to go to the dump/landfills.
I'm sure there are other things we're doing but I don't have the time to list anymore as Molly just woke up. So I'll leave it at that.
ETA: We also try to buy only high quality items instead of getting the cheapest one we can find. Most of the time that means that we just have to wait longer to get something (we only pay cash for things now). Not only does this mean we don't have to replace the cheap items all the time, but it keeps them out of the landfill.
Oh and we compost our table scraps for our garden.
Have you done anything differently than you were doing years ago?
Labels: musings
posted by amy at 2:38 PM
2 Comments:
Hi,
Love your preflats and was checking out your blog. A mostly stainless steel sippy is at
http://tinyurl.com/59xq26
I like your ideas and the term crunchy conservative. Fits us too!
Thanks for the book recommendation. I have it on hold at the library and am eager to start reading. We do a lot of the same types of things you do -- I figure every bit counts.
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