The History Studies that Charles and I have done have taught us many things and I want to share this very important part of what we have learned and what we are trying to do now to put us in a better position to be able to live more like the past.
To live like the past we have to undo many things. It is not easy to live more like the past coming from a excessive modern time that we live.
It costs nothing to sit on that bench shown above and enjoy a beautiful day and watch and study nature. That bench was a iron frame that someone threw out to the curb for the trash truck to pick up. It did not have a seat so Charles picked it up and put a seat in this lovely iron bench.
Another thing we often overlook that is free.
Using a clothes dryer costs a lot to run. It costs nothing for the sun and the wind to dry our clothes.
If we create a nature friendly garden around our home the pollinators will come to us. We need beneficial insects.
We do our best to create a safe non toxic habitat for wildlife. There is a dove in the center of this picture just above the top of the chair.
Mr. Cardinal
Mrs. Cardinal
The old metal bird feeder made from a old barn tile.
I have been planting in the garden. Gardening does require some money but if we study and learn we find we can make our own compost, we can save our own seeds and we can reduce the cost of gardening. We save rain water to water our garden when it is not raining. If we keep it simple and do not use expensive chemicals not only are we saving money from what we do not purchase anymore it is better for us too.
Charles has been busy adding on to our outdoor bathhouse and laundry room. He cut out a doorway from the bathhouse and we are making an outdoor kitchen area to cook with wood and this will not only help us during power outages, anytime we want to cook without it costing us to cook, we can cook with wood. So this project is to help us live more sustainable.
We do not have to cut down a tree to cook with wood, nature sheds and limbs fall and sometimes we need to prune.
In todays time, we buy a kitchen stove and pay quite a bit for that stove. Then each time we use that stove it costs is quite a bit of money to use it and will show up on the electric or gas bill. A wood stove costs money to purchase and then that is the end of the spending. A solar oven cost money to purchase but then there is no cost to use it after it has been purchased.
How did they live without all the modern things we have today? I feel it is because they had the right tools and equipment to live without electricity and running water. We pay a lot for our conveniences that we have today.
There are so many ways to reduce our costs if we find ways to slow the flow.
We can sew with just a needle and thread or we can sew with a machine. An electric machine cost a lot to purchase, then it costs to operate. A treadle costs to purchase but costs nothing to operate, just foot power.
A hair dryer pulls a lot of electricity but curling our hair by rolling it and letting it dry naturally or sitting out in the sun costs nothing.
If we make our own bandages out of 100 percent cotton they can be boiled and sanitized in the sun.
We can still continue with all that we do without it costing money to get the same end result. As Charles and I are continuing on with our 1943 study, we are also working our way backwards in hopes by the end of this year to be more sustainable.
With this years study we can already tell by the income of 1943 and now the importance of not having a lot of bills. I am not talking about credit cards and loans because we could not have made it in 1943 with such debt. I am talking about the use of electric and telephone and cable and such as this.
In 1943, for those that did have electric it was minimal compared to what most of us have today. They lived comfortable and did not have as much to plug in during this time. They did not have cable because they did not have television and there were no cell phones. Telephones were used quite differently in the past and the cost today of all of these items is, in my opinion, completely off balance.
It is the simple things in life that make so much sense.
If we go around our home and ask ourselves the question, is there a better way I can use this without it costing at all or at least costing less?
Charles and I are looking forward to cooking more outside with free wood from nature.
For those that are doing the history study of 1943, Charles was very happy today because tomorrow he gets another pound of coffee. This was really a stretch this time with the coffee and he ended up with one pot to spare.
I am sorry that was so large but I could not get it to the right scale. But that is todays ration update.
To see the outdoor bathhouse and laundry area that we did six years ago the link is down below and this is what we are adding on to put in a outdoor cooking area.
Just click this link and it will take you to that post. https://gdonna.com/living-like-the-past/outdoor-bath/
I always hope there is something in my posts that helps someone in some way. I hope that this post will bring peace and balance. Grandma Donna
