My So-Called “Living Simply” Lifestyle

First of all, are you aware that there is a playlist on Songza called “Angela Chase’s So-Called Playlist”? Be still my heart. If we have anything in common you might enjoy it. Or music from Daria. Just a suggestion.

So, over the last year or so I’ve been trying to reduce the number of chemicals and processed stuff in my life. If I can make the ingredients in my life more simple, more real, then I love it all the more. Examples of my life changes:

• I make my own laundry detergent now. It’s surprisingly effective! I make in bulk and store in a five gallon bucket. I keep a smaller portion in a beer growler that I disperse to each laundry load. Making detergent is incredibly easy and it lasts forever. Try it yourself.
• Making granola bars. Recipe can be found here.
• Making my own bread. We’ve stopped buying bread. Making bread takes time but very little effort. I find it incredibly satisfying to make and I can try different recipes every week.
• Making my own deodorant– fail. It gave me a rash. I’ve been told to cut back on the baking soda and to use apple cider vinegar to prep my skin before applying. I’m going to try this in the future but I’m not up to at this point.
• I’m trying to make my own kombucha again. My Dr. Pepper consumption has greatly increased since my world has lacked kombucha.
• We’ve started a backyard garden plot. We’ve got potatoes, carrots, beets, spinach, and arugula seeds trying to grow right now!

All of it is a money saver but that’s not really what it’s all about.

• I want to be more local. It bothers me that my food and household goods come from all over the world. It’s not great for the environment. It’s not great for the local producers I’d like to support. The farmers market begins next weekend and I will be there will bells on.
• I watched a documentary about our use of plastic and its effect on the oceans. It was disturbing. I’m become overly aware of how much plastic there is in our lives. I want to limit it. I want to make things in bulk and try to eliminate all the throw-away plastic in my life.
• We brew our own beer! This is particularly fun because I do very little to create the beer. I’m mainly a taster.
• I just want to eliminate excess. Why do we have so much stuff? Then again, when you have to buy multiple items to make one thing it seems counterproductive.
• It’s really satisfying. I get a lot of pride out of making my own bread. I love snacking on my own granola bars. Watching our little seeds sprout is fun. I want to eat my own beets!

The down side? It’s time consuming. It doesn’t always come out the way I want. These national suppliers have really got their formulas worked out. For instance, my store bought deodorant does not give me a rash. But it cost me very little to try. So what’s the harm?

Are there things you do to live more simply?

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