Lemonade 2010
It all started with the economic downturn and jobs and work being spotty at best. This in combination with some family members in similar situations, started to grow into an experiment all its own. We have all heard the phrase “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” This project is exactly that, with economic lemons. I started to wonder how to reduce costs, improve efficiency, simplify and reduce drag as we move forward. Early efforts were simply measures to use green technology and skills to reduce household costing. Gaining momentum, we determined that just using CFL bulbs was not enough. Walking instead of driving, eliminating costly activities, reducing or eliminating purchases and many other plans were underway. Fitness, healthy eating, and building skills by doing maintenance and chores took the place of driving and buying things. Locating things no longer needed were sold on Craigslist, and uncompleted projects were finished or scrapped. The experience was empowering and relieving. You felt less like a victim of circumstances and more like you have some control of your future again. This was the major reason for the title of the project. When purchases were needed, quality would always trump quantity, and sustainability was a major focus of item selection. As money only seemed to trickle in, months went by, and in the last month of the year, we are combining 3 complete households into one, sharing skills, using space more efficiently, doing more work for ourselves instead of hiring people to do work for us. Aside from the obvious advantages of splitting costs between more people, we can now purchase food and supplies in large quantities, use heat and electricity far more effectively, and share transportation more regularly. All very useful in saving money. The sale of duplicate items produced a large influx of cash, making life more comfortable for everyone and reducing financial stresses even further.
What started out as “going green”, became a lifestyle revolution and an education in social engineering that has been incredibly beneficial for everyone. Rethinking your own life footprint and living density may reveal some obvious advantages to making some changes.
