Recently we did a study about hand washing clothes verses machine washing and I posted the results in the post called, machine wash verses hand washing.
Since we did the washing study I have tried to hand wash more of the clothes because it saves water and electricity. My husband and I discussed how much money we actually can save by reducing our water and electricity by washing clothes by hand.
Not figuring in the electricity, just the water and sewer alone. At a per year figure, dividing, subtracting and figuring based on our utility bills and our water study that we did we found that we could save enough to pay for 4 and 1/2 months of internet or 5 months of our house phone, or a many trips to the butcher. That gives me something to think about when I am sweating and plunging the clothes.
When I am outside hand washing clothes I have been remembering my family that has passed away and I feel like I can see things a bit clearer now.
This picture above is a reminder to me that maybe doing things the easy modern way is not necessarily better. This is my Grandmother and her two sisters. Not until many years later did they have electricity and running water. Everyone worked as a family team to get things done such as hauling water, washing clothes by hand, chopping wood, most everything done was manual.
My Grandmother born in 1906, standing top middle. They lived through the great depression and worked hard at everything they did. My grandmother lived to age 93, her sisters( my great Aunts), lived age 95 and 82. My Grandfather age 90, Great Grandfather 91.
It seems to me that it is getting more common for people to die at a younger age. Should we go back to basics?
One of my Grandsons.
Children need fresh air, time without any electronics. They need time to think, to imagine not be around constant stimulation, noise. How will they ever cope in a true emergency. Are they so distracted that they can never hear God? Are we? They need chores and to be taught skills how to cook, repair and manage a household boy or girl, they should have the knowledge.
There are many people today that are struggling financially and are desperate to find ways to remain in their homes or pay the utility bill. Budget issues can affect all ages.
There are many ways to cut costs by going back to basics, but unfortunately there are many generations that have no experience or knowledge of how to do things the old way. I hope my blog can help you to do this.
Washing clothes by hand is just one way to save. Unplug all unnecessary household items.
There are many products that are completely unnecessary to purchase when our budget is tight, paper towels (use cut up cloths), toothpaste( use baking soda), shampoo( use non synthetic bar soap), conditioner (use apple cider vinegar or lemon water), laundry soap ( use grated bar soap and washing soda and or borax), stop buying junk food, pre made, processed or prepared foods. Stop buying sodas and drink water because water is good for us just to name a few. Leaving these things out of the grocery cart will allow us to have money to purchase real food such as vegetables and meat.
We have become spoiled and want everything instant. We want it easy and that costs a lot of money.
We can live perfectly fine without television cable, cell phones and all these electronics that come with fees. If we feel we must have television get a digital antenna that costs about thirty dollars at the store and no fees to pay. We have that and we get basic television. Here in the USA where we live we can get NBC, CBS, ABC, PUBLIC TELEVISION and other stations and it come in clear. There are no monthly charges, it is ours to use.
We choose to not watch television but in the event of an emergency and we have turned it on due to bad weather to watch the news. If we wanted we could sit down and watch many television shows. The main thing is it is not costing us anything.
So much of the things that have monthly fees did not exist when I was young.
We can read or listen to the radio. Many places have a public library. It could save the family budget a lot of money to go back to a simple house phone with a land line instead of all the other communication devices people think they must have today.
My husband and I have a cell phone due to work but we know if there was no need for it we could simply use our house phone and get rid of the cell phones because we lived a time before cell phones.
Doing chores the old way can be a family thing to do. We are doing a child an injustice if they do not have chores such as dusting, sweeping, raking the yard, taking out trash, cleaning and washing the combs and hair brushes. Sorting laundry, folding laundry, helping with the dishes, washing windows, cleaning floors, feeding the pets and bathing the pets. This teaches them how to be responsible.
We show them how to clean their room and then expect them to do this. This is not child labor! We work along with them and not in a brash manner, we teach with love and understanding. Being a responsible parent will help your children be more prepared when they are ready to leave home. Teach them to fish, how to bait a hook or a basket, how to clean a fish, how to cook that fish. This is part of parenting.
Today it seems things are done for sport, taken from the sea just for the thrill and not for the food, the same for hunting. We should fish and hunt for food not our entertainment, these are living creatures and if we do not need food then they should be left alone. We should never take more than we need.
I personally feel a child should be not be paid to do a chore but should receive an allowance because they are a member of the household family. We should teach them how to save their money and spend it wisely. As they get older the allowance can increase but only so they can learn to purchase their clothing and shoes. It teaches them to think through before purchasing. It should be clear that they will be stuck with their choice and will not be bailed out. They will have to wait and save up for something different.
We did not just give our children named brand clothes and cars. We helped them with only the necessary things they needed help with. When they were the age of driving they were working an after school job and paying for that car. We knew where they were and when they were going to be home. They became very responsible adults.
Somehow from that point, being responsible and working and doing what seemed to be all the right things, time continued to move forward and we found ourselves in the new age of credit cards. It was encouraged, appliances, car repairs, replacing things, everyone did it right? No not everyone, some were much smarter. Many people charge things and never realize they are in a sinking ship.
We did this for a while and then that stopped when we came to our senses and we chose to do without, remain where we were, not to listen to advertising and all the things that are flashed before us. We chose to go back to basics and not use the easy way. This helped us pay off debt and we wish to never feel that again.
I am so happy living an old fashioned life. Never having to keep up with anyone. Enjoying our home and the old things once again. The road to easy is expensive and brings a lot of unhappiness, be warned.
I hope something in this article is of interest. Grandma Donna
