Posts tagged Gardening

Of Baby Steps and Stepping Stones

April 26, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Becoming frugal involves a lot of behavioral modification. The changes you’ll need to start implementing can quickly become overwhelming. Start with baby steps to create small changes that will last and then create more meaningful goals that will deeply impact the way you live.

We’ve been taking baby steps over the last several years and now we’re getting in deep. We’re not just talking about cutting down on paper products, harmful cleaning supplies, and trash. The changes we’ll be making over the next couple of years will require us to let go of the Standard American Diet and modern conveniences. We’ll also have to learn new skills and make a true commitment to our new lifestyle. I’m 100% committed but my husband needs some convincing.

To make our transitions easier we’ll be breaking these changes into manageable goals that will allow us adequate time to make behavioral changes that will sticks.  My plan is to set a new goal each month with an idea in mind of how we’ll implement it. Over the year I may find other things take priority and switch the goal out to better meet our needs. The important part is that I have a plan to help implement the changes we want to see over the long haul. I’ll be able to see that change is actually occurring and this will help me to assess what steps to take next.

April: Grow at least one new food this year

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If at First You Don’t Suc-seed, Try Again

April 16, 2011 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , ,

As I mentioned the other day I’ll be writing about having a home garden and my successes and failures. Not to discourage you, but rather empower you by acknowledging that mistakes will be made and life will go on, I’ll be starting out with my first failure of the year.

Last year I grew my first garden and it was a HUGE learning experience for me. Two years before that I had tried to plant a few seeds on the porch and neglect them as much as possible with the hope that something would come of them. Clearly, that year, I hadn’t done any research or planning, let alone made an actual attempt to provide a nurturing environment for my plants to thrive in. Last year was different, though. I did some research, used actual plant starts, lived in a new place with a much more suitable environment for growing, and gave it my all. While the garden by no means was a flop, the production was marginal, at best. However, as I said before, it was an incredible learning experience and set me up for what will hopefully be a much more successful garden this year. I mean, a person has to start somewhere, right?

So, after what seemed like an eternity, also known as a long winter, I began to have hope that spring would actually come when the ground began to thaw, weeds were sprouting in my bare beds, and webs (eekk!!! I’ll explain another time) started to appear outside. Each day and week would past and eventually the smallest of buds appeared on bushes, brassicas and pansies appeared on nursery shelves, and lawn furniture made its way into store displays. Last week I noticed the first yellow blossoms on bushes throughout town, magnolias nearly bursting from their buds, and spring bulbs blooming everywhere. Finally, spring, despite her constantly changing weather, is here!

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