Live with less
Jun. 11th, 2009 05:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
norsegirlWas watching Oprah today (yes, I know, shitty television, but every once in a while she has a show worth watching) and the theme was living with less. She took two families and a couple of individuals and sent them some sets of rules to follow for a week to see if they could live with less waste.
Here were some of the waste sins that the families were committing:
- lots of take-out, one woman admitted to dining out 4 nights a week
- making separate meals for each member of the family to appease picky eaters
- never eating leftovers and throwing out all kinds of food
- keeping the thermostat too high (I'm guessing this was a winter show)
- having lights and fans on in rooms no one was in
- drinking bottled water
- too much reliance on technology for entertainment (TV, ipods, cell phones, video games etc.)
The rules for the challenge:
1. no eating out or take-out, all leftovers must be eaten, not trashed
2. no bottled water
3. no disposable plates, cups or napkins
4. Only 1 hour of TV per night. Computer only to be used for homework. No ipods or video games.
5. Thermostat set at 69 degrees (I'm assuming maybe set it to 75 for summer? That's 3 degrees the other way from the standard "room temp" of 72)
6. Only wash clothes that are actually dirty
7. turn off lights and fans in unoccupied rooms. Unplug all appliances and chargers not actively in use.
8. 8 min max showers (that's the limit on her website, not the limit suggested for the people on the show, they were restricted to 5)
9. no purchasing of anything other than food for the week
It got me thinking about my own lifestyle and which of these things would be challenging for me.
1. We do waste a fair amount of food. Veggies and fruits often go bad before they are eaten. Occasionally my husband wastes lunch meat (I can't even eat it so don't look at me). Take-out leftovers never go bad though. That's easy convenience food and always gets eaten. I'm not sure if the solution is to buy less perishables or try to eat more fruit and veg. I also know I'd miss our once-a-week or so dinners out (sometimes twice, I'll admit to that). It's one of the few times I get out of the house and we spend time together. I'm not sure if I want to tackle this or not.
2. I tend not to go for bottled water except when I go to SCA events where the water isn't potable anyway.
3. Do people seriously use this stuff at home?!?!? I can't think of the last time I bought any, and there is none in my house right now. I don't even use this when camping!
4. Not sure I could adhere to this one. I have to admit that the TV is pretty much always on. Being alone all day the house is really disturbingly quiet without it. As for the computer, I am aware that it's a bit of an addiction and I know I could get a lot more done if I turned it off, but I'm not entirely sure I can. Or rather I'm sure I could, I can do anything I set my mind to, I just don't want to. To try this or not?
5. We did have it set to 80, but the pregnancy is starting to take over and I can't sleep if it's above 75 now. Let's try 80 during the day and 75 at night. That's an okay compromise.
6. What defines actually dirty? Does stinky count or does it have to be visible dirt? With all the housecleaning, gardening and stuff I've been doing most of my stuff has been DIRTY (like I've been stripping just inside the door so I'm not wearing it through the house shedding yuck everywhere), but Jason's desk job means his is not really. That and I've taken to re-wearing stuff because my wardrobe is painfully limited right now and it's not like I leave the house most days anyway. My laundry has decreased significantly in the last little bit, but his has stayed pretty constant.
I've always believed that you can get away with wearing pants 3 or maybe 4 days running, bras I usually give 2 or 3 (unless I get really sweaty for some reason), undies STRICTLY one, and shirts are one (if I'm actually going out in the world) dresses also usually just one, depending on how long I wear them, like if I just put it on to go to dinner it's got another wear or two in it, but all day means just one. What do you guys think is "dirty"?
7. Who are these people who leave lights on in rooms they aren't in? My lights only come on at sundown and only in the one room I'm in. In Edmonton I would run fans in rooms I wasn't in because that was our AC. After dark you had to throw open all the windows and get some air circulating to try to get the place as cool as possible before you sealed it up the next morning. Fans blowing inward on one side of the house and outward on the other. Now that we have AC, fan is only on over our bed when I'm sleeping. When I'm not pregnant we can probably stop that too. The unplugging appliances thing is a bit beyond me though. Uuuugh, to having to crawl around behind furniture to plug and unplug stuff. I don't think I could ever bring myself to do that. Especially not now being all awkward and pregnant. Do you unplug things that aren't in use? Maybe I'll compromise by unplugging things like the lamps in the guest room and some of the small appliances in the kitchen. I'm not going to clamber around behind cabinets unplugging the TV and computers though.
8. This is a major sin of mine, and with the hair brushing in the shower I'm not sure I could cut it down any further. I should time my showers the next few days and see how bad I really am, just out of curiosity. They didn't mention not running the water while you brush your teeth. This used to be a sin of Jason's. Drove me nuts.
9. This is attracting me a lot. I know I've been spending too much lately. And with no raises coming this year and me unable to get a job we really should rein it in. I have to say, it's tricky when every week yet more shit in my closet doesn't fit, and there's still the matter of needing a few things for the baby (at the very least the crib and the reusable diapers, and I'm going to need some kind of nursing pads so I'm not leaking on everything I own). I'm disinclined to just try it for a week and more inclined to try to make a list of the stuff I might need in the next little while and am therefore allowed to buy and try to buy nothing else and keep it up for as long as possible and see how I can do.
Anyone want to discuss the challenge? Maybe try joining me on one or more of the rules?
Here were some of the waste sins that the families were committing:
- lots of take-out, one woman admitted to dining out 4 nights a week
- making separate meals for each member of the family to appease picky eaters
- never eating leftovers and throwing out all kinds of food
- keeping the thermostat too high (I'm guessing this was a winter show)
- having lights and fans on in rooms no one was in
- drinking bottled water
- too much reliance on technology for entertainment (TV, ipods, cell phones, video games etc.)
The rules for the challenge:
1. no eating out or take-out, all leftovers must be eaten, not trashed
2. no bottled water
3. no disposable plates, cups or napkins
4. Only 1 hour of TV per night. Computer only to be used for homework. No ipods or video games.
5. Thermostat set at 69 degrees (I'm assuming maybe set it to 75 for summer? That's 3 degrees the other way from the standard "room temp" of 72)
6. Only wash clothes that are actually dirty
7. turn off lights and fans in unoccupied rooms. Unplug all appliances and chargers not actively in use.
8. 8 min max showers (that's the limit on her website, not the limit suggested for the people on the show, they were restricted to 5)
9. no purchasing of anything other than food for the week
It got me thinking about my own lifestyle and which of these things would be challenging for me.
1. We do waste a fair amount of food. Veggies and fruits often go bad before they are eaten. Occasionally my husband wastes lunch meat (I can't even eat it so don't look at me). Take-out leftovers never go bad though. That's easy convenience food and always gets eaten. I'm not sure if the solution is to buy less perishables or try to eat more fruit and veg. I also know I'd miss our once-a-week or so dinners out (sometimes twice, I'll admit to that). It's one of the few times I get out of the house and we spend time together. I'm not sure if I want to tackle this or not.
2. I tend not to go for bottled water except when I go to SCA events where the water isn't potable anyway.
3. Do people seriously use this stuff at home?!?!? I can't think of the last time I bought any, and there is none in my house right now. I don't even use this when camping!
4. Not sure I could adhere to this one. I have to admit that the TV is pretty much always on. Being alone all day the house is really disturbingly quiet without it. As for the computer, I am aware that it's a bit of an addiction and I know I could get a lot more done if I turned it off, but I'm not entirely sure I can. Or rather I'm sure I could, I can do anything I set my mind to, I just don't want to. To try this or not?
5. We did have it set to 80, but the pregnancy is starting to take over and I can't sleep if it's above 75 now. Let's try 80 during the day and 75 at night. That's an okay compromise.
6. What defines actually dirty? Does stinky count or does it have to be visible dirt? With all the housecleaning, gardening and stuff I've been doing most of my stuff has been DIRTY (like I've been stripping just inside the door so I'm not wearing it through the house shedding yuck everywhere), but Jason's desk job means his is not really. That and I've taken to re-wearing stuff because my wardrobe is painfully limited right now and it's not like I leave the house most days anyway. My laundry has decreased significantly in the last little bit, but his has stayed pretty constant.
I've always believed that you can get away with wearing pants 3 or maybe 4 days running, bras I usually give 2 or 3 (unless I get really sweaty for some reason), undies STRICTLY one, and shirts are one (if I'm actually going out in the world) dresses also usually just one, depending on how long I wear them, like if I just put it on to go to dinner it's got another wear or two in it, but all day means just one. What do you guys think is "dirty"?
7. Who are these people who leave lights on in rooms they aren't in? My lights only come on at sundown and only in the one room I'm in. In Edmonton I would run fans in rooms I wasn't in because that was our AC. After dark you had to throw open all the windows and get some air circulating to try to get the place as cool as possible before you sealed it up the next morning. Fans blowing inward on one side of the house and outward on the other. Now that we have AC, fan is only on over our bed when I'm sleeping. When I'm not pregnant we can probably stop that too. The unplugging appliances thing is a bit beyond me though. Uuuugh, to having to crawl around behind furniture to plug and unplug stuff. I don't think I could ever bring myself to do that. Especially not now being all awkward and pregnant. Do you unplug things that aren't in use? Maybe I'll compromise by unplugging things like the lamps in the guest room and some of the small appliances in the kitchen. I'm not going to clamber around behind cabinets unplugging the TV and computers though.
8. This is a major sin of mine, and with the hair brushing in the shower I'm not sure I could cut it down any further. I should time my showers the next few days and see how bad I really am, just out of curiosity. They didn't mention not running the water while you brush your teeth. This used to be a sin of Jason's. Drove me nuts.
9. This is attracting me a lot. I know I've been spending too much lately. And with no raises coming this year and me unable to get a job we really should rein it in. I have to say, it's tricky when every week yet more shit in my closet doesn't fit, and there's still the matter of needing a few things for the baby (at the very least the crib and the reusable diapers, and I'm going to need some kind of nursing pads so I'm not leaking on everything I own). I'm disinclined to just try it for a week and more inclined to try to make a list of the stuff I might need in the next little while and am therefore allowed to buy and try to buy nothing else and keep it up for as long as possible and see how I can do.
Anyone want to discuss the challenge? Maybe try joining me on one or more of the rules?
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no subject
Date: 2009-06-11 11:46 pm (UTC)Ok, so that's not really about ecoliving, but since they're non-disposable (last about 2mos) it counts.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-11 11:55 pm (UTC)Anyone want to discuss the challenge?
Date: 2009-06-12 12:22 am (UTC)1. I also have trouble with fruit/vegetables going back before entire eaten. This is especially true of lettuce and bananas. Of course, you can't buy 1/2 a head of lettuce, so I think a small amount of waste is acceptable, as long as you *trying* to use everything. Moreso, if you use a composter.
2. We only buy it on road trips when we've run out of what we've brought. We do use refillable water cooler bottles to buy drinking water, mostly because Waterloo water is so hard that we need a water softener to avoid ruining clothes and dishes by washing in it and softened water tastes ... odd (Jay would say "awful").
3. Don't get me started! We have some on hand from a BBQ last summer, but they didn't get used at all over the winter. However, when B&A were living with us she would use paper plates and paper napkins (instead of plates) ALL THE TIME rather than wash dishes. It drove me nuts. The amount of garage we had every week went up almost three-fold.
4. I don't think I could do that either. Of course, if you let me average over, say two weeks, I might be able to, factoring in the days I watch no TV at all.
5. Cooler at night is always better. Saves money in both seasons.
6. My rule is that if it has touched my skin, it's once and it's dirty. However, I'll wear pants/jeans 3 or 4 times before washing unless I spill something on them. Sweaters worn over shirts and skirts worn over tights are likewise worn several times before cleaning. Jay had the bad habit when we first married of throwing what were in my opinion not-dirty-yet sweaters in the wash every day, until I pointed out to him that washing that frequently without need just wore them out faster.
I agree with you about a dress that has only been worn for an hour or two (most frequently in my case on Sunday morning). I'll take it off as soon as I get home and hang it up to air as well as inspecting to see if it needs to be washed yet.
7. Maybe it's an Ontario thing, but I've been trained since childhood to turn out lights when I leave the room. I guess not everyone has been as well trained as us!
As for the unplugging appliances, my in-laws do that. Nan has extension cords strategically places for certain items. I've read about the "vampire" effect - that some appliances draw power even when off, so I see the logic, but I think it could be taken to the extreme. Perhaps in this family's case however, it was an exercise to get them to really see how much electronic stuff they were using.
8. I got a "soap up saver" so I can turn the water off at the shower-head (without having to re-adjust the temperature when I turn it back) on. This gives me time to take the shower I need (and do the in-shower grooming things I need) without having the water running the entire time. It's a great device.
9. I prefer the approach on "Til Debt Do Us Part" where she give the couple a series of jars and have them work on a cash economy for a week. X amount for groceries. X amount for entertainment. X amount for ... It really forces one to look at how much you are spending and on what. Couple that with the "zen" approach to house-keeping (that another friend wrote about this week): nothing come in that you don't have place to put (and no, the kitchen table doesn't count!).
Of course, "buy nothing but food" could be another exercise, and not meant to be a long term living arrangement.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-12 12:10 pm (UTC)I totally agree about #4- I find it just helps make my place less lonely, though I try to turn it off if I'm not going to be in the living room area for more than a couple of minutes.
I'm about the same for #6, though shirts it depends on how active I've been during the day- sometimes the item just needs to be aired out if I've been at a desk all day and not doing much.
In no particular order....
Date: 2009-06-12 01:23 pm (UTC)I try very hard not to overwash my clothes. Frequent washing shortens the life of favorite garments and is a big power drain. Personally, because of my low body temperature, I sweat very little, so I can often wear garments a couple of times before washing. I wear a lot of synthetics to stay warm and that helps. They are less absorbent and so keep fresh longer than natural fibers. Dark pants and jeans can be worn for several days and tops can be refreshed in the dryer unless they get stained. Undies get changed every day, but I find if I use antiperspirant under my breasts each day, bras will also last for a couple of days.
When I do wash clothing, I always wait for a full load and I use water as cold as I can to save energy. Running the machine at non peak hours is easy for me because of my odd schedule. Every little bit helps.
As for air conditioning, I usually turn it off in the day (I don't need it) and turn it on again before Menken gets home. I prefer to be hot!
I will not give up my long hot showers, but I don't necessarily have one every day. A sponge bath in the morning is often enough. Frequent bathing robs my skin of its natural oils and I find I don't need lotions when I bathe every second day.