New Journey

Wow post number 1. I have no idea how far this will go but I figured this was good to document. Long ramble short I'm on a new road to try and become more self sufficient. There are many reasons why I want to do this but the key ones are:

1. I think we're too reliant on supermarkets and stores.
2. I think we produce too much waste
3. I think we're all too removed from what it actually takes to produce the things we use.

Simply put I don't like being ignorant. I prefer to be more aware of what it is I use, the impact it as on my life and the environment and I finally I really like being creative. In this case I don't mean imaginative but literally creative. I am someone who likes to make things and I actually do know how to make candles and journals but want to learn more.

I also have to admit that I have a bit of a prepping streak but that's not all of why I want to do this. It is partially a prepping thing and partially an environmental thing but it's also a logic thing. I doubt I will ever be one of those people who has zero waste or one bag of garbage a year but I hate unnecessary waste. It seems ridiculous to me, for example, to buy a razor every single time when you can just replace or sharpen the blade on a razor. Why replace the entire thing each time? I doubt I'll stop buying toothpaste (though I'm willing to try out new things) but there is no reason for me to buy popcorn when I can get it in a jar without the waste and make my own in 2 minutes.

Finally I like the option to do things differently if I ever need to. For many this is a SHTF scenario (prepping) but it can also be useful during ordinary blackouts, which we get a lot of in my town, or even just during a camping trip. For example why would I take plain and self-raising flour on a camping trip when I can take a little baking powder to make self-raising flour if I want it. Saves me some space and still gives me what I want.

So that's what this is going to be. A place to document all the things I come across that I consider interesting and useful. I doubt I will post everyday but hopefully I will post things others like too. Sometimes I may not post for a few weeks and sometimes I may post 5 things I've found which I think are cool and other times I may just post a challenge I'm experiencing. Either way it will be interesting to document what I find here and if it helps others then it's bonus.

Let the journey of 2015 begin. :)