Our waste problem

We have too much trash.  We don't have a garbage pick-up service, so we take our trash to a county dump site.  Nothing is recycled.  Our routine has been to load up our trash bags into 3, 40 gallon cans. On Saturday morning, I load up the trash in m truck and take it 9 miles to the dump site. Our 3 cans are full every week and we have had I take special trips in the past during he week.  I would like to set a goal of reducing our trash by half in the next couple of months or so.  I am looking for ideas to implement to reduce our trash.  Here is what we have so far:

1: all food waste will go in a coffee can and tossed in the compost bin. This is a no-brainer, but we always get lazy on it.  I will be sure to leave the coffee can out on the counter. In the past we have given up when it gets full and never taken outside. The compost bin is about 50 yards away from the back door. Maybe we can put a larger receptacle right outside. Since a coffee can fills up quick.

2. We should start saving all our cardboard for sheet mulching.  We have been throwing it all away due to laziness but I am always searching for car board when it is time to sheet mulch.  This will save us money on weed stop which we have bought in roles.

3. Bring home less trash.  We have been guilty of using lots of disposable plastic.

4. Shreddings to the compost pile. I shred all our junk mail and I will start composting that.

Water Filtration

We purchased a new gravity water filter, the Berkey Royal that holds the Black Filters.  This unit has a 3.25 gallon reservoir.  There are two filters in the system which can hold up to 4.  Each filter will purify 3,000 gallons of water.  There is much information, reviews and videos on this water filter system.  I have watched videos of people filtering creek water.  We will be installing rain barrels to harvest rain water from our roof.  That water will be used for the garden, but if really needed in an emergency, we should be able to filter the water with this system.  We plan to purchase about 4 filters to keep on hand.  This filter and the rain barrels will help us keep water on hand if its ever needed for more than just the garden.

Making our own Laundry detergent from cheap ingredients

For the last 4 years, we have been making our own laundry detergent which has saved us a lot of money.  We stocked up on the ingredients years ago and still have most of it left.  Here is the recipe.  We got this from Pinterest long ago

Homemade Laundry Detergent

You only need 3 ingredients and 10 minutes!

1. 1/3 bar of soap (I prefer fels-naptha, but I know others have had success with ivory, dreft and even dollar store soap, so choose something you like the scent of that doesn’t bother your skin) (cost. approx. 33 cents)

2. Borax-1/2 Cup (this is available at just about any department or grocery store in the detergent aisle)(cost. approx. 7 cents per 1/2 cup)

3. Washing Soda-1/2 Cup (this is a little harder to find, but check your local grocery-again in the detergent aisle) (cost. approx. 10 cents per 1/2 cup)

4. Water -1 gallon (plain ole tap water is just fine–I would avoid pond water, smelly lake water, etc… :0) (cost. approx 5 cents per gallon using tap water)

 Total cost:  Approx. 55 cents per gallon.  64 loads per gallon. 

Green onions

This was all over the internet and many just think of this as common knowledge. Putting the green onion bulbs in a cup of water on a south facing window sill will make them continue to grow.  The last time we did this, we had green onions for 5 months as they have been growing 1.5 to 2 inches per week.  I know this is a small thing, but it sure helps when a batch of green onions this year is almost $3.

Here they are, 5 days later.

Preserving/Canning - Carrot Cake Jam

We used to really love canning, but stopped for a few years.  Now we are trying to get back into it to help increase our food storage.  We will keep canning to preserve whatever we grow and don't eat or when we find a great deal on crates of apples, pears, peaches, etc.  To keep it interesting, we are going to preserve recipes rather than just left overs like sauces, jellies and jams.  After we have some food to preserve, we'll try some recipes to see how we like it and preserve the winners.

Here is a recipe we made today that we really liked.  We went ahead and preserved a couple batches using water bath canning.  We found the recipe on the internet.  

Carrot Cake Jam

Ingredients 

1 can {20 ounces} unsweetened crushed pineapple, undrained
1-1/2 cups shredded carrots
1-1/2 cups chopped peeled ripe pears
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 package {1-3/4 ounces} powdered fruit pectin
6-1/2 cups sugar

Directions

Bring a boiling-water canner, 3/4 full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

In a 6 – 8 quart sauce pot, combine the first seven ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the pears are tender. Stir occasionally so nothing sticks to the pan.  Remove from the sauce pan from the heat, and stir in pectin.

Bring mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Slowly stir in the sugar and return to a full rolling for 1 minute, making sure to stir constantly to avoid boiling over. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. {Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.} Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary}. Yields {7} 1/2 pints.

Hugel Beds Part II

I finished the first Hugel Bed this morning.  I actually went and bought a scoop of screened fill dirt and compost.  The promise of this kind of bed is much work to get it made, then low maintenance for years later.  We had enough compost to give a top layer to the other four, 4x4 raised beds.  On the other side of the house, we have 4 other beds that we put apple and pear tree cuttings in.  Only one apple and one pear tree made it.  I will add a layer of compost to those beds as well.

Next we will put some mulch down on top of the beds and I'll look up what to plant.  We want to put something in the beds this winter, but if not, we will definitely be ready for spring. 

DIY Taxes

For the last 3 years I have been doing my own taxes. This had saved me about $100 from software or $250-$300 in a tax service.  The benefit of this goes beyond the dollar savings. It's a way to make yourself learn the accountability of your income and tax liability.  In the spirit if becoming less dependent, doing your own taxes makes you understand why you have to the government what you pay them every year.

I had my first job when I was 14 years old and until my mid 20's, I had simply been completing tele-file and filling in the blanks for my tax return. At that time, I couldn't tell you the difference between adjusted gross income (AGI) and taxable income, not could I explain how they were calculated. Of course, that didn't matter to me until I was making more money and learned that I could deduct more than the standard deduction.  However, when I reached that point, I simply deferred to the "tax professionals."

While I claim to have always had a basic understanding of how taxes work I know there have been other I have encountered that really have no clue about this, I can recall people I telling me things like, "I kind-of feel bad getting a tax return since I never pay taxes and just get money from the government."  Completing your tax forms yourself educates you to understand how this system works.  It was an eye opener to actually see the tax brackets and how the system was designed, but I warn you, it can be upsetting.

I know this is debatable, but I believe the fear of letting better minds complete your taxes so you don't make a costly mistake only works to keep you ignorant.  It wasn't until I started completing my own taxes that I started making my own strategies to reduce my tax liability as much as possible and take advantage of every dollar of deductions and credits.  Learning this skill has made us a little more independent financially and has made us aware of the inequality and unfairness of the tax system to middle class families.  I will also say this, I didn't just one year stop using a tax service and start doing this on my own.  I actually used the first year to complete the forms myself then had it checked.  Plus, I went back to old tax records I had, got the forms from the internet for that tax year and completed the returns.  There was a learning curve to it, but it is definitely worth it.