Yesterday afternoon while I should have been working through my list, I was chatting with a butcher. We cured the wrongs of the world through discussion about cow ownership, organic vs. free range, and farming. My mum stood quietly next to me, her eyes, like her hands told a story. When the butcher and I had cured the world (& laughed a great deal about a flexitarian, vegan in training becoming a farmer – to be clear, not a meat farmer) my mum started talking. She told me all about her grandfather, who was a farmer, who loved the land and dedicated his life to “treading lightly”, he was followed by two, almost three generations of people who doesn’t have a personal relationship with the land, who prefer convenience over work, whose idea of being in the country, is an hour at a country pub off the motorway. I say almost three, because that was me, I don’t think I stepped into the countryside until I was 26. Can you imagine? As a teenager I loved talking on the phone, going to the mall, watching movies and shopping. Now? Well, within two years of stepping foot into the countryside I’m looking for a small holding, discussing breeding and animal welfare with a butcher, in the process of getting rid of my phone (really!), cloth toilet paper using (post soon I promise just finding the right laundry system before I post!), Countryfile loving (how did I forget it on the list?), learning to knit, crochet and sew, 2nd hand shopping and seriously contemplating getting rid of my car.
My mum shared the truth, had I never had the children probably none of this would have happened. It took needing to parent four hurting children, four children who needed more than modern society could offer, to learn just what we are lacking. Only then did I learn answers to most ailments were not found in malls, down the end of the phone or in the latest trend. We talked for a while about why people struggle to make changes, my mum shared that for her, it just seems too big, to want to shop in different small shops, to pay an extra £2 or £3 a week for quality items, to go without something quick and easy in favor of something that takes blood sweat and tears, well for her it is just not something she feels called to. I told her big changes rarely work, it’s about small things, little teeny tiny steps that one by one lead you down a path you never thought you’d have the energy to walk. I shared with her encouragement tips I’ve given friends about starting small, it can be as small as starting to purchase organic milk and use re-useable shopping bags. Next you might feel confident purchasing organic meat, or using cloth paper towels. Maybe you’ll feel that once a month you could go to a local shop instead of a supermarket, or take a walk in the countryside. Everyone’s journey is different, with unique barriers and challenges, for some it will be financial, others time, others inclination, but what I do know from personal experience, is it takes 1 step, just one.
And the photo above? The perfect reminder of why it takes one…because it takes exactly one luxury chocolate for me to fall off the bandwagon!
I’d love to hear from you, what is one change that you’ve made that has helped you lead a more simple life or greener lifestyle? Maybe your one thing will encourage someone else.
I think so far our biggest change has been stopping the use of paper plates, napkins and mostly paper towels. We still have a long way to go in our lifestyle change. Also not buying new, but trying to find something to work from cosignment, etc.
Blessings
Diane
That’s great Diane!
I didn’t get your email, could you resend it to me please?
Gill
P.S. Glad you liked the photos of Toronto. Just off outside to snow plow the driveway!!
Will do Gill, may take a while I’m crazy crazy busy this week!!!
That photo is very good. It is amazing when you think about how much you’ve accomplished in such a short time. For me the best 1 thing I did was start buying local foods!
That’s a great step M!
No longer eating factory-farmed meat. That immediately led to eating much less meat, which led to expanding the variety of the things I eat, which led to eating more fruits and vegetables and more locally, which…
oooh well done you Aydan! It’s amazing how one thing leads to another!
This is a really great post, one of your best!! The single best thing I began doing was reading your blog, that lead to me actually being aware and caring about people, the environment, my choices. I try to make a small change every now and then especially as you continue to inspire!!
Thanks Kathryn!
We have been trying hard to really think about our purchases. Buy used when we can.
We try hard to use cloth bags. I’m trying to get away from convenience foods. We don’t buy a lot of that anyway, but I’d like to reduce further.
We have been gardening for the last 5 years.
There are changes in the future I’m really looking forward to – our city is currently constructing a new Farmer’s market which will be open daily. Currently, it’s only on Saturday mornings and it get’s extremely crowded – very difficult to visit with children. I hope to be able to visit it weekly and buy more local foods.
I work in the banking sector. We are considering trying to re-locate to a bank branch in the country so that we can re-locate outside the city and have the option to raise our own meat & grow our own food. It really feels like a good decision. We will have to wait until next Spring to make this kind of change.
Melanie, that is wonderful!!!
What I find encouraging is the way that one small change always leads to another, and another and so it goes on gaining momentum.
That’s exactly it, isn’t it Stella? It’s so amazing this journey!
One of my favourite changes is line drying our laundry. Unfortunately I cannot do it in the winter as it is so windy it won’t stay on the line (the cold wouldn’t bother me) and our house is so small that there is literally not enough space to hang it in the house, which is really frustrating to me. Soon I will be able to hang it outside again. I really enjoy the time outside hanging it. It really does start my day off with a peaceful quiet time outdoors. I also love using cloth bags, it saves so much trash and recycling.
Agreed!! It’s amazing how common tumble dryers are in N.America, well done you for challenging the norm!
I would like to say thankyou for such a thoughtful blog on how we lead our lives and bring up our children. When you step away from plastic food and shopping as a hobby life, becomes enriched you are lucky to have learnt this lesson young so many people are never happy and spend life wanting more and better. X
Thank you Anna, how kind of you!
You might be interested in the e-book Simply Car-Free: How to Pedal Toward Financial Freedom and a Healthier Life. It’s available at rowdyKittens.com from March 1st.
I’m presuming F.T that you know how to ride a bike, but maybe not!!
I’ve made lots of changes toward a simple and greener lifestyle (although I’m not car-free!!). The biggest change I would like to make though, is to go plastic-free, but it’s a tough one, it’s everywhere!!
Thanks Jane, I’ll look for it!
That book sound interesting! Like Kathryn I find your blog is the one which has really pushed me in a very gentle way towards some positive changes. My first change was to walk to work twice a week, it is a small change but has made a big difference, next I began walking at the weekends and then getting out of suburbia!
I really look forward to your posts on cloth toilet paper and glass contrainers.
Thanks Elizabeth! I look forward to posting!
The best thing I did was read a book many years ago called “Living More with Less” – it made a huge, huge difference to me, and it’s one of the ones that I always come back to for inspiration, practical advice, and even hope. I’ve read some wonderful books since, but this is the one that really did it for me.
That’s brilliant Jenn!
I used to be a mall-loving teenager as well. Now I can’t even walk into one without feeling totally overwhelmed. Craziness!
Oh how we change!
What a lovely post, I am finding your blog very inspirational. I’m quite amazed at how young you figured all this out, it seems to take many people a lifetime and even then many retired people still complain about not having enough when they actually are quite well off.
Your photography is really wonderful as is your incredibly positive outlook on life.
Thank you Mumi!
I too used to love shopping or window shopping every weekend, and going out, all dressed up in the evening.
I’m not sure exactly what prompted the change but it coincided with not being a student anymore and emigrating!
I think the biggest single change for me was when I stopped buying magazines, I only bought two a month but it was a mindless purchase, and when I realised I didn’t miss them I began to think about the other things I bought and whether they were really wanted or “just because” purchases.
My shift away from consumerism snow balled from there.
Great post- very thought provoking.
Looby – I have a magazine obsession. It is one of the last things I’m struggling to let go of….
Thanks!
The one biggest thing for me was probably taking the time to take stock of how many things I already had, finding ways to make full use of them and realising how little extra I needed (in terms of ‘things’ like clothes, bits and bobs and so on). This helped me to stop spending so much and has also made life simpler because I have less ‘stuff’ to deal with. I’m still trying to declutter all of the things that I’ve realised I don’t need though! These things can take time…
That’s brilliant shoestring! It does take time, such a journey!
I must admit I struggle with feeling overwhelmed sometimes…it feels like there’s too much to change and one little person selecting fair trade over general instant coffee (for example) is going to do precisely what to change anything?
xx
Then I remember Mother Teresa’s story about starfish and I try to focus on one baby step at a time. It’s hard…I think because so much of society right now is geared at all or nothing, it’s hard to think small changes make any difference at all.
(p.s. those chocolates look YUM. and they would be worth falling off the bandwagon for, imho
lol thankfully I’ve stayed on it since Lent began!!!
I started just drying my clothes 20 minutes and then hanging until dry. It saves on gas and is better on the clothes. I do a whole lot of other things but that is new. I read the “Tightwad Gazette” and realized I was not a tightwad when I read some of the tips – one of them was to take a busted up umbrella, take the metal off of it, cut a hole for your neck and wear it as a poncho. I have to say I will never use that one unless I have nothing else!
lol that’s a great tip FY!
We have made a lot of little changes, but aren’t 100% perfect in any area. I don’t know why I am so hung up on perfection, but it bugs me that we aren’t. We do cloth diapers 95% of the time, I use reusable bags when I do my major weekly shopping, but the little extra trips in the week to other stores, or when my husband stops to pick something up on the way home usually result in the plastic or paper counterpart. I do organic milk for my daughter, but we drink regular.
My biggest to work on is cutting out trips to Target, which always result in me buying things I don’t really need and spending too much money.
I guess for me the hardest part is that I have to make a conscious effort. I feel like somethings I know and they should just come naturally, but I have to stop and be more purposeful. It bugs me that it isn’t just natural sometimes.
Well that’s great re cloth diapers, even 95% of the time is awesome!
I agree, avoiding shops filled with anything and everything is the way to go!
The biggie is going veggie. I’ve been mostly veggie since age 14 (fell off the wagon once or twice, which tbh doesn’t surprise me as a teen!). I still get random meat cravings and frustration when I can’t get anything decent to eat in a restaurant or cafe round here, but mostly i’m proud that i’ve stuck to it. Whenever I get cravings I intentionally think about factory farms. I’m trying to cut down on dairy at the moment but MAN it’s hard! I think I need to put a bit more conscious effort in to that.
Well done you, that is amazing! I was a veggie for years and a vegan for two. I’m working my way back….!
yes I agree about the chocolate. Seems to have been worth it. It’s only because I can’t find really good chocolate around here why I don’t eat it more often.
Well that’s probably a good thing, I wish there were less good chocs here! lol
having a baby and having our income halved has really affected the way I think about life. Also reading your money or your life. Although, all of it is perhaps where I have always been and where I came from rather than any real change to be honest. Its like I am reliving my parents 1970′s life! with a lot of those 70′s Good LIfe sentiments.
lol
I think getting rid of my car was my biggest small step. We’re not car free but we do manage very well with only one rather than two. I walk and take the train to get to work and my husband cycles to work if he can.
Oh, and starting a small vegetable plot.
You’re right about the chocolates though – this is going to be a long 6 weeks!
That is great Lynne!
I agree, but so far so good….!!!
LOL at the image of finding the right…(ahem)…laundry system for cloth toilet wipes.
)
Up until recently I had my mobile switched off for over a year. It ran out of charge and one day I made the decision just to forget about it. I only recently got it out again because I wanted an alarm in the morning and didn’t want to spend money on buying an alarm clock when the phone could do the job. But it’s PAYG not contract and I very rarely use it for texting or calls.
The most important change I made has been buying secondhand. I’ve always been a bargain hunter and thrifter all my life, but I’ve set myself the task of finding anything I need second hand. No just running to the shops whenever I want something. All purchases are considered and have to waited for until they show up.
It certainly helps build my resilience against instant gratification, which led me a few years ago to the high street with the plastic!
lol yes it does sound funny when you think about it!
Ah yes, resilience against the gratification, I think it’s a lifelong lesson!
#1: Watching Blood Diamond and thinking….
#2: Reading the entirety of the Bible and realizing how as Christians we should be living a life of simplicity, stewardship, and giving…..that’s what we are called to do.
On another note, that was the first time I read your full “about me”—-what a wonderful story! Everytime you write something new about yourself, I’m just intrigued
lol why thank you Simply Authentic! I’m with you on the Bible, when you really really read it and learn it, it changes you life!!!
Oh goodness, How I have been dreaming of such chocolates!!
But, really, a wonderful piece you have written! I too have agricultural roots: grandparents on both sides (though mostly my mom’s German/Dutch parents and so on) were in the land, raising vegetable beds to sell and raising small animals. I am a long way farther than you are to getting there, and I love my small yard and garden in the city, though I would love to have chickens. And I am working on the getting rid of unnecessary things and purchases.
I think as a generation we are experiencing a turnaround.
Agreed sonrie, and it’s a wonderful wonderful turnaround
Having children was definitely the catalyst for simplifying our lives. We came to understand we could live happily on one income, by really thinking about how we spend and consume, growing vegies, learning to filter out the siren call advertising ie. making every dollar work hard. Then we moved to the country and things simplified further. Now I work part time, but because I want to, not because I have to. One day my husband and I might switch roles, all possible because we live relatively simple life.
To me, that sort of flexibility with how we live our lives is the big dividend the simple life gives you.
That’s brilliant Paola, those little people certainly do change our lives if we are open to it!
You’ll be pleased to know I bought organic milk yesterday. It’s about $1 more per 1/2 gallon in Nova Scotia. Milk is very expensive here compared to most of Canada.
I’ll give it a try and investigate it more.
OOoh Melanie, that’s awesome!!! Well done you!!!
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Thank you for this post! I’ve only just come across your blog and am already loving it. My husband and I are city dwellers currently on the hunt for land so we can properly “husband” it and care for our future family.
You’re inspiring!
Thank you for your lovely comment! It made my day!
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I know a way to save more on toilet paper than any coupon or special. This covers all the bases = saves you money, helps the environment, helps your health, makes you feel better, it’s so easy to do and it costs less than $50.00; Save money and the Earth and be clean at the same time! Add Bathroom Bidet Sprayers to all your bathrooms. I think Dr. Oz on Oprah said it best: “if you had pee or poop on your hand, you wouldn’t wipe it off with paper, would you? You’d wash it off” Available at http://www.bathroomsprayers.com with these you won’t even need toilet paper any more, just a towel to dry off! Don’t worry, you can still leave some out for guests and can even make it the soft stuff without feeling guilty. It’s cheap and can be installed without a plumber; and runs off the same water line to your toilet. You’ll probably pay for it in a few months of toilet paper savings. As for water use a drought is always a concern and must be dealt with prudently but remember the water use of industrial users far exceeds the water use of household users and in the case of toilet paper manufacture it is huge. The pollution and significant power use from that manufacturing process also contributes to global warming so switching to a hand bidet sprayer and lowering your toilet paper use is very green in multiple ways.