Seeing the Sense/ Cents

This is my electricity meter.

Today at Towards sustainability ( see link at right) has installed a wonderful device to track electricity usage. I was very impressed when I saw it.

I had to laugh because before we went away I wrote down the numbers on the counters to see what our house used while we weren't in it. It was a miserable wet day and we conducted an experiment.

The left meter turns fast enough to see it moving really easily.

My 8 year old son and I took turns at turning on the TV, clothes dryer and computer and watching how fast the meter turned. It was unbelievable. The dryer was the biggest culprit. When we turned it on the dial spun like a record player!

 No 1 son went and got his Dad to explain electricity usage to him. Now no 1 son is in charge of turning off lights and appliances when not in use. It was such a great exercise. Test it out for yourself. It is frightening, but sticks in your psyche believe me !!

Spinning Plates

Have you ever seen those old fashioned plate spinners? I remember seeing them as a child on the TV show "Young Talent Time" ( all aussie readers will be nodding with me).

The plate spinners lined up about 10 plates on sticks and would spin them and balance them.

The idea was to keep them spinning. Often as the spinner was attempting to keep one plate from wobbling and falling off, a plate at the other end would begin to wobble.

 That is exactly how life is sometimes.

We have been working really hard at renovating the inside of our house.

 As a result the outside has been let go.

Here is an update on our new bathroom.

We have been doing it ourselves. although we have recently got a tiler in to do the tiling. We had an old bathroom with a laundry out the back. The laundry was huge and we felt that the bathroom was big enough to combine the laundry with it.

We recently bought a front loading machine as a water saving option and suddenly realised it takes up so much less space. We have now successfully integrated it into the bathroom. Here is a 'during' shot.

This is a shot after the tiler had finished - we still have to do the window and change taps, put in towel holders etc. I also want to add some plants, but it is coming along. Number 1 son is enjoying a bath to celebrate the fact that we have running water in there again!



So.... spinning plates. I guess the answer is to continually do upkeep in all areas rather than focus too heavily on one area.

My Part of the Planet

This is the view from the banks of the river near our home. Why would I live anywhere else ?

I am also pleased to announce that Rhonda from Down to Earth has nominated me for an award.

Visit this site for the origin of the award. http://climateofourfuture.org/?p=33

I will tag the following blogs as nominees:

www.myfairshare.org

www.walkslowlylivewildly.com

100 Years of Simple Living

On Sunday 15th July we celebrated my Grandmother's 100th Birthday.

 This woman is amazing.

As you know, she lived on her own up until a couple of months ago when she slipped while she was raking up some leaves and broke her leg. She now lives in a nursing home.

We asked her what the secret to a long and healthy life is she said " Just don't worry".

Maybe she is right.

 I think the home grown food, no smoking, no drinking and simple, purposeful, joyful living also plays a part, but I guess if you implement her life principles of prior preparation and planning then you will have little to worry about.

As the song goes, 'don't worry, be happy'.

What is it that makes you happy ? I doubt it will be 'stuff ' 

Benefits of Our Simple Changes

It is now some weeks since we sat down and had our family meeting and brainstormed ways that we could simplify our lives and reduce our budget outgoings, energy usage, fuel usage and garbage output. I have to say that the results speak for themselves. It is very satisfying knowing that we can make changes by doing little things

The following things are working really well:

- cooking from scratch

- working on a cash only budget

- buying things with minimal or no packaging

- turning off appliances

- limiting water usage and having shorter showers

- riding our bikes instead of driving

- composting our food scraps

- not eating preservatives and artificial colours and flavours

- washing up in the small sink

- limit trips to town

- using things sparingly

- no take away food

- grocery stockpile

- think before you buy

- grow sprouts

These are the things we need to focus on now:

- riding to work ( still quite chilly in the mornings and dark in the late afternoon)

- buy/ eat local - so far I have only found oranges, red wine, Camembert cheese, milk, yogurt and macadamias. The farmers market is on this Saturday but I will miss it. I am definitely checking out the next one.

- getting the herb garden up and running ready for spring and planting the vegies

- getting water tanks up and running

- grey water system

We still have a long way to go, but it is all a step in the right direction.

Menu Planning

Why Menu Plan ?

There are many benefits to planning out your meals before hand.

- It brings peace to your evening and stops the " what's for dinner" drama

- It prevents panicked take away purchases

- It saves time and money - you only purchase what you need and can have meals ready in advance

- You can plan meals thoughtfully if, for example, you have have family members with special dietary needs or are trying to plan healthy balanced meals or to lose some weight.

How to Menu Plan

1. The No-Brainer Method. This is as simple as " if it is Monday it's Spaghetti day" etc.

2. The Rational Roster Method: This is where you may do a two or three week list of meals and just work through the list and then come back to the beginning

3. The Schedule Matched Method: ( My favourite). This is where you look at your schedule for the next week or fortnight and plan your meals around it. So if you know you won't be home until 5.30 on Tuesday you plan a quick meal or if you are not home to really late then you make sure you plan a meal the day before that has leftovers etc.

In order to carry out this method successfully I suggest that you take the time to list about 20 or so meals.If you don't have that many in your repertoire it's time to search for some recipes or ask some friends or family about their favourite recipes.

The next thing is to group the meals. I use three headings a) quick and fresh 2) leftover style and 3) gourmet ( meaning time consuming)

Now you can match your meals to your schedule. I think it is always a good idea to have some meals in the freezer ready to go as well. You never know when you may need a standby meal. Next time you are cooking, just cook some extra and freeze it.

Christmas in July

No I am definitely not talking about those functions and parties everyone seems to be going to. 

Perhaps I should call this post THINKING ABOUT CHRISTMAS IN JULY. 

Most people ( me included) start complaining when Christmas decorations and 'gift idea' catalogues start appearing around late September. But the strange thing is that many people leave their gift shopping until the last minute and have to battle the crowds and are left with the age old dilemma of what to buy people in your family. You even hear them talking about what you buy the person who has everything !!!! ( Isn't the answer obvious ??)

I want to start thinking about Christmas so that there is no rush. Without prior preparation and planning we end up buying complete rubbish and maxing out credit cards buying STUFF for people that already have enough STUFF.


STOP THE THOUGHTLESS CONSUMING.



So, remember the phrase Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents Poor Performance (The Six P Principle).


Think about these things: 

1. Who do you want to give a gift to. Make a list


2. Will you make a gift or buy a gift.


3. If you start now there is plenty of time to make thoughtful gifts


4. If you don't want to give STUFF then do what I have done for the past two years - buy a goat in a village in Bangladesh in the recipients name. Last year we purchased school books, a water well for a village and a toilet. Visit Tear Australia and get a copy of their "World's most useful gift catalogue". http://www.usefulgifts.org/



Anyway, the challenge I put to you all is .... be prepared. Refuse to be sucked in to the marketing concept that people will know you love them by what you buy them. 

Think carefully. Start your purchases now. Mail order from small Australian business houses. Make thoughtful ethical purchases or make it yourself ! Nothing says I love you like the investment of your time !!!!



Let me know your ideas for gift giving or home made gifts.