simple saturday
This fall has been a simplifying of great proportion for my family.
The opening of space that “shedding” process left us with is so satisfying. It feels like we’ve gotten off a big merry-go-round.
There is more to do, so on Saturdays in this new year, I will document some of the ongoing changes we are making to simplify, step off the consumerism wheel, and open more space for experiences rather than things.
This week, and probably for weeks to come, my question has been: What am I buying on a regular basis that I don’t need to buy or can make at home more inexpensively?
A second question has been: How can I reduce the numbers of chemicals I am bringing into my home?
A third question is: What small changes can I make that will have a positive impact on the environment?
These are great questions to teach Emma and Tess as well, so that is part of the process.
Each of the changes this week were fast, simple, and cheap and all the results have been working fine:
Laundry Room
- Emma and I made our own laundry detergent this week. (We made the powdered kind. Took 5 minutes at most.)
- We started using white vinegar in our Downy fabric softener ball instead of fabric softener. And no, our clothes don’t smell like vinegar as a result.
- Instead of dryer sheets, we are using balls of foil to de-static-ize the clothing. They are so cute and smooth after the first load is dried! You could also use wool dryer balls.
Cleaning
- I cut up old kitchen towels that I might normally get rid of into small cloths about 4×6″ or a little bigger. I’m using those instead of so many paper towels and just throwing them in the wash or rinsing them in hot water after using them, depending on how dirty they are.
- I made an all-purpose cleaner that does really well and smells great.
- I am now cleaning my stove top with white vinegar rather than harsh chemicals.
That’s a start! What suggestions do you have? Leave a comment below so we can all learn from one another.
Love,
Image from here