This year I have been working on various upcycling projects, most of which I will show in an upcoming post very soon. I am finally getting towards the bottom of my sewing pile!! I hardly bought any clothing this year. Most of the items I bought were for upcycling. It is a very good feeling to recreate something to suit what you need it for.

Photo by Kevin Dooley from Flickr

I also have been trying to work on reducing the amount of items I have, which I find is not an easy task. It takes time just to go through the various items, then time to figure out if there is another use for them, or if it is time to just donate or give them away. Even in my kitchen I found I had more baking loaf pans than I needed. I suspect I ended up with a few of my mother’s extras when she moved to Florida. I would never bake more than two loaves in a day- however I found I could use the other pans I had for holding nuts, packaged granola bars, and half-filled bags of beans or grains. Most of my beans and grains are in jars however for the few that weren’t the baking pans make for better organization in the cabinets. I have been using small dish clothes for washing my dishes far more than using a sponge here of late. I prefer the fact that I can wash the cloths and know that they are cleaner. I don’t have a dish washer so I cannot put my sponge in a dish washer to clean it well.

One clothing item I found I bought way too much of during the recession years is t shirts. I was buying them since they were less expensive than blouses although now I prefer to buy blouses. They may take more time to iron and take care of however they are nicer and generally last longer than a t shirt. I have a weakness for t shirts with ballet leotard shaped collars, most likely from all the years of ballet classes as a child. Currently I am letting the oldest t shirts wear out and not replacing them unless they are the ones I use the most. I like to wear the old ones with pajamas bottoms or to layer under my clothing on cold days.

I am also aiming for having more dresses and fewer separates as time goes on. I have always liked skirts and blouses; however there is something simple about the ease of a dress. Since dresses tend to be more expensive I have been working on making my own by upcycling or buying second hand and altering them if I want to.

It is kind of crazy how society has us geared towards needing so many products and I find it had almost become ingrained that “you need two or three of this and that.” When I was suffering from eczema for a whole year back in 2012, the allergist and the dermatologist could not figure out what was going on. The medicine the doctors gave me only relieved the itching temporarily, not permanently and eventually I had to be the one to decide to eliminate first gluten, than dairy milk and cheese from my diet. Even when buying natural chickweed oils for the itch I bought three jars!!! Of course sometimes this stems from ordering items by mail and wanting to reduce the shipping costs over the long run. The best relief I found for my eczema was in changing my diet. Then I lost the weight gain from the bloat and digestion difficulties and the eczema eventually subsided.

I have been learning to not act on impulse when it comes to buying extras of so many items. I will often find myself thinking at least three times before I buy even one item now. Once I come to the conclusion that I need the item or really want it then that’s fine. If not, I will just skip it.

Another way I have been reducing is by baking my own bread often which amounts to less packaging being involved and making my own yogurt. After I gave up dairy milk initially I was   buying almond yogurt. It tended to be fairly expensive. Finally I found a recipe for coconut yogurt and have been using that ever since. When I think about all the yogurt cups that it takes to buy yogurt out I feel relieved that I am making my own. This is the link to the recipe I use: http://www.xojane.com/healthy/coconut-yogurt-recipe

I also managed to make my own granola bars sometimes and there are recipes I found that involved no baking. I still buy some granola bars however it is a nice feeling to make my own as often as I can. Here is one of the recipes I found for a no bake peanut bar: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/recipes/no-bake-peanut-butter-granola-bars/   I have found that one thinks they take more time to make than they actually do. If I stock up on the supplies I need for a while then I am not spending so much time out shopping regularly, therefore I can spend that time making things at home.

One of my favorite desserts during the fall and winter months is pumpkin pie. I also found a really good crustless recipe for making gluten free pumpkin pie with coconut milk. It is so delicious and almost like a pumpkin pudding! This is the link for that recipe: http://glutenfreeeasily.com/best-pumpkin-pie-ever-and-its-crustless-gluten-free-and-dairy-free/

I also began making my own deodorant last year after my aunt mailed me a batch of a recipe she had. I would say it took my body about two weeks to adjust to the change in product and there was a slight detoxing phase where one area under my arm pit had a resistance to the homemade product. After two weeks it leveled out and I can honestly say this homemade recipe works far better than the store bought deodorants I was using previously. I do sweat however it is not as much a problem as you think it will be once I got used to it. The whole year I only bought one store bought deodorant (which will most likely last me three years) for carrying with me just in case on super humid days, or if I was concerned about the coconut oil staining a blouse or dress. I have been able to remove most of the oil stains (you will sweat a bit of oil) with a mixture of vinegar and salt. Generally it is not a problem. Now I tend to wipe my underarm, after applying the deodorant with a dry wash cloth or towel before I put on my clothing. That cuts down on some of the excess oil  – also if I have any extra on my hands I use it as moisturizer for my hands or body. This is the recipe she sent me:

Natural Deodorant

Blend: 1/2 cup coconut oil- melted

½ cup cornstarch

2 Tbsp baking soda

Stir well, while still liquid and allow to cool. Add 7 or 8 drops of lavender or other essential oil.

I am inspired to learn to make more things myself this year.  I would like to make homemade laundry detergent, toothpaste and learn more about gluten free baking. It is a rewarding feeling to be able to cut down on creating waste and do thing more independently.

As for recycling I recycle as much as I can. Before I toss something I think about if there is another way to reuse it before it goes out the door. I polish my shoes with old cut up towels, or old socks. I have two buckets in my kitchen for recycling and one small container for the garbage. A little boy recently saw me down stairs in my building and wanted to know immediately what I was doing with a bright yellow bucket. He wanted to know if recycling was my “job” and I told him “no”, that it was “for the sake of the environment “.   In a way, I suppose it is a communal job. We all should be concerned with doing our share!  Happy New Year Everyone!!