Followers, meet Sarah. We've been friends since grade two, been through each other's highs and lows, are often mistaken for sisters, I call her mom 'Mom' and she's pretty darn cool. I asked her to write a guest post for me, about the last few months of her life and how sometimes things happen for a reason. Read on, folks, read on....
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It was early December of 2014 and I was sitting at my desk at work when, out of nowhere, lightning struck. I thought "Hmph! New Years Resolution: Save money, be an adult." I started thinking about how this goal could be obtained when I came to the same conclusion I've always come to: Do as much yourself as possible. I was brought up in a household where there was nothing my Dad couldn't fix and my mom baked (store-bought cookies were a rarity in my house growing up) and used to make all of our dresses for special occasions. My parents didn't have a lot of money but we never went without because my parents were resourceful and imaginative. I guess it's rubbed off on me. I've never been afraid to at least try to do things myself, but I didn't want to just take on a project. No, I wanted to make real changes to my lifestyle that were feasible in the long run and helped my proverbial bottom line.
I started brainstorming with my friend Tash (proprietress of this blog, amazingly enough!) about how this could be accomplished. First one the list: bread. I eat it, I like it, I had no intentions on ever giving it up. It costs so much when you compare it to homemade! And do you know what's in it? I don't. It's a rhetorical question. "The least you can do is try to take an everyday staple and determine what you're putting into it" was my train of thought. Now, I have made it from scratch, spent the day baby sitting it, and it's beautiful, but for a girl about town like myself (haha), I wanted to keep it simple. So yes, I use a bread machine. Don't judge me. I buy the most local ingredients possible and it makes my house smell divine. Although this was a NYR (New Years Resolution), I started before Christmas making my own bread so that it wouldn't be a huge shock to my system. I haven't looked back. I know what I'm eating, and I'm helping support some local businesses at the same time. There is a lot of debate about yeast and bread machine yeast. For the sake of perfection, and if time allows, by all means, nothing is quite as cathartic as making your own bread by hand, but if that isn't realistic, I'm going to go out on a limb and say using a machine to make your own bread is just fine. Progress, not perfection, daaahling.
On to the next thing. Paper. Towel. I love paper towel. I love feeling like a total grown up buying those huge packages at Costco. I'd go through one package a month, approximately. I swore by it. See, I have 3 dogs, there are messes sometimes. I thought there'd be no way I could go without My Precious. My mother told me to start using rags. I didn't want to put them in with my towels and clothing though. Grody. So I got a little trash can I put under the sink. When I've used a rag, I throw it in there. When it's time to wash them, they go in on their own, I wash em, reuse, wham bam thank you ma'am. For counter top messes and the like, I use cotton dish cloths knit by myself, or my mom, and I'm still working through the stash of freshly-knit dishcloths left by my grandmother when she passed. That'll be 20 dollars per month, please!
When it came to laundry, I spared no expense. It was Tide Pods and Fleecy all the way and my clothing smelled so pretty. I live on my own. I don't have children. You could say I was playing fast and loose with the laundry stuff. Well, there's a cheaper alternative. That's right folks, do some Googlin' and you'll quickly learn that you can make your own detergent that works just as well for a fraction of the price. Oh! And you actually know what you're putting into it. Fabric softener, you ask? I made dryer balls out of 100% local wool (check out Sarah's Page here!). They last for 2 - 3 years. The detergent and dryer balls combined, my clothing gets clean, and it doesn't smell like anything. With allergies and sensitivities, it's nice to know I'm not going to give someone an asthma attack because of what I use in my laundry.
These were some really tiny changes and it had little to no impact on anything other than my bank account and carbon footprint. It was around the end of January, things were going great, when I got taken down by a bad back. Ultimately, I had to have emergency spinal surgery. I found myself spending 6 weeks out of work. This is where it paid to be the type of person who knows how to amuse themselves. I decided I would spend my time trying to become a proficient loom knitter. I can say, without a doubt or exaggeration, there was never a moment when I was bored. I spent a lot of time knitting, which leaves a lot of mental energy and brain room for reflection. I spent a lot of time thinking about my life, how I live, how I want to live, the kind of lifestyle that really makes me happy. With a little help from my friends, I realized I wanted to work for myself. It felt like over the span of 6 weeks I went from financial analyst to girl who just wants to be a "fiber artist". I absolutely refuse to knock people who choose to work in the corporate world because everyone has a different set of priorities, circumstances, and motivators in life. For me, I realized I'd like to lead a more serene, peaceful existence where I make my own decisions and help make the world a happier or prettier place. My mother (who I'm forever grateful to for helping me through all of this) and I decided we wanted to sell our dryer balls. We got to work on the packaging (we make that ourselves too!). I have started selling my homemade detergent, and we've started selling zafus as well (traditional meditation cushions filled with buckwheat hulls we actually source locally). On top of that, my creative outlet has been my knitting. I plan to roll out a line of knitwear inspired by different things. I've decided I'll spend my summer flogging my wares at local farmers markets and the only word to describe my outlook is "positive". I know it's going to be great.
The tiny changes I made at the beginning of the year changed the way I thought. I started looking at things I wanted to buy and wondered, can I make that myself? Is there a better option environmentally and financially? It started with small, manageable changes. It's a constant work in progress. I'm far from leading a perfect life, but it's better! Remember it's all about progress, not perfection. Small changes, baby steps, will get you there. I promise.
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I hope you all take something special from Sarah's story. I hope it inspires you to follow your dreams and become who makes you happy. We all have a path to enlightenment. Everyone's destination is different, every soul is contented by something different than someone else's. Be the real you and be happy :)
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