Up until now: A history of sorts

I also enjoy drinking.

I guess this being my first official blog I should start by giving a sort of brief history. Last year our family began a journey to a more fulfilling and joyful life. It started out small and like most big ideas, snowballed and continues to do so in the most amazing ways. Initially we set out to pay off some credit card debt, live more frugally, and live a more environmentally friendly life. Along the way we are learning amazing things about ourselves. I'll give a brief rundown of the changes we've made so far.

-No new things! I was spending ridiculous amounts of money at Target every week, pretty much out of boredom. We don't need anything, and if and when we do, buying second hand is fine.

-Being more thoughtful about the resources we use. Water, electricity, fossil fuel. Being aware that these things are limited and treating them as such.

-No more throw aways! This has to be one of my favorites because it was so easy to adapt to. We do not use any throw away paper products. No napkins, paper towels, or toilet paper. No single use items. No excessive packaging. I know, you're probably curious about the toilet paper thing. Most people are. I'll explain a bit later.

-Local food. We buy most of our food from local farms. The only things I buy from the grocery are dry goods that I have yet to learn to produce on my own.

-Self reliance. This year I have learned to make bread. I have learned to make yogurt, ketchup, mustard, mayonaise. I have learned how to can tomatoes, jams and pickles. I have made crackers, granola bars, and anything else that would be traditionally purchased at the store for snacking purposes. We are working on our organic vegetable garden. We harvest our rainwater to water our garden. We are learning to save seeds and learning about food storage.

-We got rid of our TV. This was so hard for me at first. I LOVE tv! We still have a small one in the bedroom for family movie nights, but it is no longer the centerpiece to our family area. That one has made a huge difference. I have read more in this last year than I had in the ten years leading up to it! We play games together and discuss things with each other. It's amazing!

  I'm sure there's more that I'm forgetting, but I don't want this post to be forever long. I just want a starting off point to share what's to come. I think we've come a long way, and have a long way to go, but I feel awake and alive now like I haven't before. I feel a greater sense of purpose.