It has occurred to me recently that I have been eating less, and I am really excited by this. I have tried to do this intentionally before in the name of eating only my fair share or being healthy, but the thing that has really whipped me into shape has been cooking for myself and buying in bulk.
I didn't cook for myself at school, and the cafeteria was "all you can eat." I took whatever I wanted. I tried not to waste food, but it still happened sometimes when I didn't like a dish.
Now that I cook for myself, I know that I have to eat what I cook because there just isn't another option for lunch or dinner, etc. I know that I can't eat as much as I want, because the food comes at a price and it comes from somewhere.
For example, take bread. Now that I make my own bread, every piece has the feeling of time and effort attached to it, and I am much less likely to OD on it.
My lunch today consisted of: one slice of bread, a half cup of cooked lentils, a couple tablespoons of tuna salad, one 1/4" slice of cheese, a carrot and an apple. That's like...epically healthy in my world.
Monday, March 16
Sunday, March 15
Reduce: Making Things Last
One of the best ways to reduce our footprint on this earth is to simply use fewer resources. This means taking less from the earth, and making the things we do take sustain us longer.
I try to do this in a lot of ways, but one of the changes of mindset that I've tried to adopt over the last year or so is figuring out ways to "make things last." Today, I can use my jeans as a concrete example to illustrate this concept.
I have two pairs of jeans, and I bought them both in Fall of '07. They are both the same, which has saved me a lot of time fanning the flames of my vanity; I don't waste time trying to figure out which jeans go best with which shirt: if I'm wearing jeans, I'm wearing jeans. I bought the simplest jeans I could find and didn't seek anything "trendy". This will make them last longer because they won't go out of style. I also bought them for comfort and fit, and I seek to maintain this pants size, which will also make them last longer. Lastly, I always line dry them in order to keep them from shrinking.
Last week, I wore one of the pairs of jeans when I was painting the set of the musical at school. I tried to be very careful, but I still managed to get paint on them. I got a splatter of white around an ankle, a dash of "Pepto pink" on one knee, and a huge stripe of black along one calf. I knew that I couldn't ditch this pair of jeans just because I had messed them up in my clumsiness, so I sought a way to remove paint from clothing.
A simple "remove paint from clothing" search on Google gave me the answer: alcohol and elbow grease. I poured some vodka on the paint splatters (hand sanitizer was another option available, but it didn't work for me) and scrubbed for five or ten minutes until the paint started to disappear or lighten. The pink and white came out, and the black faded until it is no longer noticeable. I rinsed the jeans and put them in the wash.
Today, I had to inspect the two pairs of jeans on the line very closely until I could say with confidence which pair had originally been stained. Hooray! Not only did I save resources, I saved about $40!
I try to do this in a lot of ways, but one of the changes of mindset that I've tried to adopt over the last year or so is figuring out ways to "make things last." Today, I can use my jeans as a concrete example to illustrate this concept.
I have two pairs of jeans, and I bought them both in Fall of '07. They are both the same, which has saved me a lot of time fanning the flames of my vanity; I don't waste time trying to figure out which jeans go best with which shirt: if I'm wearing jeans, I'm wearing jeans. I bought the simplest jeans I could find and didn't seek anything "trendy". This will make them last longer because they won't go out of style. I also bought them for comfort and fit, and I seek to maintain this pants size, which will also make them last longer. Lastly, I always line dry them in order to keep them from shrinking.
Last week, I wore one of the pairs of jeans when I was painting the set of the musical at school. I tried to be very careful, but I still managed to get paint on them. I got a splatter of white around an ankle, a dash of "Pepto pink" on one knee, and a huge stripe of black along one calf. I knew that I couldn't ditch this pair of jeans just because I had messed them up in my clumsiness, so I sought a way to remove paint from clothing.
A simple "remove paint from clothing" search on Google gave me the answer: alcohol and elbow grease. I poured some vodka on the paint splatters (hand sanitizer was another option available, but it didn't work for me) and scrubbed for five or ten minutes until the paint started to disappear or lighten. The pink and white came out, and the black faded until it is no longer noticeable. I rinsed the jeans and put them in the wash.
Today, I had to inspect the two pairs of jeans on the line very closely until I could say with confidence which pair had originally been stained. Hooray! Not only did I save resources, I saved about $40!
Saturday, February 28
Live Simply.
A couple of weeks ago, I renewed a personal goal that I have: "Live Simply." I am now trying to define what this means to me, and I thought I'd share some of those thoughts here. "Live Simply" may look different in practice for someone else than it does for me, and I'm not trying to judge any particular behavior. Here is what has been working for me.
Personal Care & Appearance
The fact that this aspect of living simply comes easily to me is perhaps indicative of my inherent laziness, but let's hope not. I have worked throughout the last decade of my life to trim time and effort from the routines of my day, and to work towards caring less about conforming to society's hopes and dreams for me.
1) Shower: I only used shaving gel for the first couple of years of shaving my legs, and then I ditched it because it was expensive and a hassle. I initially used body wash to shave my legs, but now I've ditched that, too, and just use bar soap. I had a fancy razor at first, but then switched to disposables. I saw the error in that thinking, and now have a Preserve Razor. I used to use shampoo and conditioner every day, but then switched to 2-in-1. Then, I ditched conditioner and now I only use shampoo every three or four days. Surprisingly, my hair looks better (not worse), and I save a ton of time (and water!). I also used to have a loofah, but then switched to a washcloth. Lastly, I take shorter showers and turn off the water when I shave my legs or wash my hair.
2) Hair: I used to straighten my hair or blow dry it, but then I ditched those routines for a simple air-dry, take-it-as-it-is approach. I used to put various detanglers or smoothers in my hair, but now I just brush it carefully and let it go. I used to get my hair cut in a salon and layered, but now my aunt cuts it for me at home, and I leave it in a simple cut. I have a couple of simple, versatile clips that I have learned to use in a variety of ways.
3) Make-up: I tried to get into make-up, but it never happened. I occasionally wear some blush and eye shadow, but this is rare. Because of this, I only have one thing of blush and one compact of four eye shadows, and that's it. I always have chapstick with me - Burt's Bees in the metal tin.
4) Lotion, etc: I used to use lots of fancy lotions, but now I only have one thing of lotion which I use sparingly and seldomly. I do have a quasi-vat of some special lotion that Karen gave me from her swim years that I use on my hands when they crack and bleed in the wintertime.
5) Eyes: I used to wear contacts, but I recently switched back to glasses. This means that I no longer have to juggle my contact case, solution, spare pair, and glasses when I travel - I can take my glasses and go. This also cut time off of my morning routine.
Food
1) No meat: I've been a vegetarian for a long time now, and that has simplified my life a lot. I know that it may seem counterintuitive, but being a vegetarian has made everything from eating out to cooking at home a lot easier. When I go out to Olive Garden, for example, I only have three or four choices in the first place, so my decision process is drastically reduced.
2) Less plastic: Since I've started grocery shopping to avoid plastic, my trips have become far cheaper and quicker. As soon as I got used to my new options, I was able to quickly navigate the bulk produce and the bulk bins.
3) More-with-Less: Since I've adopted the More-with-Less philosophy, my meals revolve around cheap forms of complimentary protein. For example, I can form complimentary proteins like rice and beans or mac & cheese, and I pick a veggie to have alongside it. My meals have really, really simplified.
4) In Season: Now that I buy veggies in season, I don't have to wade through aisles and aisles of veggies in the store; I head right to the stand with the in-season veggies, and I buy what I need.
5) Avoid convenience foods: I now avoid so-called "convenience foods," which means that I no longer eat without thinking, and I avoid a lot of waste from packaging.
----
These are the two biggest areas that I've been working on lately, but I am thinking about simplifying across many areas of my life.
It's interesting to me that "live simply" has meant reducing choices in my life. I think that for me, less choice = less stress. I don't feel boxed in by the lack of choice; instead, I find that it frees up my mind to think about other things.
How do you live simply?
Personal Care & Appearance
The fact that this aspect of living simply comes easily to me is perhaps indicative of my inherent laziness, but let's hope not. I have worked throughout the last decade of my life to trim time and effort from the routines of my day, and to work towards caring less about conforming to society's hopes and dreams for me.
1) Shower: I only used shaving gel for the first couple of years of shaving my legs, and then I ditched it because it was expensive and a hassle. I initially used body wash to shave my legs, but now I've ditched that, too, and just use bar soap. I had a fancy razor at first, but then switched to disposables. I saw the error in that thinking, and now have a Preserve Razor. I used to use shampoo and conditioner every day, but then switched to 2-in-1. Then, I ditched conditioner and now I only use shampoo every three or four days. Surprisingly, my hair looks better (not worse), and I save a ton of time (and water!). I also used to have a loofah, but then switched to a washcloth. Lastly, I take shorter showers and turn off the water when I shave my legs or wash my hair.
2) Hair: I used to straighten my hair or blow dry it, but then I ditched those routines for a simple air-dry, take-it-as-it-is approach. I used to put various detanglers or smoothers in my hair, but now I just brush it carefully and let it go. I used to get my hair cut in a salon and layered, but now my aunt cuts it for me at home, and I leave it in a simple cut. I have a couple of simple, versatile clips that I have learned to use in a variety of ways.
3) Make-up: I tried to get into make-up, but it never happened. I occasionally wear some blush and eye shadow, but this is rare. Because of this, I only have one thing of blush and one compact of four eye shadows, and that's it. I always have chapstick with me - Burt's Bees in the metal tin.
4) Lotion, etc: I used to use lots of fancy lotions, but now I only have one thing of lotion which I use sparingly and seldomly. I do have a quasi-vat of some special lotion that Karen gave me from her swim years that I use on my hands when they crack and bleed in the wintertime.
5) Eyes: I used to wear contacts, but I recently switched back to glasses. This means that I no longer have to juggle my contact case, solution, spare pair, and glasses when I travel - I can take my glasses and go. This also cut time off of my morning routine.
Food
1) No meat: I've been a vegetarian for a long time now, and that has simplified my life a lot. I know that it may seem counterintuitive, but being a vegetarian has made everything from eating out to cooking at home a lot easier. When I go out to Olive Garden, for example, I only have three or four choices in the first place, so my decision process is drastically reduced.
2) Less plastic: Since I've started grocery shopping to avoid plastic, my trips have become far cheaper and quicker. As soon as I got used to my new options, I was able to quickly navigate the bulk produce and the bulk bins.
3) More-with-Less: Since I've adopted the More-with-Less philosophy, my meals revolve around cheap forms of complimentary protein. For example, I can form complimentary proteins like rice and beans or mac & cheese, and I pick a veggie to have alongside it. My meals have really, really simplified.
4) In Season: Now that I buy veggies in season, I don't have to wade through aisles and aisles of veggies in the store; I head right to the stand with the in-season veggies, and I buy what I need.
5) Avoid convenience foods: I now avoid so-called "convenience foods," which means that I no longer eat without thinking, and I avoid a lot of waste from packaging.
----
These are the two biggest areas that I've been working on lately, but I am thinking about simplifying across many areas of my life.
It's interesting to me that "live simply" has meant reducing choices in my life. I think that for me, less choice = less stress. I don't feel boxed in by the lack of choice; instead, I find that it frees up my mind to think about other things.
How do you live simply?
Monday, February 16
Feminine Hygiene
If the topic of feminine hygiene squicks you, run the other way now.
I've been waffling. Decreasing my environmental impact in this area has been a slow process, and it took a lot of courage. I'm a scaredy-cat, basically. But, I finally summoned up the courage to make some really positive changes, in my opinion.
Last May, when I became aware of the Garbage Patch, I switched from tampons with plastic applicators to tampons with cardboard ones. This was the first thing I was willing to do...I know that there are tampons without applicators at all, but that was a bit much at the time. I switched to Natracare pads and liners, for other needs.
About a month ago, I read about sewing your own menstrual pads, but I have never liked pads, and the laundering process seemed daunting. However, I did sew some pantiliners. I went to the thrift store and bought the softest baby clothing I could find, and used a couple of layers of that for each liner.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, I did it: I bought a DivaCup.
Now, I know that this cup is made of plastic, but it was really the lesser of two evils for me (perpetual tampon waste, a little plastic). I also know that there is the alternative which has no waste, and that's sewing your own pads...but I really, really hate pads.
I had my first cycle with the DivaCup, and it was excellent. If you are considering this change also, I recommend reading some stuff at this LJ community. Basically, ignore the directions in the package and figure out what works for you. My other suggestion is to find a friend that will make the change, too. That way, you're not in it alone.
I've been waffling. Decreasing my environmental impact in this area has been a slow process, and it took a lot of courage. I'm a scaredy-cat, basically. But, I finally summoned up the courage to make some really positive changes, in my opinion.
Last May, when I became aware of the Garbage Patch, I switched from tampons with plastic applicators to tampons with cardboard ones. This was the first thing I was willing to do...I know that there are tampons without applicators at all, but that was a bit much at the time. I switched to Natracare pads and liners, for other needs.
About a month ago, I read about sewing your own menstrual pads, but I have never liked pads, and the laundering process seemed daunting. However, I did sew some pantiliners. I went to the thrift store and bought the softest baby clothing I could find, and used a couple of layers of that for each liner.
Then, a couple of weeks ago, I did it: I bought a DivaCup.
Now, I know that this cup is made of plastic, but it was really the lesser of two evils for me (perpetual tampon waste, a little plastic). I also know that there is the alternative which has no waste, and that's sewing your own pads...but I really, really hate pads.
I had my first cycle with the DivaCup, and it was excellent. If you are considering this change also, I recommend reading some stuff at this LJ community. Basically, ignore the directions in the package and figure out what works for you. My other suggestion is to find a friend that will make the change, too. That way, you're not in it alone.
Friday, January 30
Money, Honey, and Rutabagas?
So, last week I purchased a "companion" to More-With-Less, Simply in Season. This cookbook promotes environmentalism in the kitchen. The idea is that we can save a lot of energy by eating foods that are locally grown, and grown in environmentally-friendly ways. This means "voting with our dollars" and buying foods that come out of the ground /naturally/ at any given time of the year. The cookbook is divided into five parts - Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and All-Seasons - and gives recipes that focus on produce that is available at that time of year.
I found the recipe I'd try first, and got the veggies during my Win-Co trip this week. I wanted to make "roasted winter veggies," and I bought two small beets, a rutabaga (which my grandmother used to make often, but which I haven't had since), a sweet potato, carrots, and an acorn squash. I also added in a potato, but we had those at home already.
I was shocked to discover that these veggies were 20-30% of what other, "out of season" veggies cost! Now, I haven't been cooking for myself long, but I bet that there are people who have who STILL missed this memo. So, let me say this again: SO CHEAP!
I roasted these lovely winter veggies, and they were SO GOOD. Seriously, they have driven me to use all caps to express my love. I have never eaten beets before, and I was pleasantly surprised. I think that cooking in-season will force me to widen my horizons, as counter-intuitive as that may seem.
---
I also purchased honey at Win-Co for future breadmaking. I found it amusing because the bulk containers were wooden and said, "Do not lift lid, or bees will escape." Wow.
The honey was quite expensive, but cheap compared to the cutsie teddy bear containers. I think that the extra expense is worth it because it doesn't have processed sugar. I had to put it in a plastic container that they provided, but I will take mine back when I need to refill.
---
I made chocolate chip cookies yesterday, and they were the best I've ever made (I think). I mixed whole wheat and regular flours, and I actually only used 70% of the sugar that the recipe called for. I am going to continue to reduce the amount of sugar until I find out what the like..."bare minimum" that I can stand is. : P
---
Also, I have other news. I knew, coming home, that recycling would be harder because we live out in the country and they don't collect recycling this far out. I also didn't know whether Jan would be receptive to me collecting things in our house to recycle.
However, I was pleasantly surprised. I cleaned out the utility room simply because it needed cleaning, but in the process found room to put some boxes for collecting recycling. I called our center to find out what they collect, and once a week I have been taking the stuff down to the "transfer station," from which the City will collect recycling. The transfer station is actually only a couple of miles from my house, and I can take stuff down there on the weekends.
We can "downcycle" all sorts of plastic tubs (butter, sour cream), jars (coffee) and bottles. We can recycle cardboard (corrugated and not), and mixed paper. The transfer station also takes magazines, phonebooks, and glossy paper, but I'm not sure how much of this actually gets recycled. I know that the best way to go is to not buy things in plastic in the first place, but I really appreciate that we can downcycle what we can.
It's kind of nice to have my aunt constantly asking me what can be recycled, because it has been a learning experience for both of us.
I found the recipe I'd try first, and got the veggies during my Win-Co trip this week. I wanted to make "roasted winter veggies," and I bought two small beets, a rutabaga (which my grandmother used to make often, but which I haven't had since), a sweet potato, carrots, and an acorn squash. I also added in a potato, but we had those at home already.
I was shocked to discover that these veggies were 20-30% of what other, "out of season" veggies cost! Now, I haven't been cooking for myself long, but I bet that there are people who have who STILL missed this memo. So, let me say this again: SO CHEAP!
I roasted these lovely winter veggies, and they were SO GOOD. Seriously, they have driven me to use all caps to express my love. I have never eaten beets before, and I was pleasantly surprised. I think that cooking in-season will force me to widen my horizons, as counter-intuitive as that may seem.
---
I also purchased honey at Win-Co for future breadmaking. I found it amusing because the bulk containers were wooden and said, "Do not lift lid, or bees will escape." Wow.
The honey was quite expensive, but cheap compared to the cutsie teddy bear containers. I think that the extra expense is worth it because it doesn't have processed sugar. I had to put it in a plastic container that they provided, but I will take mine back when I need to refill.
---
I made chocolate chip cookies yesterday, and they were the best I've ever made (I think). I mixed whole wheat and regular flours, and I actually only used 70% of the sugar that the recipe called for. I am going to continue to reduce the amount of sugar until I find out what the like..."bare minimum" that I can stand is. : P
---
Also, I have other news. I knew, coming home, that recycling would be harder because we live out in the country and they don't collect recycling this far out. I also didn't know whether Jan would be receptive to me collecting things in our house to recycle.
However, I was pleasantly surprised. I cleaned out the utility room simply because it needed cleaning, but in the process found room to put some boxes for collecting recycling. I called our center to find out what they collect, and once a week I have been taking the stuff down to the "transfer station," from which the City will collect recycling. The transfer station is actually only a couple of miles from my house, and I can take stuff down there on the weekends.
We can "downcycle" all sorts of plastic tubs (butter, sour cream), jars (coffee) and bottles. We can recycle cardboard (corrugated and not), and mixed paper. The transfer station also takes magazines, phonebooks, and glossy paper, but I'm not sure how much of this actually gets recycled. I know that the best way to go is to not buy things in plastic in the first place, but I really appreciate that we can downcycle what we can.
It's kind of nice to have my aunt constantly asking me what can be recycled, because it has been a learning experience for both of us.
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