Try to live like we used to, back in the old days…

JBR said:
I think the Iroquois principle makes a lot of sense. And if we use the estimate that generations follow one another in a 30-year span, then seven generations is 210 years. Trees can certainly live and fulfill functions over that length of time, and some trees have lived for over a thousand years.

(Please excuse my interest in and keenness for trees.)
Click to expand...
I share your keenness for trees and am happy to report that at last count I have 50 new trees in my backyard, most volunteer, some that I planted, various types. I’m trying to create my own nature preserve!
 

I have cleaning rags and dish towels, and paper towels too which I use sparingly.

I use a sink full of hot soapy water for all my kitchen cleaning. Make my own spray cleaner with Dr Bonner’s eucalyptus liquid soap mixed with water. Lovely fragrance and cleans well.
 
I try to be as environmentally conscious as I can, but some things are just too inconvenient. I have to drag clothes down a couple of flights of stairs, which are accessed from outside our building, to do laundry, . I'm not about to make extra laundry by using cloth hand towels all the time although I have them. I reuse paper towels for clean ups around the house.

Also, I used to hate it when we hung clothes out on the line to dry back in the day They'd be hard and very wrinkled, which made them extra hard to iron. When I take clothes out of my dryer, many garments can be hung up without having to iron them. All of them are nice and soft, a must for me. I have a friend who would love to go back to the olden days. Me....not so much.
 

Last edited:
We tried to homestead. I think we did pretty good with what we had. For about 14 years we raised tons of vegetables. Then when the "master gardner" died, we started including livestock. The old way. Raise what you eat. So we did.

About 80% of our building, car, tool repair, furniture, was DIY. This might be called self reliance and it is, but we tried to live as close to the earth we are living on.
 
Last edited:
I also try to be very prudent with resources and do much of what has been listed. A few different items:

As @OneEyedDiva said, clothing that goes directly from the washer to line drying can be stiff and wrinkled. Running loads through the dryer for just ten minutes (Alexa reminds me) helps that. They finish drying on a pole or rack. Watered down Dawn dish detergent makes an excellent spot remover.

I concoct foaming soap using a small amount of clear, unscented dish soap and water. For bathroom sink soap, I also add a smidge of lemon or rose scented liquid soap. Kitchen soap remains unscented.

Love my Keurig, but hate the waste, so have been using refillable pods for over a decade. So much better for the environment and waaaay cheaper. I dump the grounds in the food and lawn waste bin, then rinse the pods and give them a swipe with an old toothbrush - the rinsing water I catch in a bowl to water outdoor plants.

I hit the library weekly for books and DVDs.

I rinse out ziplock bags for reuse. Even sandwich bags.

My husband is a really good fix-it guy and is able to repair most non-electronic appliances, gizmos, GK toys, etc.

Our family shares streaming and online news subscriptions.

I use a Brita instead of buying bottled water.

In the car I bring along my refillable water bottle or insulated mug (with hot coffee or tea).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top