Darn! More Frugality and Trash Prevention

I've learned a new skill this week- darning socks! It's been on my list of things to learn, and a drawer full of holey socks coupled with the price of new ones and my desire to keep things from becoming trash forced my hand.

To darn a sock, you need a darning needle, a darning egg or other smooth round object, and darning cotton or embroidery thread. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my grandmother's sewing kit included 4 balls of darning cotton. It's apparently not made anymore. I found this ceramic egg at the Habitat ReStore for $.50.



I've been carting a bag of socks around with me all week, darning when I have 1o minutes to wait here or there. It goes quite quickly once you get the hang of it. Here is a video on how to darn socks. It shows darning wool socks with wool, but the technique is the same for cotton and silk socks. Just use a matching thread, and a needle about as big as your threads.

Anyone else darn their socks?

Blowing in the Wind

I'm not... but a few huge windmills on the Colorado/Wyoming border are, and the electricity they are producing is making its way to my city!

Thanks to a little post on switching to alternative energy, I discovered that my city DOES in fact allow you to purchase wind energy. I looked for it (and found nothing) when we moved in, since we had bought wind power in college. It pays to check back every once in a while!

Switching to wind (or whatever alternative energies are available in your area) is an easy and fairly cheap way to reduce your carbon footprint a little. It's going to cost us an extra $4.50 a month, and we feel it is money well spent.

If you want to find out more information about signing up for alternative energies, visit the Department of Energy's website on such things. It's a great site and loaded with information. It even lets you know WHICH alternative energy (wind, solar, hydro, nuclear) is available in your area so you can make even better choices!

Resolution Look Back- Environmental Issues

It's time for a look back at my New Years Resolutions for lessening consumption and enriching our lives. Have I made any headway on my goals? There's always room for improvement, but I was impressed that I have gotten as much done on these as I have!

Build Efficient Compost Piles
Done! I created our new double width compost pile out of old pallets and fencing. It's working fabulously! No smell, no animals... and things are breaking down fairly quickly, too!

Plant Buffalo Grass (or other native grass)
Well, when we have an area ready to plant... this will probably be a fall project.

Use My Human Powered Lawnmower
So far so good...

Replace the Front and Back Doors
Well, we bought the new front door... but we haven't figured out what we are doing with the back space yet. The current (hollow core) back door may disappear entirely in the remodel.

Seal ALL Windows and Doors/Apply Weatherstripping
Well, I bought it. Does that count? At least I will have it for applying NEXT fall.

Bed Warmers
It's too hot for bedwarmers... but maybe next fall.

Shop at the Farmer's Market FIRST
There are two in town... the Thursday morning market doesn't open until June 21st, but the Tuesday morning market supposedly opens in two weeks...

Join a CSA
We decided to NOT join a CSA this summer. We thought about it, and realized we just don't eat enough food to go through a whole share, or even a half share. We'll buy what we need from the farmer's market each week instead.

Plant a Vegetable Garden
Slow going here... I'll be lucky to have the beds ready in time for tomato and pepper season. Maybe I can splurge on some half grown plants to fill out the rest this year...

Replace Old Plastic Tupperwares
Done. We bought a lovely set of Pyrex bowls with lids. At 2 and 4 cups, they are just perfect for packing lunches or preserving a serving or two of food.

Find or Make Reusable Produce Bags
I have NOT bought or make reusable produce bags as of yet. I HAVE, however, started reusing the ones we have. When we take produce out of a bag, we fold it up and put it in a tupperware in the fridge. Then, when we go shopping, I take the used bags and use them FIRST. Occasionally one gets a little gross or rips, but I would estimate we are getting 4 or 5 uses out of each bag now. Little steps...

Buy Only Used (as much as possible)
We've been trying! I've joined a couple "no buy" challenges this spring, which have really helped me figure out what I really DON'T need. It's been a while since I've bought anything new for the house, too... we're getting better!

Our New Compost Pile in No Man's Land

In honor of Chile's new challenge, "Cut the Crap - DECLUTTER", I finally finished a project started last summer! I built a compost pile and wood pile in the space we call "no man's land" between our garage and the fence.



I used pallets salvaged from the city recycling center to create a frame for the compost pile... I'm starting the compost on one side and finishing it on the other. The pallets had been sitting around since last spring... just waiting.

There's more wood for the pile in the backyard... it just needs cut down to size and stacked. Lazy summer nights around our fire-pit, here we come!

By the way, the red garage is NOT our garage; I just noticed that big hole in it today. I'll have to patch it for them since they can't see it! (It's the property line).

Mowed the Lawn Today...

With my brand new Brill Luxus pushmower!



I really like it... it is quiet, easy to push, and doesn't jar my shoulders like holding onto our gas powered mower. I think it is even easier to push and control than our self-propelled mower is! I love how it leaves the clippings right on the lawn for mulch. The only downside I found is that it is somewhat uneven on our VERY bumpy and uneven lawn. I am hoping that as we fill in the bare spots, this will go away... however, I'm not in the manicured lawn club, so I will use it even if it doesn't give a perfect clip!

I went around the hole yard with my hand weeder pulling dandilions. 56 dandilion carcasses later, I was ready to aerate the lawn with a hand aerator...



The tool (I used a Turf Hound Aerator) looks like a small pitchfork with really hefty tines. You walk across your yard, stepping down every 6 inches on the aerator. We saw marked improvement in our lawn quality and in the germination of the grass seed last fall after we did this; it seems like a great and easy way to make your lawn healthier (and thus more drought resistant).

We threw down another 3 lbs of drought resistant grass seed into the few bare areas that didn't germinate last fall... (one is in the picture above).

One lawn, prepped for summer!

What a Trade! (or Simple Amusements)

Thanks to some wonderful suggestions you all made on my backroom plans, I started looking at stackable washers and dryers for our laundry room. I was in research mode; I wanted to see what a nice used stackable set would cost us, and how much we could get for our existing HUGE General Electric washer and dryer.

I searched through Craigslist (I search Craigslist for everything), and discovered a couple that wanted to TRADE their Danby Energy Star efficient, compact, stackable, and front-loading washer and dryer set for a BIG washer and dryer... exactly what we have.

We unhooked our extra larger washer and dryer (It is AMAZING how much dirt and dust collects behind your washer and dryer!), and drove down to Denver to trade.

We just hooked up the new set and popped in a load of whites... it is SO QUIET! I can barely hear it. And, it filled up with a QUARTER of the water that our old washer used. We sat and watched the washer work for 15 minutes... it's quite fun to watch a front loader washing machine work. Simple amusements for simple people.

We haven't used the dryer yet, but I have high hopes. The only negative that I can see to this set is that it is somewhat small... it only holds medium to large loads. That is not a problem for the two of us in our tiny house, luckily.

I can't wait to see what our electric and water bill savings will be. Here's to saving just a little more of the earth AND saving space and money.

Wanton Waste and TV Home Improvement

No progress on the bathroom today; I am holed up in a hotel room on a business trip. We don't have TV at home, and I so am watching HGTV. I am watching people smash toilets, attack cabinets with sledgehammers, and otherwise destroy or trash perfectly usable items. It kind of makes me sick.

What have I seen destroyed in 1 hour of home improvement and decorating shows?

• A Yellow Toilet. Now, I know that yellow toilets are not the most popular decorating choice... but did they have to smash it? Surely someone could use it... even as a garden planter.
• A Blue Recliner. Perfectly usable, not stained. Admittedly very comfortable. Its only sin? Lack of fashion. Sentenced to the trashcan (instead of a local thrift store or freecycle). Hopefully someone rescued it.
• A HUGE Bathroom Mirror. Sure, small framed mirrors are the mainstay of modern decorating. Sure a big full wall mirror is outdated. However, it is so USEFUL. You could cut it down into smaller mirrors and frame those... or you could find a home for it with someone who needs a big mirror, like a musician, music school, or dancer. Why did you need to smash it with a sledgehammer?
• A Full Kitchen of 50's Wooden Cabinets. Again, again. Someone could use them, even if just as garage cabinets. I know I could! And, I'm sure there are lots of you LOOKING for a matching cabinet or two for your 50's ranch restoration. No need to smash them.

Too bad they are not showcasing positive deconstruction techniques. Too bad they are promoting destruction instead.

Trimming the Fat off of Your Life

Chile of Chile Chews has offered up another challenge- a spending freeze for the month of February. I'm in. We need to be in, even. My husband is hopefully starting grad school this summer, and we need a jump-start to tightening the proverbial bootstraps, both monetarily and time-wise. Time to create some new habits.

Items that don't "count" (i.e. are necessary): mortgage, bills, gasoline, car repairs, etc.

I will also allow myself to buy things for necessary (as opposed to cosmetic) home improvements... like weatherstripping, new doors to prevent heat loss out the back and front, etc. They, do have to be USED and CHEAP. Nothing new in February.

What won't I buy? Clothes, shoes, prepackaged foods, cd's, things for decorating a house, etc. (Not that I buy a lot of those anyway, because I don't.)

I will try to cut down my internet time (and electric bill) to spend MORE time working on my home and LESS time in front of my computer "researching" my home.

Draft Dodgers

Are you finding that your old house is drafty and cold as winter settles in? Make a draft dodger to place at the bottom of the door. This will block some of those chilly drafts and keep your heating bill lower.

To make a draft dodger:
1) Fill two old tube socks with sand, tie, and place against door.
OR
2) Take a piece of fabric that is 13 inches tall and as long as your door (32 inches in my case). Fold it in half so the fabric is now 6.5 inches by 32 inches (or so). Sew a straight line down the edge. You may want to sew it twice for reinforcement. Turn the tube inside out, sew one end closed, fill the tube with sand, sew the other end closed, and place against door.

As part of my challenge to ReThink It, I spent some time looking through my clothing donation/rag bag for suitable cloth. I found two parts of brown corduroy pants with big rips and stains. I created a long piece of color blocked fabric by cutting out matching squares and sewing them together.

I made two draft dodgers for our outside doors. Here's to a slightly toastier winter!

Materials:
Fabric: old pants
Sand: leftover from patio project

Cost: $0

You Know It's Cold When...

you do the household chores you have been lazily putting off simply because doing them will heat the house!

So far I have washed 2 loads of white laundry on HOT, dried them using our electric dryer with the vent venting INSIDE, and started the dishwasher. I'm thinking I should also make some soup stock, too... just to have on hand. That will warm the house up.

Have I turned the head above 54? No... I'm too cheap. I'm not touching that thermostat!

New Years Resolutions 2008, Part 2- Lessening Our Consumption and Enriching our Lives

A few days ago I posted a list of New Year's Resolutions pertaining to our house and its remodeling. Though long and exhaustive, it is not a complete list of goals for the year.

My husband and I have become increasingly concerned with environmental concerns. Over the last year or two we have obtained reusable grocery bags, searched Habitat ReStores, Craigslist, and Freecycle for needed building supplies instead of buying new, made a concerted effort to buy from the farmer's market first, and more.

Here is what we want to do this year to lessen our impact and improve our life:

Build Efficient Compost Piles
We already compost by dumping organic matter into the space between the fence and the garage. It doesn't compost very fast, however. I want to build a series of two or three compost bins to rotate the material between in this space. I even have the material: pallets that I salvaged from the scrap wood pile at the city recycling center. Some decking screws and time, and I can have a great set of bins with lots of airflow.

Plant Buffalo Grass (or other native grass)
When we finish the backyard we hope to seed with drought tolerant grasses. Why grass at all? We have dogs. A pretty lame excuse. For the past 2 years I have watered our front lawn (which is fine fescue) about 3 or 4 times a year... hopefully after establishment a native backyard will need that or less.

Use My Human Powered Lawnmower
I received a great present this year: a Brill Luxus 38 Lawnmower. My goal is to NEVER use the old gas powered one in the garage.

Replace the Front and Back Doors
We lose a substantial amount of heat out of our backdoor. I recently discovered that it is actually a hollow core INTERIOR door. No wonder the laundry room (and our bedroom) is 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house! The front door is in better shape, but rotting and cracked.

Seal ALL Windows and Doors/Apply Weatherstripping
Much heat is lost through cracks around doors and windows. Adding weatherstripping will make a big difference.

Bed Warmers
We drop the heat by quite a bit at night. We use two fluffy down comforters to keep warm. While at my parent's house this Christmas, however, we were introduced to the delights of a bedwarmer, which might allow us to drop the heat even further. We are looking to either find an old metal one to fill with heated water (reused, of course) or make one out of cherry pits. Of course, I may keep an eye out for one of these...

Shop at the Farmer's Market FIRST
We made a valiant effort this past summer to make it to the farmer's market every week before grocery shopping. We forgot a few times. This summer, I want to make it EVERY week.

Join a CSA
In addition to the Farmer's Market, I want to investigate (and hopefully join) a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). I know there will be foods that we have no idea what to do with (thinking beets and squashes off the top of my head), so an additional goal is to learn to cook those foods.

Plant a Vegetable Garden
Our backyard is nearing completion. I want to finish the vegetable garden beds by April in the hopes of planting tomatoes and cucumbers and all sorts of yummy foods. I also want to more fully intersperse herbs into my flower beds.

Replace Old Plastic Tupperwares
We have a large drawer of plastic. Most of it is old yogurt and cheese containers that we repurposed for use as tupperware. We have become increasingly concerned with plastic leaching into our foods during storage and reheat, and so are looking to buy some glass containers. No worries... the old plastic will NOT be trashed. I have so many home improvement things such as nails, screws, tape, etc that would LOVE a home in a nice small container!

Find or Make Reusable Produce Bags
I found some great bags here, but the shipping from Canada is outrageous. I am hoping to make or find something similar to carry produce home in.

Buy Only Used (as much as possible)
Somewhat self explanatory. My resolution is to look at thrift stores, reuse stores, and the internet to find what I need used BEFORE I look for new. Especially clothes. Except underwear and socks.

ReThink It!

I am taking Chile of Chile Chews up on her challenge to Rethink It:

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle: Rethink it! The purpose of this challenge is to help you reduce your consumption, expenses, and garbage by getting you to think about every aspect of the recycling logo. Break out of old habits and find new ways to reduce your consumption, reuse what you can in creative ways, and recycle everything else.

How can I break the mold? What can I do better to reduce my consumption? What can I reuse instead of throwing away? More to follow.

Ways to "Go Green"

I was flipping through the October 2007 issue of This Old House. The "theme" of the issue was green remodeling ideas, and I thought great! This will be so useful, as I am trying to make as little of an environmental impact as possible on my house.

Unfortunately, most of the magazine was dedicated to expensive ways to save energy by buying new, and new products that are theoretically manufactured using "green" techniques. I am much more interested in information about how to retrofit existing houses with a much smaller consumer footprint, and information on how to use old materials.

Now, before I completely trash the magazine issue, there was a nice article on 22 Little Ways to Go Green, with a number of somewhat useful ideas. We already do most of them, however... no shoes in the house for instance. But, the list is a nice reminder of some of the more basic ways to improve your energy efficiency.