What have you STOPPED doing and not missed a bit!

[odd_duck99]

I am just curious, as we all have our limits, what SS things have you given up on and not looked back? Have you ever almost given up on something, but then just changed something about how you were doing it, and it made all the difference?

This curiousity is based on some conversations the spouse and I have had about our next house... hopefully, the forever house. What our limits are, how much property we want, what kind/how much maintenance, etc.

 

[Bettacreek]

One thing I've quit doing.... buying laundry soap, soap and now eggs from the store completely. Haven't purchased laundry soap in something like five years, and haven't purchased soap at the store in probably six (haven't purchased it from anyone else in about three or four years). The eggs are new to me, and I'm VERY excited to look at the eggs in the store and not buy them (though I haven't eaten store eggs in years either). I enjoy driving past the old farm I used to buy eggs from and think "I might never have to stop there again".

As for an SS thing, I tried line drying my clothes by the wood stove, and I do NOT miss that one bit. I like that we have clothes line all over the basement here, but I'll never use it!

 

[BarredBuff]

I really don't have any regrets with things I've made or raised in the garden. I don't miss my goats, at all. I wouldn't take goats back for anything. Nothing but a headache.

I had about give up cultivating potatoes but we found some pesticide that will kill those bugs. I can't stand bugs! But we now have quite a crop of potatoes coming along!

 

[Denim Deb]

Trying to raise grapes. I didn't know what I was doing, and they never tasted right. I don't eat a lot of grapes or raisens, so why bother? Of course, if I could find a whole patch of them growing in the woods, I'd be sure to grab them up.

 

[FarmerChick]

too many animals. we income farmed for about 15 years and sold products. the 125 hogs were a PITA.

we have stopped income farming so animals are gone now except for a few personal use. So unloading animals was a plus. I am thrilled they are gone cause the workload was huge!

120 boer goats. gonzo. have 5 left. the kidding time was so much work it was insanity.

acerage farming. we farmed crops for sale. stopping that was a thrill. workload was horrible also and mother nature can be rough on fields. So having a small garden was great.

not making hay off our fields. we didn't bother this year cause I have tons in the barns from previous years and with 5 goats left why bother. again a ton of work ceased.


lilttle things like was making laundry soaps. didn't like how they cleaned so back to buying at store.
don't miss making it one bit

bread---stopped making it most times. buy it. my bread never came out nice. tried forever and gave up. do a few every now and then to try again but still cruddy the way I do it. believe me tried many times I now care to forget.

hanging out laundry. do it sometimes now on sheets/blankets etc. did it alot before with the reg. clothes and clothes came out stiff. I just didn't like it and love my dryer alot more. hanging out laundry is something I do not miss one bit. that was alot of work also.

 

[Wannabefree]

We quit eating out, EVER, and stopped all the convenience food purchases. I don't miss it at all. I thought it'd kill me at first, because it meant cooking every night....but that doesn't really happen either. When I FEEL like being in the kitchen, I make convenience foods we love, like pizza pockets, waffles, etc. and pop them in the freezer for those times I don't want to cook. We do nights of leftovers, and nights of fix whatever YOU want, and then there are nights I cook ginormous meals, and the balance of all those things is very satisfying. We don't actually miss eating out.

However, I DO duplicate a lot of fast food type meals and condiments, so we don't, for example, crave Big Macs because we don't have Mac sauce or whatever. I make our "Mac sauce" now. I have LOTS of healthy cheats

That may not sound like much in the way of home ownership, but we save a TON of money, just by not ever eating out. We used to eat out 3 or more meals a week. For a family of 4(at the time) it REALLY adds up quick!

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Kicked the electric dryer out...back in 2005. Not missed it once.

SS living for me id more just 2nd nature. I have to think about things that I don't do anymore.

One thing I have done more now....is severely limit my trips to town, for grocery shopping. We have 1 income, and gas went so high.....it was worth it to save my trips even more.

 

[odd_duck99]

This is great! I love hearing everyone's different perspectives!

I don't miss the yard upkeep. I used to have to mow for an hour and a half a week every week from March until frost in October. In spring, the grass could have been mowed twice a week, but I refused! Then there is edging and weeding. I don't miss fighting off the swamp and woods one little bit. I love gardening, but most of you know there is a difference between gardening and fighting swamp/woods reclaimation! In our next property, I will have a small yard (to feel the cool, soft grass between my toes), a large garden, and maybe some kind of field for a flock of chickens and a few goats. Something low maintenance... none of this mowing my fields business. For now we got our hands on a plot of "community garden" at the spouses workplace. We have to pay for it, and it needs some work, but it satisfies the gardening urge and is good for the soul.

I do miss the homemade bread. That is the spouse's department. Supposedly she is going to make some today, as it's supposed to be about 90 out today and that makes for easy rising inside! She is a fantastic baker.

 

[Mr.Andersson]

Well, not a SS thing per se, but I quit drinking alcohol two years ago! Not an age/health thing either, just view it as a complete waste of time and money!

 

[Beekissed]

I am just curious, as we all have our limits, what SS things have you given up on and not looked back? Have you ever almost given up on something, but then just changed something about how you were doing it, and it made all the difference?

This curiousity is based on some conversations the spouse and I have had about our next house... hopefully, the forever house. What our limits are, how much property we want, what kind/how much maintenance, etc.

There isn't anything I've tried of SS type endeavors that I would abandon completely. There are many things I've tried that I was not able to implement fully due to timing, space, opportunity, etc. but that doesn't mean that I won't attempt to use them again when I have a different location, more time and opportunity, etc.

A few examples are beekeeping, dairy cow use, hair sheep for meat, profit and pasture development, foraging in the wild for nuts/berries/herbs/roots, growing herbs for medicinal use, quilting, etc.