Simply Green

I've been wanting for some time now to simplify our lives. We probably have the average amount of clutter in our home; maybe more than average. Who knows? All I know is that the clutter wastes time.

I just heard about a guy who goes by the name of "Sustainable Dave" here on the Intarwebs. He's on a mission to save his corner of the planet, and right now he's nearing the end of the year that he set aside for "not throwing anything away." He's documented all this at 365 Days of Trash.

Reading his blog today got me to thinking. There are so many things in our world that distract us from what's important, and if I can start to eliminate some of those things, then we can begin to lead a simple life. After reading Dave's blog and watching a couple of his videos, here is what has occurred to me -- nothing earth-shattering, I know, but my thoughts just the same:

* By making my own homemade cleaners, I am not only eliminating the need to visit the store as often, but I am also alleviating the need to pay attention to the ads on TV, the radio and in newspapers and magazines. I can just ignore all that nonsense now because I know that I'm using safe and effective cleaners that I can mix up with a very small arsenal of ingredients. The main things I use are white vinegar, borax, baking soda, Castille soap and some essential oils. I buy these in large enough quantities that I'm set for months of stress-free cleaning. I like to use the recipes from Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan.

* By eliminating the junk mail that comes into our home -- haven't made much headway on this yet, but it's next on my list -- I reduce the time it takes to sort through the mail that clutters up my kitchen counter. I also reduce the time it takes to read through any of these items which advertise things that I didn't know I wanted. This results in a two-fold benefit: I don't feel the temptation to go spend money on the latest and greatest whatever-it-is, and I don't clutter up my house with things I didn't know I needed only to find out that I was right in the first place.

* By reducing the number of paper documents, such as bills & insurance EOBs, I am also reducing the time it takes to file things. Wow. Pretty soon, I won't know what to do with myself!

That's enough for now. It's time for me to haul my kitchen composter out to the big composter in the yard. Does anyone know where I can find worms in November?