A Half Year In...

As of July 1, we were halfway through this Year of Less experiment.  How's it going?  Sometimes, a bulleted list (or a series of them) can summarize better than words in a paragraph.  Here goes.

What's worked?

• Not buying books.  We've made even better use of the library than before.  I got a gift card for a bookstore from my sister-in-law last Christmas and I've been tempted to use it a few times, but I've made myself think it through quite thoroughly so that I only make the splurge on something that really counts.  Each time I want something, I sit on it for a day or three and often check it out from a library first.  So far, I keep deciding that I didn't need a particular book that much.
• No takeaway coffees/drinks.
• Brewing our own alcohol.
• Upgrading my old mountain bike to a commuter vs. buying a new (or used) one.
• Skipping out on dryer sheets.
• Homemade laundry detergent.
• Homemade dishwashing powder (future posting).
• Gifts: our homemade activity book was a hit.  We recently made homemade play-dough for one of our favorite boys (future posting) and Erin's done some crocheted things and a homemade billfold made from cork.
• Driving less: selling one car, walking lots, and riding a bike/train to work.
• The shower timer.  Who would have thought?  Short showers are easy and not even a sacrifice.  I hadn't realized how long I take and how easy it is to be under five (or even three) minutes until we bought a simple timer and got used to it.
• Buying spices in bulk and putting them all in used, labeled bottles.  When I wrote the original blog post, I got so excited about talking about baking bread that I forgot to mention that one of my main points was that spices in bulk are incredible cheap if you have a good source (in our case, the Coop in Bellingham, WA).
• Building planters from recycled pallets and having a miniature herb garden on our balcony.

What hasn't worked?

• Homemade conditioner.  Then again, we find that it's not necessary with the shampoo we make.
• Homemade mouthwash.  We might try another batch with a different, tastier recipe.

The jury's still out on...

• Homemade shampoo.  I like it; Erin's still on the fence.  When you've grown up on shampoo that lathers, there's transition involved in stuff that doesn't.
• Homemade glass cleaner.  This stuff works, but it's not quite as nice as the blue stuff from the store.  I'm cutting down on the cornstarch the next time we try it.
• Homemade body scrub with epsom salts.  Okay in theory, but we added lavender buds and they make a mess of the shower floor.
• No lights on Friday nights.  Umm...we haven't been stellar at keeping true to this one...

Of course, being able to buy "nothing" leads to some possibly unhealthy cravings.  For example, we find ourselves making lists of what to buy in 2014.  Namely, a bike/ski rack for the car and Icebreaker underwear.  But we've mostly succeeded at it so far.  Our only real capital purchases have been running shoes (we considered this a healthy joint necessity; we both already wear ours about five times as long as what the recommendations all tell people) and a food processor after ours went bonk (we did our research and splashed out on one with great reviews and a 10-year warranty rather than going cheap and replaceable; besides, no food processor means not being able to make lots of the stuff we do from scratch; and, it was purchased using a gift certificate that was a wedding gift from our friends Meryll and Justin).

In summary, it's been a great experiment thus far.  Rather than feeling like a sacrifice, we've done lots of great trips and really focused on enjoying Vancouver in place of buying stuff.  As we've stated before, we still entertain ourselves.  We've spent a night at the aquarium, been to tons of concerts (including favorites Devendra Banhart, Ariel Pink, Christopher Owens, and John Grant), checked out the documentary film festival, hosted my parents and a few friends, and taken innumerable runs and walks along the waterfront and through the city.

Bring on the rest of the year!

Soon to come: homemade almond milk, reducing food container waste (even the recyclable stuff), some volunteering experiences, homemade shaving gel and aftershave, and a few more surprises...