drummbellina

How to be more self-sufficient (part 2/3)

4) Recycle and re-use:

photo by andrea fregnani

Washed out food containers and trays can be used to plant seeds or store little things, etc. Tin cans can be made into storage pots. Gift wrap, cards, bright envelopes and interesting junk mail can be made into cards or even art. Boxes from things like frozen food and cereals can be used for crafts or decorated to use as packaging for happy mail. Vegetable peelings and used tea bags can be turned into compost . Try to find a use for everything before you chuck it out or take it to the recycling centre. A lick of paint or some nice paper can transform a lot of things!
Benefits:

• Saving money / not having to buy certain things
• Less waste on your conscience!
• Feeling pleased with yourself for being so creative!

5) Make your own gifts and cards:

photo by Claudia Assad

Over the course of the year you might have to buy birthday presents for all your friends, your family, random weddings, christenings, and leaving gifts…then there’s Xmas which costs some people hundreds of pounds! That’s a big chunk of your salary that you could get back if you make presents instead of buying them. Read Birthday Preparedness for lots of ideas!Same with greetings cards. Keep all the your scrap paper and card for this. You could go all the way to the shop to pay a few quid for a printed piece of cardboard or you could make a cute one yourself, for free, in about 10 minutes!
Benefits:

• Saving loads of money - maybe hundreds!
• Always having a project on the go = less boredom.
• It’s fun to get creative!
• Your friends will love you for making so much effort and giving them one of a kind presents!
• No last minute rush to find a gift or a card when you’ve made something ahead of time.
• You won’t have to pay inflated holiday season prices for stuff.
• No Xmas shopping - fighting the crowds, paying inflated prices and screwing because you have no idea what to get Uncle Bob will be a thing of the past!

6) Cook + Bake:

photo by Simon Goldenberg

Cook things from scratch using store cupboard basics. Learn to cook your own burgers, fried chicken or Chinese dishes if you keep ordering in! Make your own pizza bases and pie crusts. Start baking cakes and cookies if you usually buy them pre-packed.The initial outlay for some ingredients might seem a lot but once you have them in your kitchen you’ll only have to buy a few ingredients if anything the next time you make it. Buy in bulk whenever possible when you know you’re getting a good deal and that the stuff will get used.
Benefits:

• Saving lots of money, no longer paying for packaging.
• Fun in the kitchen - cook with your friends, your kids, your lover or your mum! Or do it alone with a glass of wine and your favourite music playing.
• Less grocery shopping to do.
• Less weird additives in your body.

Part 3 tomorrow!

How to be more self-sufficient (part 1/3)

(This is a 3 part series that will be posted over 3 days)

1) Get a sewing machine:

photo by jelene

Once you’ve got one of these bad boys you can pretty much make any fabric item you need! If you want interesting pillows for your bed, pretty bunting for a party or a different head scarf for every day of the week, it’s within your power to make it!Sewing virgin? - Seriously, if you can work out how to load up the thread and bobbin and sew a straight line you’ll be on your way, you just have to search for the right tutorial online if you can’t work out how to make something yourself. It’s not as scary and hard as it sounds! Start with basic things, take your time and Google your way out of any hiccups. You’ll be fine!
Benefits:

• Spending a lot less on mass produced clothes and other fabric items.
• You can alter clothes that don’t quite suit you or fit you - this probably quadruples your options when you‘re thrifting!
• You can mend stuff rather than throwing it out. “Waste not want not” and all that.
• You can make clothes, home furnishings and decorations from scratch if you want to.
• Everything you make can be whatever colour, shape or design you choose, it’s not dictated by whatever’s in the shops this season.
• Your home reflects whoever lives there rather than being all generic and boring. Sofa cushions made out of your old My Little Pony bed sheets, curtains with skulls printed all over them - you can have whatever you want!

2) Grow your own food:

photo by redcherryhill

If you get through lots of fresh herbs, salads, fruit and vegetables (or if you want to) you can try growing them and save loads of money after you’ve initially bought the seeds. Write down all the produce you want to eat and find out how to grow each one by searching online or getting books from the library. Even if you just choose a couple of easy ones to start you’ll be saving some cash. If you don’t have a garden you can set up mini gardens on or near sunny window sills! Some stuff come be grown in little pots, trays and hanging baskets. You can even grow your own potatoes in a plastic bin.
Benefits:

• Save tons of money - this stuff costs a fortune!
• Cut down shopping time/trips
• Fresh produce at your finger tips - no excuse for not eating your greens. The more you eat, the more gorgeous and functional you’ll be!

3) Get yourself a bike:

photo by piermario

Buy a cheap (or free) second hand bike, name it, decorate it, add a cute shopping basket and love it! Use it for any journey that’s not too far.
Benefits:

• Save money on buses, trains, tubes and taxis…or petrol if you usually drive.
• It’s good for you and the environment, so you can feel all smug.
• You can go for random rides around the neighbourhood with your earphones in and your hair blowing in the wind and knock for your friends!
• You can go for long rides to explore parts of town you’ve never seen.

Part 2 tomorrow!