Our Daily Bread

Another “anyone who knows me knows” post – anyone who knows me knows that I’m an anti-green person. Basically, I think that the green movement is just the fad of the times and I’m resistant to it. I’m not going to pay someone extra for recycling services, and I’m not going to pay more to avoid certain ingredients in paints or cleaning supplies, etc., and I’m not always going to use a reusable shopping bag because sometimes we need to have some plastic bags from Wal-Mart around the house. I’m also not going to use a clothesline and avoid using my dryer, because I don’t like how clothes dried on a line make my clothes feel crispy, and my neighbors really don’t want or need to see our underwear.
That being said, I told Robert the other day that we needed a new name for some of the changes we’re making in our lives, because I refuse to be “green.” His answer – Self-Sufficiency.
I like it. We’re all about personal responsibility and not blaming the government for our woes or giving it undeserved credit for our blessings. We’re on board with Dave Ramsey and the “I’m not participating in the recession,” movement, and since Dave’s method of money managing is “God’s and grandma’s way,” it seemed we could take that school of thought and apply it to other areas in our lives.
Here are some of the things we’ve started doing: 1) Making our own laundry detergent and using vinegar as fabric softener. Not because I give a rip about it being “environmentally friendly”, but because it’s really easy and it’s extremely inexpensive.

2) Planning the garden to grow some of our own food. At this point, we’re thinking lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, and some herbs. I’m sure that plan will fluctuate as I read and learn more about gardening.

3) We’re planning on getting a couple of rain barrels to help water said garden. Again, because rain is free.
4) Robert’s a big proponent of doing what we can to “get off the grid” as much as possible and is learning a lot about alternate energies such as passive solar and wind energy. I laugh a little when I see people building energy efficient homes now, because they’re building with first generation technology. It’s only going to get better and cheaper, and there’s already some things in research and development that will be available in a few years that we can retrofit on our current house to greatly reduce or eliminate our energy costs. We’d talked about buying land and building, but at this point in our lives, we’re wondering when is enough enough? We have a very nice home that will be fully paid for in a few years, and unless the neighborhood completely goes downhill, I really don’t want to move. I think it’s a good thing to be content. Besides, I really don’t want to raise sheep or alpacas, or even chickens or goats, and I don’t want to worry about having to have a tractor or hire someone to brush hog land.
The last thing we’ve started doing is another fad, but it makes sense. We’re baking our own bread. Again, it’s partly about self-sufficiency and partly about being cheap. I’m definitely not a Martha Stewart/Susie Homemaker kind of girl, but I do like not being dependent on others. Besides, why would I pay $6-8 for a loaf of Asiago cheese bread from Panera when I can make it myself?



I think if my grandma were alive today, she’d agree.

“Give us this day our daily bread . . .” Matthew 6:11