Simple Living

"For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you." 2 Corinthians 1:12

For a while now I have been making our lives as simple as possible.   Why be complicated when things can be easy?  Now, please don't mistake this for obsessiveness, because it can easily turn in that direction!!

Here are a few of the things we have changed or decided to do in our home. Look for more posts in the future about our 'simple life'! :)

Gardening- We planted a garden this year.  It yielded soooo much!  I can't believe we haven't been doing this longer.  I was able to make enough  breads and other frozen items to use later that I swear, we will have bread until the second coming...or at least until I am ready to make more next summer!  I didn't have to buy hardly anything at the store this year, and next  year Matt promises it will be an even bigger garden (Yikes!).

Making my own baby food- since our garden yielded plenty, I am off to a good start and believe it or not (yes, some of you guys think I am crazy) it was SUPER easy!  On top of that, it saves money and I know exactly what is in the food, since we garden pesticide-free.  I will post about our baby food making adventures one of these days!

Glass baby bottles- I started out thinking it would be nice to be 'retro.'  But, after further research and though, plus a long discussion with Matt we decided that glass was the way to go.  They are very inexpensive, not made of plastic, and can be recycled when the day comes that they will no longer be needed (shedding a tear or two).

Couponing- Now some may say that this complicates, rather than simplifies my life, but I disagree.  It makes me feel awesome about the 5 minutes I spent clipping and printing, when I walk through the easy check out (see next post) and saved my family $31.00 (all items we actually use).  So, to me 5 minutes= $31.00......you decide if it is worth it for your family or not. :)

Easy Scan Checkout- Now I realize not every grocery has these, but if your grocery does, TAKE ADVANTAGE!!  All they require is a bonus card.  You pick up this handy, dandy hand scanner to take a long with you while you shop.  You find something you want, scan it, toss it in your bag (or in my case, put it in the bag organized by type of packaging or food--yes yes, I know I know...) and the lovely little scanner keeps track of your purchase total.  PERFECT for easy checkout (hence the name) and the budget friendly shopper.  I always go to the store with our bi-weekly budget and this little gadget adds it up, so I know exactly what it will be when I get to the checkout machine- PERFECT!

Cleaning with Vinegar- I long ago ditched the Swiffer for my sweet fur-children's safety, but I have now decided that I am ditching just about every cleaner known to (wo)man.  I don't see the necessity in using cleaners (not any easier since you are STILL wiping away the grime...now if someone invents a safe household product that wipes for me, all the better!).  I also have found that vinegar cleans better than some household cleaners that are 3 times as costly.  Now, don't get me wrong, on occasion I do miss the Clorox wipes, but only briefly, when I remember how much safer my home is becoming. :)

Baking- Again, some might disagree with my thoughts, but hear me out.  I have loved to bake and cook since I was young- always trying random new things, well, since diving back into this over the past year (its so much easier when you don't work in retail) I have found it to be very therapeutic, and rewarding (often judged by how much my husband likes the dessert-- i.e. how quickly he gobbles it up).  Plus, again it is a lot cheaper than buying a generic cake at the store and it sits all week because Matt doesn't like them too much.

Making our own Laundry Detergent- So, I have found this to be quite interesting, and with all the positive feedback from friends, I am delving into the world of detergent.  I have always wondered what chemicals are in our detergent (sure it smells good...but what's in it???) and now I can add the cost-effective side of it all!!  I will definitely blog about this one once it all said and done!  Prior to posting this post, I have already created my own fabric softener and I am happy to announce that it works GREAT!  :)  Hopefully the detergent will too!

This is all I am putting on this blog, look for more things we are doing around our house to be more simplistic, as well as the funny tales we can tell about the ones that don't work so well!  ;)

Be Blessed!