Simple Living Mamas Tribe! - Page 5

[transformed]

subbing.

[beansricerevolt]

Originally Posted by AngieB

I'm sure this is a silly question and I should know this but......Why should we compost?

"As plants grow they remove nutrients from the soil. In nature this nutrient is replaced in the natural cycle of decaying organic matter. This layer of rich top-soil (which is so beneficial for our plants) is called humus.

In our gardens however, we interrupt this cycle by removing unwanted organic matter (e.g. pruning, mowing our lawns and disposing of dead leaves). Without replacing this nutrient we can make the soil barren and infertile to all but the hardiest plant, leading often to the use of chemical fertilizers and feeds.

An excellent alternative to these, while keeping your garden tidy, is home composting of garden and organic household waste. Organic waste can form up to 1/3 of our weekly rubbish. This goes straight to landfill, fermenting and producing large quantities of the greenhouse gas methane.

Home composting is therefore an excellent solution to these problems, minimising our landfill waste and recycling it back into our gardens."

Short and to the point

[AlyBlu]

what is 'Subbing?"

[beansricerevolt]

Originally Posted by AidynElyMama

One of my simple living goals this year is to start composting. Any of you who do have some good websites with lots of information? Thanks!

My vermicompost "bible" is Worms eat my garbage
http://www.amazon.com/Worms-Eat-My-G...9738972&sr=8-1

My goal this month is to have it started and set up too.
Im still trying to decide where to put it. Before we moved, we had it in the basement. Now, im trying to figure out if it will "breath" stored under the kitchen sink. Anyone know?

[transformed]

Originally Posted by AlyBlu

what is 'Subbing?"

subscribing.

Joining the thread.

[Mrs_scorpion]

Hi Ladies!

My name is Gina and currently in San Diego. I had made two resolutions for this year, one is to simplify. With the amount of clutter, activities to deal with and people (8-9) living under my roof....I get so overwhelmed. I need to slow down and start living simply.

I am happy that this thread is here.

Later!

[mumkenna&lucas]

Originally Posted by beansricerevolt

My vermicompost "bible" is Worms eat my garbage
http://www.amazon.com/Worms-Eat-My-G...9738972&sr=8-1

My goal this month is to have it started and set up too.
Im still trying to decide where to put it. Before we moved, we had it in the basement. Now, im trying to figure out if it will "breath" stored under the kitchen sink. Anyone know?

Thanks for the book recommendation..Is there much cost in starting to compost? I am not very familiar with it either

[tinytina]

My main goal for the year is to simplify, and I hope to carry this theme into other areas of my life.

[chinaKat]

Originally Posted by mumkenna&lucas

Thanks for the book recommendation..Is there much cost in starting to compost? I am not very familiar with it either

I've been doing it 3 years and haven't spent a dime!!!

DH built me 3 bins out of pallets he got for free at work. I stash daily compost in a covered tupperware type container under the sink and then toss it in bin #1 when it's full, and add grass clippings and leaves. I turn #1 every few months over into #2, and #2 into #3. By the time it's in #3 it's ready for the garden!

You can make it more complicated if you want but it can be this easy, yoo.

[RedAnt]

Originally Posted by beansricerevolt

My vermicompost "bible" is Worms eat my garbage
http://www.amazon.com/Worms-Eat-My-G...9738972&sr=8-1

My goal this month is to have it started and set up too.
Im still trying to decide where to put it. Before we moved, we had it in the basement. Now, im trying to figure out if it will "breath" stored under the kitchen sink. Anyone know?

I think that would be just fine, since you probably open the cabinet fairly often. Just leave the doors open if you go away for a while.

[nathansmum]

Originally Posted by AngieB

I'm sure this is a silly question and I should know this but......Why should we compost?

Even if you don't have a garden to put it to use, it's a great step to making a significant environmental change. Food scraps that are thrown out or put down a waste disposal system rot down anaerobically and emit toxic gasses that are said to be contributing to climate change as well as then filling up landfills (and if flushed down a waste disposer is using up good clean drinking water and put into the sewage system). If you compost, they break down aerobically and emit much less and there won't be toxic runoff into water systems etc.

I also find that my rubbish bin no longer has stinky wet stuff in it and just non-recyclable packaging and bits and pieces so therefore we put out less rubbish for collection and no stinkyness around the house.

Oh, and our dog and chickens share the cooked food scraps that can't be composted.

[nathansmum]

Originally Posted by granolapunk

i just tried to join but my email address was banned?

Mine wasn't banned, but I'm still waiting for it to be activated?

[AlyBlu]

Originally Posted by transformed

subscribing.

Joining the thread.

Thank you!

[beansricerevolt]

Originally Posted by mumkenna&lucas

Thanks for the book recommendation..Is there much cost in starting to compost? I am not very familiar with it either

Its fairly easy and cheap.

I bought a plastic bin (about 1'x2'x3' for our apartment) and screen (at a salvage store, so cost was under $5), put air holes around the sides and a big one on the top and covered the holes with the screen. You need holes for it to breathe or else it will attract fruit flies and smell really bad. Plus, the worms will start to die off.
We just use the one bin. Fill the bin about 3/4 full of newspaper strips (thin so the worms can crawl through) and put in a little water (like 1/2 cup but really depends on how big your bin is) and throw in the worms. Add scraps whenever you cook. We clean it out about every 4 months and have some nice compost for our container gardens/house plants.
After the 4 months, we start again.

Like a pp mention, it can be as big as you want it to be. It really depends on what your using it for. Right now, ours will be the one box, and that is it. We don't have room for anymore and will be using it for our indoor container garden, so this should work well for us.
If you have a big outdoor garden, then you may want to have a few bin system set up.

I know people who have worm bins and no gardens at all. They actually sell their worms over the internet and use them to fish. Worms produce offspring very very fast. 1 breeder worm can produce 96 baby worms in 6 months. Plus, it only takes around 2 months for a baby worm to become a breeder. Imagine how many worms you could have in 6 months! Of course, there are ways to control the population (food, space, environment) so the worms aren't taking over.

[transformed]

My dh and I are so STARVING for simplicity, we have started back into negotians about moving back to Colorado. We lived in a ski resort when we met, in hotel rooms-shared with roommates. The cramped quarters REQUIRED simplicity. We loved it. You were almost forced outside.

We couldnt do THAT right now, but if we did move there, it would be into some kind of TINY rental quarters, and we would have a huge playground outside.

Picture this: NO commericalism. (Except ski brands. ) No fast food, no wal-mart (except for an hour away) NO impulse shopping places.

Neither of us want to live in the suburbs, living simply is very challenging though, even when you are forced to. I hate the cold and snow, and like it fine right here in florida...BUT I miss being forced to downsize. It works for me!

But we are upside down in a house right now....so for now, here we sit.

I just try to control what comes in my house...but it is so hard! Just a week ago, my dh walked in with an UGLY and OLD container of potpourri his work gave him as a gift. I made a mental note to get it OUT of my house ASAP. Then a week later, my mom was drooling over it and I was so greatful to give that junk to her. (And she liked it!)

I will bet you that at least 2-5 NEW THINGS walk into my front door daily...that I have to be aware of and either throw away, or take back to its home (like rocks outside)

How do you all stay on top of the things that just "show up" in your house?

[beansricerevolt]

Originally Posted by transformed

I will bet you that at least 2-5 NEW THINGS walk into my front door daily...that I have to be aware of and either throw away, or take back to its home (like rocks outside)

How do you all stay on top of the things that just "show up" in your house?

We have rock issues too
DD collects them.
The other day, we went through her room (declutter project, 2008 in 2008) and got rid of 70 rocks! We still have another bin to go through
Its so crazy to me to know that we really don't have many things compared to average folk. But rocks and sticks (DS obsession), we have oodels of :

[mummy marja]

I'm joining! Simplicity is going to be my theme. I read this article:http://zenhabits.net/2007/09/simple-...ify-your-life/ and it really inspired me. I sat down and wrote my top 5 things/goals in life. It's pretty basic--know what you want, and get rid of everything else.

These are my top 5:

1. To connect with people: family, friends, each person who comes into my life

2. To create: sew, knit, paint, bake. Also, to be open to the creativity in my children and husband.

3. To be physically active and have a healthy body: walk, explore the woods, go camping, canoeing, ride bikes, eat good, simple, real food.

4. To open and grow my mind and spirit by reading, analyzing, talking, learning, writing, watching.

5.To work with women during pregnancy, childbirth, and post partum: this could be as informal as being there for my pregnant friend and talking about my own experience. Or it could be on the professional level as a doula or midwife. Or all three.

This sent me into a decluttering spree--so far I've sorted my bins and bags of fabric and got rid of over half of it. And my sewing notions tolbox is not organized.

We are considering moving to a slightly smaller house on a lake. It's our dream, and would really help to simplify our lives in many ways, in that doing all our favourite things would be easier out there. I think it can happen.

Does anyone want to share their top 5 things in life?

[SugarAndSun]

I'll join too (because I always do ). I'm a "me too" person...

1. Spending time with my boys and husband

2. Doing things I love: yoga, mountain biking, growing things (flowers, veggies), sitting on the beach

3. Traveling

4. Learning -- I am truly a lifelong learner. I love taking classes and/or reading about different topics

5. Reducing my footprint on the earth

I am slowly moving more toward these goals. We fell into the middle class trap for a while, but are headed out now!

[SugarAndSun]

Originally Posted by beansricerevolt

We have rock issues too
DD collects them.
The other day, we went through her room (declutter project, 2008 in 2008) and got rid of 70 rocks! We still have another bin to go through
Its so crazy to me to know that we really don't have many things compared to average folk. But rocks and sticks (DS obsession), we have oodels of :

I used to collect drift wood. Drove DH nuts! I always had some plan for it that I never followed through on. Now I just enjoy it on the beach.

[AidynElyMama]

Originally Posted by beansricerevolt

Its fairly easy and cheap.

I bought a plastic bin (about 1'x2'x3' for our apartment) and screen (at a salvage store, so cost was under $5), put air holes around the sides and a big one on the top and covered the holes with the screen. You need holes for it to breathe or else it will attract fruit flies and smell really bad. Plus, the worms will start to die off.
We just use the one bin. Fill the bin about 3/4 full of newspaper strips (thin so the worms can crawl through) and put in a little water (like 1/2 cup but really depends on how big your bin is) and throw in the worms. Add scraps whenever you cook. We clean it out about every 4 months and have some nice compost for our container gardens/house plants.
After the 4 months, we start again.

Like a pp mention, it can be as big as you want it to be. It really depends on what your using it for. Right now, ours will be the one box, and that is it. We don't have room for anymore and will be using it for our indoor container garden, so this should work well for us.
If you have a big outdoor garden, then you may want to have a few bin system set up.

I know people who have worm bins and no gardens at all. They actually sell their worms over the internet and use them to fish. Worms produce offspring very very fast. 1 breeder worm can produce 96 baby worms in 6 months. Plus, it only takes around 2 months for a baby worm to become a breeder. Imagine how many worms you could have in 6 months! Of course, there are ways to control the population (food, space, environment) so the worms aren't taking over.

Thanks for all of the great advice, I'm looking forward to starting this spring and having tons of lovely compost for my garden this year!