Comments On Article: Life That Makes Sense

I must be fairly fortunate in that we don't need heating in winter - oh sure, the occasional switch on for a portable heater is there, but not necessary really.  In summer, we do use the air-con at night but use it on a tear-drop setting which uses little power and just removes the humidity - this is only in the bedroom when sleeping.  Until recent times, and I lived up in the tropics for most of my life, we didn't even own a fan much less having an air-conditioner.  We just got used to the heat and high humidity and lived with it!  Even now, we only use it when necessary, and have fans instead if we want them - we live in sub-tropical now.

Our garage door is manually operated so no power needed there and we only have basic electricity using items - no gas except for the BBQ which we don't often use these days.  I don't own a dryer, my washing machine is very efficient and situated outside under the deck and I rarely use the oven - or for that matter the iron.  Our power bill is in credit, and that's the way we like it - our local state  government gave each and every household $1000 toward power in the last year and we're still ahead with that.  We do have solar on the roof but no battery back-up, and although we have a small tank for water, most is off the town water supply - that is probably our biggest cost hence the reason we don't grow many vegetables these days plus our age at 80 and 81.  We still do everything ourselves though including mowing the yard and doing the housework.

GrDonna,

I think you explained it very well. I do not have solar but I do have 2 solar light bulbs, heat mainly with wood and have propane for furnace if needed and cookstove, I can cook on the woodstove and often do. 

Right now I am figuring how to cut back on everything because of the cost of propane. My family lives close and all have propane for heating but we still need to figure out electricity for running the furnaces and water pumps as we are all on wells. I do have a gas generator to run the pump if needed.  Storing fuel for it is another issue....

I have encouraged all to store water for flushing and bottled water for drinking. It is just so much to think about and consider. IF the worst happens, the whole family could come here and we could cook and stay warm via the woodstove. I have plenty of room.

I am trying to consider our family as community to take care of all of us if the time comes. It's hard but necessary to think about. 

We are sitting in the upper 70's and low 80's right now so thankful no AC or heat needed...basically coasting for a few days. 

I think living in a woods that solar would not be a big help for me, but I do use passive solar via sunroom windows. 

I don't use my dryer and use small electric appliances instead of the stove most of the time in warmer weather. With the price of propane I have found for me that the small appliances cost much less to use.

For me a big thing is it is so sad to think of others who are homeless or do not have the ability to cook for themselves because so many of the working poor (around here) are living in places with only hot plates or microwaves to cook with. 

Dear Donna,

Waving Hello from the UK.  I think this is the first time I've posted here on the forum despite being a reader here for a little while.  I just wanted to say that I appreciate your wisdom, knowledge and your enthusiasm in sharing this with your readers here on this blog. 

Thank you for the reminder today to 'make something make sense in your home.'  So often we can get caught up in the maelstrom around us, whether that be from challenging circumstances within our own sphere or those in our wider communities, or even worldwide and this isn't helpful, I often use the phrase 'stay in your own lane' to remind me to be focused.  As a result of your timely prompt I will organise my meal plan, batch cook food for days when I'm needing to be out of the home and remember to look after myself too with moments of rest and creativity.

Thank you for the update on baby Jacob - I will continue my prayers for the family.  I'm glad also to read that Charles is making good progress in his post op recovery.

Sandra x

Welcome Sandra H, I am happy to read that you have been reading the forum for awhile and have decided to post a comment.  I like the phrase," stay in your own lane",  this would help me to focus too.  :)  

Joyce C, Charles and I are adjusting our budget "again" for the cost of heating fuel,  We keep coco coir bricks , a coconut covering for composting toilet to use for emergency toilet.  We also keep extra water in buckets and extra to wet the coco coir.   Once we get the coco coir wet and fluffy it does not need anymore water. 

Pam, you are very fortunate to live in a climate to where you do not need cooling or heating. Heating and cooling is a very big expense here, even though we try to go as long as we can before using either.    

 We, also, have a whole house generator and love it. We had it installed when we moved into this house 12 years ago. We have three large upright freezers and three refrigerators that need to stay running. 

A whole house generator is an investment in the beginning, but pays for itself in just a few years. We knew, when we moved here, that we were getting older and needed a system that would take care of the house without constant effort on our part. Thus far, the large generator runs everything for the entire house. 

I am ready to go back in time.  Maybe not to 1942, but to the 1970s - 1980.  I want fewer options, less noise, more connection, better quality, lower expectations for aesthetics, and a less affluent society that didn’t expect us to hustle all of the time and have houses that looked like magazines.  I’m tired of the expectations that go higher and higher to the point that people don’t want to ask other people into their homes, whether that’s because they’re furnishings are “dated” (I hate that word), their homes dusty, or they feel like they have to cook restaurant worthy meals for guests.   I am so tired of all of the AI slop and search results being total junk now, webpages generated by AI.  I feel like we’re losing something human, not just jobs, but creativity and connection.  I cry at the thought of children having AI friends instead of human friends.  When I heard that Bill Gates said AI friends are beneficial for seniors I cried again, because I can’t believe it’s true and worry about the people who will think it means they can spend less time with the living generations who came before them, thinking their social needs are met by a computer voice through a speaker.

The only thing I can do is opt out.

I’m going to finish out the budget this year with the online software, but next year I am going to use paper and pencil.  I am making an old school address book.  I’m going to do my very best to go into shops when we need to purchase something.  I am using cookbooks rather than online recipes, or cooking what I already know how to make.  We will continue to make the trek to another state to see my mother-in-law, who doesn’t live alone but will still light up at seeing her son.

After a successful September my October has had more screen use than I want (but not social media or news), and I think a full year challenge is what I need to make permanent changes.  In my faith tradition the new year arrives with Advent, which is November 29th this year.  I am giving myself 6 weeks to prepare for a full year of minimal screens and internet (but will move the budget 1/1 as that’s how it works for taxes), a year of in-person connection which we are already doing really well with, a year of of media consisting of printed books, vinyl records, CD, DVDs and other owned physical media, no streaming services (except what my son chooses to pay for — no control there), in person shopping for clothes and shoes, using what I have, making things, continuing to cook and bake from scratch, making gifts, using less of everything — electricity (if needed with the solar), water, natural gas, etc.

It’s a perfect time for me to go back in time, as Advent is a time of contemplation, anticipation, and contemplation.  For me, Advent is a quiet season.  I have six weeks to plan how to go back in time and also to hopefully finish my holiday gift making so Advent doesn’t feel rushed or stressful.

I am very excited about the new water study. 

KImberley F -I am ready to go back in time.  Maybe not to 1942, but to the 1970s - 1980.  I want fewer options, less noise, more connection, better quality, lower expectations for aesthetics, and a less affluent society that didn’t expect us to hustle all of the time and have houses that looked like magazines.  I’m tired of the expectations that go higher and higher to the point that people don’t want to ask other people into their homes, whether that’s because they’re furnishings are “dated” (I hate that word), their homes dusty, or they feel like they have to cook restaurant worthy meals for guests.   I am so tired of all of the AI slop and search results being total junk now, webpages generated by AI.  I feel like we’re losing something human, not just jobs, but creativity and connection.  I cry at the thought of children having AI friends instead of human friends.  When I heard that Bill Gates said AI friends are beneficial for seniors I cried again, because I can’t believe it’s true and worry about the people who will think it means they can spend less time with the living generations who came before them, thinking their social needs are met by a computer voice through a speaker.

The only thing I can do is opt out.

I totally agree with you on this!

Kimberly, what you said!

I can't believe how many people are falling for and going along with all of the AI stuff.  My October has had more screen time that I would like and it is slowly going back down.

I have figured out that for myself reading and what I call keeping up is doing nothing more for me than bringing me down and making me sad and worried. I am going back to AM news and PM news only..... like I used to do and called it "the newspaper" while studying the 1940's. I need more peace and calm in my life as I seem to absorb all of it and then stew and worry. That is NOT what I want for my life, I want peace ,calm and joy.

Even though we have had unseasonable warmth here in northern Indiana, I have been thinking about and making soups. My beloved grandmother always said you can make anything into soup and I am starting to believe her. 

We finally got a bit of rain overnight and it seems to have washed the crop dust from the air. Very thankful for that as I was having to take 2 doses of allergy meds a day.  I couldn't hang laundry outside because it would become dirty from the crop dust, hanging it inside on racks instead.

Thank You GrDonna for this space to learn and exchange ideas.

Joyce C, We were 90°F yesterday and I still made our Friday soups and baked challah.  It’s one of my favorite traditions and I stick to it pretty much from the autumnal equinox through the summer solstice, only taking a break for the hottest months of summer, where I switch to a Friday main dish salad such as quinoa salad, pasta salad, etc.  Last night it was a vegan creamy tomato soup for my husband, and a cream of sweet potato soup for me (made with chicken broth).  I observe Friday meat abstinence unless it is a Solemnity, but thankfully broth is allowed.  We eat our soups again on Sunday, so that our day of rest is more restful.  Baking the traditional two loaves of challah means we have bread for both soup meals and for weekend sandwiches and toast.  Sometimes Fridays feel hard with the cooking and baking if I’ve had other things to do (or need to make chicken broth before making the soups), but it’s always worth it as soon as we sit down to eat on Friday evening, and then doubly so on Sunday evening, and each time we eat some of the delicious challah.  Challah is typically the only white flour bread I bake, which also helps make the weekend special.  I bake it Fridays in honor of my Jewish ancestors, but I learned more recently that the Jewish braiding of challah comes from living among Christians who were braiding their Sunday breads — I love how it all comes together!

I do think you can make anything into a soup!  As a newly married young woman, homemade soups mystified me as growing up soup only came from a can.  My husband was much better at making soup.  But I started asking questions and making observations, and realize I was severely under-salting the soups I made.  But back then I always followed recipes.  These days I tent to wing it.  My sweet potato soup last night was based on sweet potato chunks I had roasted for dinner the night before.  I sautéed 1/4 of an onion, added the cooked sweet potato chunks and chicken broth, simmered that for a bit to get the sweet potatoes really soft, puréed the soup, and add cream and seasonings.  I typically call this cream of any vegetable soup.  I forgot to add garlic to the onions and it was still delicious, and people who can eat celery should definitely add that.  If I’d planned the soup ahead I might have added a fennel bulb or rutabaga.

I realized a long time ago that most recipes I was following for legume soups all used the same formula: aromatics sautéed in fat, added water or broth and legumes, purée or not depending on the legume.  Broth based soups are similar, sauté aromatics, add broth, meat, vegetables, simmer.  I add greens to any non-puréed soup near the end of cooking.  Chowders have their own process but once you can make one chowder you can make any chowder — tuna cheddar chowder is a favorite of my husband and mine

Kimberly.

I have made Challah bread many times, so good. We like to make it into French toast.

I always have broth in the freezer because I "broth" everything LOL.  I made shrimp& corn soup/chowder and it is wonderful. Ate some, shared some and froze 6    1 cup servings in my silicone muffin pan. The 1 cup servings of just about anything are perfect for me.  

Temps have gone down considerably here in northern Indiana, crops around me have been mostly harvested and we got some rain to wash the crop dust from the air which is wonderful. By being careful with electricity last month and the AC being off quite a bit my bill went down about 25 dollars.  Still looking for more ways to reduce usage, but pleased with my efforts so far.

I did early voting for the first time ever after much reading and research. For some reason getting it done has lightened my frame of mind.......pulled out some 1940's reading and back to concentrating on it. 

I just wanted to jump in here and add that I found local farms to buy from directly on this website: localharvest.org    You just type in your town and it will give you a list of farms in the area and what they offer. Some offer only meat or eggs and dairy. Others vegetables and fruits or mushrooms. I've been using this website for many years and in different areas I've lived in. Hope this helps someone.

Thank you Tandi S for the link to farms. I will be checking this out too. 

we did fine in the storm.  Gate for our backyard was destroyed but it was on its last days of use anyway.  Donna, I remember several years back hubby and I were going down to Pensacola for the day just a couple days after a weak hurricane came through. We heard a radio talk show with people talking about the storm.  One caller was just ANGRY that local officials hadn’t told people be the storm that they should have food in their homes that they didn’t need to cook and they should have water on hand.  Ummmm……and went on to say she had lived there 30 years and no one has ever mentioned this before. Ummmm…..took the host several minutes of silence before he or maybe it was another caller, responded to tell her anyone living in hurricane country should have personally learned that the hard way years before.  And she should take personal responsibility and not try to blame others.  Gee.  If y’all have never heard of them before there are these marvelous little solar lanterns you can have on hand.  THey give a very nice comforting light for a whole room.  Once charged they keep their charge for quite a long time while in storage.  There are also small solar chargers that you can use to charge phones and iPads and solar rechargeable batteries.  I believe there is a farm over towards Headland that grows organic beef.  It is who owned by the lady who owns the quilt shop there.  They may only sell sides of beef. I’ve never asked.

My current project in rearranging the house is to simplify for our future.  With the health issues I’ve had these last three months I’ve realized 1. I may have to go long periods where I simply cannot be bending low to grab items.  And 2. I need to teach my husband more cooking.  He can cook several things. But we cook from scratch here and I’m not sure he understands cooking with ghee, coconut milk, and lower salt. I have freeze dried meats and veges for emergencies, but he needs to know how to cook those things.

And your feeling like something may be coming our way Donna:  Our son stayed with me for the week while David FINALLY was able to make the trip to CA to visit his 102 year old mother.  Son works with computers all day keeping communication systems around the world talking to each other.  Not to add to your bugaboos but he, out of the blue, said to me one day that he is VERY convinced that our biggest worry about AI is that IT WILL start a world war.  He went on to explain to me the concerns about how it is already out of control, why, and why this desperately needs to be brought under control SOON.  Honey.  That is one concern that I had never given thought.  Now there’s a reason to be prepared for emergencies and to have local sources for food.

I’ve been reviewing the annual budget today, and so far we are doing very well in almost every category, with anticipated carryovers into 2027.  We missed the target on our eating out budget — averaging $50 per month ($600 for year) wasn’t doable.  I knew it was low but was only thinking of my husband and I, and for that it was fine, but we also bought takeout Mexican food about once a month when our youngest would visit spontaneously (or to encourage the visit — iykyk).  I don’t begrudge it in the slightest but will have to adjust for 2027.

Groceries are the other area that we could go over in, although I think major discipline and food creativity for the rest of the year will keep up under budget.  I’m determined to stay under the budget I set (which includes cleaners, toiletries, household paper items, etc.)!  There have been changes in what family members eat over the year (more fish) and food prices have risen.  Having access to warehouse stores and being able to buy in bulk is probably what has helped our budget the most this year, along with scratch cooking and baking.  Using frozen vegetables for some meals has also helped.  The guys still eat big green salads several nights a week.

I’m doing inventory of our freezers and pantry and coming up with ideas.  For example, we are almost out of pasta sauce but have 2 large #10 cans of pizza sauce, so I will figure out how to use those for pasta sauce, probably making a big batch and then freezing it in the amounts we use.  We’re almost out of dried pasta but have packet pasta leftover from road trips so we’ll use those.  We have 30 veggie burger patties and we rarely make burgers, so I put a couple of burger nights into the meal plans (planned through the end of the year) and will also break them apart and use them as ground “beef” in tacos, casseroles, and pasta sauce, where I would usually use plain TVP.  Getting back to making soymilk will save $40 -$50 per month.  I’ve been baking all of our bread and also making yogurt.  I usually make split pea soup for Halloween weekend but we are low on split peas so I’ll do a mixed bean soup with all of the kinds of beans I do have.

How are others doing with their food budgets?  Do you take stock and make changes toward the end of the year to stay within budget