Amongst other things in my aim to be as self-sufficient as possible:
Saving For Solar
Once we have A and V items paid off (which we will hopefully have done by August this year), apart from putting extra into the mortgage, I want to save for solar...
I know it will pay itself back over the years, besides it being just GOOD eco-sense to do, especially here in sunny Aus. So that's my plan.
HG Fruit and Vege
Home grown fruit and veg... I must admit tho our local grocer is very good, both in what's offered and price, usually at market prices. However, the fuel saved and money saved will still be worthwhile, not to mention how much growing your own f&v (replacing non-food plants) can help save in terms of carbon.
So I have seeds here and am hoping to add to the fruit tree collection... I have a spot all sussed and everything. We had our first worm juice the other day - two ice cream containers full so that's good and the bottom of the compost should be nearly ready to use...
Sharing Produce & Building Community
one of the books I was leant was 'from Lawn to Lunch' (will find out author) and it started something along the lines that the guy established in his cul-de-sac street, a herb/vege garden instead of lawn on his verge... he thought it would be great to have the whole cul-de-sac do it but didn't get a great response initially... so he just did it anyway, made a difference in his own patch. Soon enough, people would ask could they pick this or that, and how did he grow this and long story short but most (all?) of his neighbours did the same, and there was enough that they could swap with others, for what they weren't growing themselves...
THIS is my goal but I know in our street it's FAT CHANCE! So I am networking with people who are keen, my lovely neighbours down the road, families from school (easy place we already go to to meet and swap our produce) and on an informal basis - so no weighing and measuring just 'here I have extra of this would you like some'...
The thing is, it's really true what Eilleen said in her Consumption Rebellion... that the more you try and do things locally, non-consumer style, and NOT buy brand new all the time, the more people you talk to, and form some link with - and this brings not just the benefits of good community itself, but things you never really anticipated, like advice (thanks R&K for the advice on the termites! (more on that later)
Anyway, so that's about it on this front - and I've been doing stuff for a while but I really want to kick it up a gear - save more, spend less where it's not needed, and really go by the
'don't live poor, live smart' motto.
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