I love the idea of living simply. It sounds simple, doesn't it? But many of us don't even realize how much we take from the earth and never give back and we especially don't realize how much crap we CONSUME into our own bodies.
I live in a big city, Chicago, and like most city dwellers I like to take advantage of all this town has to offer (restaurants, bars, shows, etc). However, I put some effort into doing things that make my life less complicated while lessening my carbon footprint on the world. Here's a list of a some minor things that this city girl does to simplify:
-I ride my bike or take public transportation everywhere. Now that the weather has cooled down I'm on the 'L' a lot more than I used to be, but I did buy a 'winter' bike, so I hope to get over the cold and hop back on my bicycle ASAP. Not having a car simplifies my life immensely. I don't have to buy gas, pay for insurance, worry about finding a safe parking spot, and for everyone else, I'm one less angry driver clogging the roads of Chicago.
-I try to avoid prepackaged foods. I don't really buy things like hamburger helper, oreos, pop tarts, canned soup, or lean cuisines. I don't like eating these things mostly because of all of the preservatives and god-knows-what goes into them, but I'm also wasting less by not throwing away all of the packaging. So what do I eat? I still buy most of my food from a grocery store (although my neighbors have a fantastic garden) but I try to buy ingredients only, especially from the bulk bins. I miss the Co Op in Iowa City dearly.
-I always take the stairs! No elevators for me.
-I don't consume more than I can afford. I don't have a credit card, so whenever I buy something it's because I have the cash in my pocket. Also almost all of my clothing, shoes, furniture, and knick-knacks were bought used. Mostly because I'm cheap, but hey at least I'm recycling!
-I'm trying to (although not hard enough at the moment) to simplify the soaps and detergents I use. Last year the only soap/face wash/shampoo/condition I used was Dr. Bronner's all-in-one soap. You can use this soap to wash your clothes, your dishes, your dog, your kitchen, your bathroom, etc. The best part being, it's simple and all natural!
Here are somethings that I hope to do in the near future:
-Join a CSA share. (crop sharing agreement) This wonderful gem of an idea is perfect for city dwellers who don't have room to plant a garden or are too busy to make it to their local farmers market. With a CSA you can have farm fresh fruits and veggies delivered to your door step! Getting my main ingredients straight from a farm would really cut down the amount I'd have to buy at the grocery store and it's a great way to support my local farmer. My friend Courtney and I have discussed sharing one box of veggies per week and hopefully we'll get the ball rolling soon!
-Learn how to sew! This is a more lofty (and on going) goal, but I'd love to be able to make my own clothes so I don't have to buy new.
-Be apart of planing our garden this Spring. We have a new neighbor who was a professional gardener in Maine for 22 years! I can't wait to soak up her gardening wisdom.
-Use less paper! Oh my, I'm a paper-a-holic. I use way too many paper towls and far too much toilet paper. Eventually I'll replace all of my paper towels with clothe. As the for the toilet paper, I'm trying, but it's hard!
-Take some cues from No Impact Man This guy, Colin Beavan, made a movie, wrote a book, and still writes a blog about how we can consume less and produce more. I saw went to the movie the theater last year when I lived in D.C. and I still think about it. It's definitely worth a watch.
If anyone out there has more ideas for how a city girl on a budget can simplify, I'd love to hear! If YOU want to get ideas for yourself, check out Alicia's blog to see what everyone has shared. It's pretty amazing!
Just to ensure that this post isn't too wordy I'll leave you with a picture of my wonderful bicycle!
Sarah! Thank you SO much for participating in Simple Lives Thursday! Wow!
ReplyDeleteYou know, paper itself isn't evil. Did you know you can compost it? If you guys have a little space (3x3x3) you can set up a compost heap. It'll get rid of your paper AND be super beneficial for your garden (which I cannot WAIT to hear about. seriously)
All my love darlin, and feel free to post next week! Recipes are welcome!