No new clothes

I decided at the start of Autumn I was NOT going to purchase any new clothes this season

(free clothes are OK).

And I didn't, cause I really do have enough clothes and I can only afford clothes that are made in less than ethical ways.

I did get some fab items free though at a couple of clothes swaps.

I have to admit that I am suffering withdrawal. There are a couple of items I would really like and officially it is a new season (winter).

So what to do? Such a dilemma.

Homemade doggy food

Don't be fooled by this yummy looking meal in my crockpot (slow cooker).

Its the dogs food. Every time I cook it Mr. Divine says "Something smells good.

What you cooking?" My reply "Taste it and see."

Here's the recipe

1kg pet mince

1 cup pasta

1 cup rice

*2 (or more) cups vegetables, frozen or fresh*

garlic

water to cover

Put it all in your crockpot and cook on low over night (or all day)

*Usually I keep all my peelings and off cuts of my veges in a bag in the freezer and then when it comes to making the pet food I put those in the crockpot instead of mixed vegetables.

P.S. Cats can eat this too, just not husbands or children. hehe

Eco fruit and vege bags

I was wanting some light weight, reusable bags to put my fruit and veg in when I shop at the markets and found these mesh wash bags at a $2 kinda store.

They are washable, available in different sizes and best of all, no nasty plastic bags filling up my rubbish bin.

Soap Nuts

Washberry soap nuts are the dried fruit of the Sapindus Mukorossi tree.

You can use them in your washing machine, dishwasher and to make your own detergent.

These are what they look like. Little, sappy looking berry nuts.

They are natural so you aren't putting harmful chemicals down the drain.

Also, if you want to re-use your grey water you know you won't be putting poisons onto your gardens.

A change of direction

I have found it hard to continue blogging as my crafting as taken a back seat to being a mum, recyclist (is that even a word), fair trader, local market supporter, ethical buyer, self sufficient, low carbon footprint woman.

Soooooo, my blog will be changing (it's OK, change doesn't have to be scary). I will be sharing how I am changing my lifestyle to be more who I believe I should be.

I already recycle and cook most meals from scratch. I still am crafting, but it is crafting with a purpose and mainly for my family. I am trying to grow a vege garden from seed and have chooks for eggs but I still manage to produce at least one shopping bag full of rubbish per day.

Having been inspired by these people who managed just one small, tiny rubbish bag for a year.

I am going for one a week.

Cluckingham Palace

I am so excited. We have livestock on our farmlet.

Yes! I am classing hens as livestock. My wonderful friend Dee of sew-funky gave us her beloved, egg laying chickens when she moved house.

We built the girls a predator proof coop and named it 'Cluckingham Palace'.

Then we thought the hens needed royal names so they are Fergie, Eugenie and Beatrice.Ahhhh. The good life.

Favourite thing Friday

I am loving this blog right now.

Simple-green-frugal-co-op.

Rhonda Jean from down-to-earth is one of the contributors to this great blog.

I am trying to minimize the impact I have on our Earth and since my word for the year is

the ONE thing we are doing differently is wearing clothes more than once with the motto of 'if it's not dirty, don't wash it'.

Let me tell you the difference this ONE thing it is having. I am now washing only every second day (instead of 2 loads each day) which is a great time saver and of course there's the savings in power and water.

I did use to make my own washing powder, but now that I am washing nappies my homemade powder would leave a residue and make them less absorbent. Since cutting down on my washing I am now able to afford an eco friendly powder.

So, what is the ONE thing you are doing differently this year?

Homemade Laundry Powder

So I ran out of Laundry powder today. I use to make my own laundry goop but I found another recipe to try.

IN A FOOD PROCESSOR

Grate 1 bar pure soap (eg. sunlight, preservene or similar)

Then put in chopping blade and add

1/3 box washing crystals

1/3 box baking soda

Mix together and it should look like above. Add 1 heaped tablespoon per wash.

My friend Dee has another laundry recipe on her blog, so check it out by clicking on the title of this blog.