We are not self-sufficient. Definitely not frontiers-people. However, I have been noticing some of the things we do ourselves that are definitely lifestyle choices we make. Sometimes it’s cheaper to do it ourselves; sometimes healthier; sometimes tastier; sometimes we do it just because. Some of the things we’ve been making/doing around here:Growing veggies
Starting some from seed (tomatoes and basil) rather than buying plants
Saving seeds year to year (so far mainly cilantro, basil, arugula & tomatoes; next year, hopefully more! I’d love to cut down on new seed purchases, though I do love to support heritage seed growers).
Sprouting (mainly alfalfa)
Baking bread
Granola
home-made tomato paste (at the end of last summer with extra tomatoes – lots of boiling)
Hummus
Salad dressing
Deodorant – and it works so much better than anything else I’ve ever purchased!
Facial scrub
Budget worksheet 🙂 – I do love creating systems!
I’m sure there will be more as we learn and develop as a family.
Though I love doing these, I sometimes really notice the work involved, especially with a baby around. I sometimes wonder why we bother. I sometimes feel tied up in the kitchen or house the whole day – the work can be endless. And though most of these are pretty quick to make, the cumulative effect can appear pretty quickly. But it’s wonderful to be able to create these simple things ourselves, in our own home; to be able to trust the quality of the products and know what goes into them; to have them here on hand instead of having to go out and get them; to save the cost of factory-made products. When I’m back at work some of these may be harder; we may have to trade money for time. I hope not, though. The quality of do-it-ourselves brings me a lot of satisfaction and makes our home a place I’d rather be.