~ firefly-dreaming a virtual home to learn (or teach!) alternative methods of solving problems we find facing us each day. By sharing ideas & knowledge on living with less stress, more joy & embracing tolerance & compassion we are working towards building a sustainable future for all living beings.
(welcome ALifeLessFrightening! - promoted by RiaD)
Maybe I'm unusual, but I actually find the chore of doing laundry personally satisfying. I find it oddly relaxing; perhaps it appeals to that long-lost time in my life when I used to have time for clean, neat, and orderly. But...I ran out of laundry soap the other day. I often make my own, but one bottle of store-bought detergent bought for convenience turned into another, and then another, 'till a few days ago I decided that when my current bottle ran out I would just simply not allow myself to buy another. And thus, I took my love of nice, orderly laundry hostage. "Either make that batch of laundry detergent," I bargained with myself, "or watch the clothesline site empty for the next several sunny days."
The lonely clothesline will win. I'm making the detergent today.
So why am I taking up valuable space on the internets with talk of something so mundane as laundry? Because unfortunately, laundry can be an incredibly wasteful chore in terms of energy and dollars spent. We wash load after load in warm or hot water, in petrochemical-based suds shipped from god-knows-where, then toss them into that most inefficient beast of household appliances--the dryer--to finish the deed. Fortunately, this also means there is quite a bit of room for improvement. Yes, most of the following is common sense, but if you're like me (see aforementioned discussion regarding my own laundry soap-making slacking), you need the occasional reminder and/or kick in the pants to do something about it. So follow me below the fold for tips (and recipes!) to shave kWhs off your energy usage and save big-time dollars.
The theory behind it is that humans have a great capacity to adapt to changing circumstances, so that over time even the most dramatic life-changing events have little impact on our overall happiness. This is true whether the event is positive or negative--both of people who have suffered devastating injuries and of lottery winners. Although the immediate impact of these events is huge, it moderates over time, so that several years later, the lottery winners are only slightly happier than average and the injured people are only slightly less happy.
As we approach our first blogoversary I thought it might be fun to look back at some of our first year posts that exemplify our firefly dreaming spirit and mission. Original post with comments can be found here: Need v. Want by dancingtrees
Maslow's Hierachy of Needs
Where to begin?
Frugal living is an artform, if approached the right way. By doing without, you can begin to glimpse within.
So many people in america have forgotten what it means. We all get caught in the hype of the next new thing, "oh- I HAVE to have THAT! It will make my life so much easier!! How did I ever live without it?!" While this is true for a very few things(running water, toilets, etc.), most of what we buy as essentials really aren't.
But of course we are bombarded by advertisement constantly and from all sides. It is hard to go through even one day without thinking 'I wish I had ___.' And the stores make it easy. You go to Wal-mart (or whatever store you care to name) to buy one thing and end up at home with several bags of things you just HAD to have.
This, in itself. is not really the root of the problem, just a side branch. I think the trouble lies more in our definitions of want and need. Too often a thing will seem like a 'need', when it is no more than a fleeting 'want'. The trick is knowing the difference BEFORE buying.
So how do we do this? I found inspiration in a book called The encyclopedia of country living by carla emory. She suggests making a list, needs and wants, side by side. Any time you think of something, you put it on the list, then wait for a week (I think she waits a month, ...) If you still feel like it is a need after this long, then it might be and you should go get it, but if you have not really been hurt by its absence, it should probably go to the want side. Then, after moving it to the want side, wait another week, to see if you really want it, or if it was a passing fancy.
I have to be honest... I have not physically written such a list, but I do use this constantly in my head, like a mental want/need list. I find that most things I want one day have been completely forgotten about in a week, while the few things that I need I think about every day. (Damn! We need more laundry powder!!)
And no, my house does not look remotely like the ones in Better Homes and Gardens, my dishes dont match, and my clothes are faded, but I am happy, I appreciate very much the things I DO have, and do not live in debt.
I will end this for now, although I could write disjointedly for hours more on the subject. Please give your ideas, how do you decide between needs and wants?
(a toolkit on how to begin a recycled, alternate, parallel economy.
- promoted by RiaD)
This is a crosspost from Daily Kos, an essay about how I work as an indie selling stuff on the Net.. I got a lot of helpful response there, so I'm adding some selected comments to the bottom of the essay.
(Food for thought, thank you dancingtree! - promoted by Kathleen)
Maslow's Hierachy of Needs
Where to begin?
Frugal living is an artform, if approached the right way. By doing without, you can begin to glimpse within.
So many people in america have forgotten what it means. We all get caught in the hype of the next new thing, "oh- I HAVE to have THAT! It will make my life so much easier!! How did I ever live without it?!" While this is true for a very few things(running water, toilets, etc.), most of what we buy as essentials really aren't.
But of course we are bombarded by advertisement constantly and from all sides. It is hard to go through even one day without thinking 'I wish I had ___.' And the stores make it easy. You go to Wal-mart (or whatever store you care to name) to buy one thing and end up at home with several bags of things you just HAD to have.
This, in itself. is not really the root of the problem, just a side branch. I think the trouble lies more in our definitions of want and need. Too often a thing will seem like a 'need', when it is no more than a fleeting 'want'. The trick is knowing the difference BEFORE buying.
So how do we do this? I found inspiration in a book called The encyclopedia of country living by carla emory. She suggests making a list, needs and wants, side by side. Any time you think of something, you put it on the list, then wait for a week (I think she waits a month, ...) If you still feel like it is a need after this long, then it might be and you should go get it, but if you have not really been hurt by its absence, it should probably go to the want side. Then, after moving it to the want side, wait another week, to see if you really want it, or if it was a passing fancy.
I have to be honest... I have not physically written such a list, but I do use this constantly in my head, like a mental want/need list. I find that most things I want one day have been completely forgotten about in a week, while the few things that I need I think about every day. (Damn! We need more laundry powder!!)
And no, my house does not look remotely like the ones in Better Homes and Gardens, my dishes dont match, and my clothes are faded, but I am happy, I appreciate very much the things I DO have, and do not live in debt.
I will end this for now, although I could write disjointedly for hours more on the subject. Please give your ideas, how do you decide between needs and wants?
