Not a New Year Resolution

Recently, I caught a couple episodes of a (TLC?) show called "Extreme Cheapskates." Some of the things they did to save a few bucks was ridiculous to me. For example, I will not go dumpster diving for food (although I have done this for furniture) or pee in a jar to save the cost of flushing the toilet.

But, the show did cause me to think about some things I could change in my household. My motivation, wasn't to necessarily live more "cheaply", but to live more SIMPLY. And that is why this post is called "Not a New Year Resolution." I never keep New Years' resolutions (for any amount of time, anyway), but I can change my lifestyle, one tiny step at a time.

Now, for anyone that really knows me, knows that I never pay full price for anything. In addition, when I find a good deal, I buy more than I need at the moment. I have a closet, lovingly called my "Fall-Out Shelter". In it you will find a stockpile of anything from paper towels to juice to canned goods to cleaning supplies.

So, when I made the decision to live more simply, I looked at my stockpile and decided to make my changes as I ran out of things. Like I said, tiny steps at a time.

I've been making my own laundry detergent for just under a year and have been extremely satisfied with it. I began researching other things like that I can make myself. I was pleasantly surprised to find that many things contain the same ingredients and those ingredients are things you would normally find in your household.

The first thing I ran out of was dishwasher detergent. I was hesitant, because I've seen even good name brand detergent not work so well. I decided that it doesn't hurt to try. I mixed up my recipe of borax, salt and citric acid, with a rinse aid of white vinegar. WOW! It worked just as well, if not better at a fraction of the cost.

You may find the next homemade product a little strange. And I did at first, too. I mean, this product is important to me, it is something that I thought I needed on a daily basis. But, as I was reading all the positive comments, I decided to give it a try. I'm here to annouce that I have not washed my hair with shampoo in over a month. "What?!" you say. "Ewww...." 

I have been using a mixture of baking soda and water to clean my hair, with an apple cider vinegar and water rinse to soften it. I used to have to wash my hair almost every day to keep it from getting oily and limp. Using this method, I have to wash my hair only every three days and I could probably go four if I HAD to. Using the baking soda causes the ph balance in your hair to become stable and because you're not stripping your hair of the oils it needs on a daily basis, it doesn't "think" that it has to create more oils to make up for it.

Sure, it took a couple weeks to get the process right. So far, I've been pleased with the results. In just this month going "poo-free",  I figure I've saved at least $10. Multiply that by months and that's pretty significant.

There are more things I'm looking forward to trying: glass cleaner, disinfecting spray, bathroom cleaner, condiments, etc. I'll be happy to share my successes and failures.

And it's not just the homemade products that will make Simple Living. It's the choices and busy-ness of everyday. I decided to retrain my focus. God has given me the business of my family. I want to be a faithful steward over what He has entrusted me with. I'm determined to set aside those things that distract me from: 1. knowing my God deeper every day and 2. taking excellent care of my family and household. I believe that in retraining my focus, Simple Living will be a natural result.