What have you changed since being here?

[FarmerChick]

SO MANY GREAT IDEAS
So many people like me on this forum...LOL


What I have truly changed since starting here and this forum kicked my butt into moving farther ahead!


use less energy. I cut my power bill dramatically. CFLs, unplug phantom stuff, use less heating etc. etc.

Got a backup propane fireplace that needs no power. I am so glad I got this little fireplace. It is just peace of mind knowing I can live and not freeze!

I stopped using my dryer. Anyone who knows me very well, knew I would be buried with my dryer along side me..HA HA.......so to give up that dryer and put up a clothesline was huge for me! Granted a rope between 2 trees but it is amazing how well I adapted---lol----something I thought I would never do, but did cause of this forum, I gave hanging laundry a try and am fine with it!

Just be more aware of everything in general and striving to use less and less and be more happy in general!

BUT those 3 things I did cause of this forum really....they pushed me to try and accomplish each of the above and I did it!


SO WHAT have you all truly changed. It might not be much, like my list above, but I am sure on my way!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've been more willing to try new things. I've become better at food preservation and different ways to accomplish that. As the years have gone by DH and I are more determined to recycle as much as possible. I'm more prepared for any emergency and if the SHTF today we would be ok.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

2020? Nah - just a bump in the road. My life hasn't changed that much this year. A few inconveniences, but I never ran out of toilet paper, lol. My house is still over my head, I still have food in the freezer/pantry, livestock in the pasture, enough money to pay my bills, and don't need to stay up with a gun all night to protect the premises. I absolutely refuse to live my life in fear.

It's just life...

Now you've got me curious. I'd like to hear what others consider a SHTF scenario.

 

[tortoise]

I

Just curious what you consider SHTF, if it wasn't 2020?

I think of loss of electricity, electronics, and/or gasoline for hundreds of miles and/or for more than 3 weeks. Something widespread so we cant just travel to escape it, and something that significantly disrupts activities of daily living, for long enough that most people run out of necessities and theres competition for resources.

 

[tortoise]

I love this! This thread started pretty close to the time I joined, and it has been a long time since an update. Its going to take some time for me to draft a response. I'm pulling it up so others can play and respond while I work on mine!

 

[tortoise]

What have you changed since being here?

Its been 11 years since I joined the forum. 😲 so there have been a lot of changes that havent stuck, and many I revisit but dont use consistently.

For context, since joining, I moved from single parent of a toddler living in a city - to living together with long term partner in a rural town - to married on farm and having another baby. My health went from not-so-good, to disabled, and even worse after my second pregnancy and third (early miscarriage).

So what frugal behavior changes?

I dont drive much compared to before. In 2009 - 2010, I was driving around 500 miles per week. Now I drive less than 200 miles per month. During COVID, it was often less around 50 to 75 miles per month.

I shop online. This counts as frugal because of an oddity of my diagnoses. When I'm upright, my brain doesnt get enough blood supply and I make really bad decisions. The longer I'm in a store, the more impulsive I get, and the more I spend. I'm not an impulsive shopper online, so the more I can buy online the better off my budget is.

I used to seek entertainment, like shopping or watching TV when I didnt feel good. Now I use self care and seek solitude. Huge budget difference!

I lived in poverty before I joined the forum, and DH is even more frugal than I am. So the little things like using washrags, turning off lights, switching to LED bulbs, etc are not changed much since joining the forum.

Oh! I can afford to make bulk buys which reduces costs. I couldnt do that a decade ago. For example, unscented laundry detergent can be expensive or difficult to get, so I bought a 35# pail of laundry powder. 🙌 It was a big up-front cost, but so worth it!

 

[Britesea]

In other words... third world life

 

[flowerbug]

shtf here would be gunfire aimed at us instead of around us.

 

[TanksHill]

Well, I am not sure which I have done because of the forum but some things I accomplished LAST year were....

CFL's
cloth napkins
My entire bulk storage pantry
canning cupboard
sprouting seeds
More laying hens
New raised beds
emergency supplys
water
first aide
medical
etc...
I know theres more but I cant think of it right now.

 

[PamsPride]

I started changing somethings before I found this site but this site has encouraged me to change or make even more things.
I had already made my homemade napkins, tissues, a TP (only for myself). I already hing my laundry out on the line in the summer time...hard to do it when there is 4" of snow outside. I already started making my own laundry detergent about a month before I sound SS. I put a hot water timer on my hot water tank to save electric. We cut all of our own slab wood and use it as our main source of heat for our house.
Since finding SS....
I have made a dehydrator. I want to get milk goats and make my gardens bigger. I want to work on finding people to barter and trade with...eggs or chickens for goats. I want to get some more turkeys but, I want a type of turkey that I can keep and raise more of my own. I want to plant a more fruit trees and bushes. I have started my emergency preparedness box and I want to do even more with that. I am more seriously looking for a larger piece of property.