Today we’re talking about how to Live Simply in the area of our homes. Not cleaning them (that’s next week), but the actual structure.
In my fantasy world, I would live in a yurt with a composting toilet, completely off the grid with wind turbines and solar panels. Oh, and lots of room for a huge garden, chickens, and maybe a goat or two. In reality, we are upside down on our mortgage (thanks, economy) and will probably be in our 3 bedrm 2 bath ranch with a very shady yard forever. I’m not complaining, just sharing that I don’t live in a super green house.
If you’re looking to buy a house, there are plenty of resources to help you find green options, some cooler than others, depending on how much you can talk your spouse into. You could even look into cohousing options. When we were looking for houses, DH was adamant that we have an extra garage for his Corvette and motorcycles. Now it’s a storage room for brewing equipment, but I digress.
So if you find yourself in a regular old house, what can you do to simplify and be green?
We are taking baby steps. We replaced all the carpet in our house with a composite material that looks like wood. We couldn’t afford reclaimed lumber but that would have been another cool choice. It has really cut down on the amount of cleaning we have to do – with two dogs and two cats, it’s so much easier to sweep up the hair than try to vaccum and shampoo carpets. We I am trying to declutter and get rid of things that I don’t love. We don’t have central air, just an energy efficient window unit for the bedroom. We also have our thermostat on a timer so it’s a little colder when we leave for the day or are sleeping, saving money and energy.
Additionally, we’re saving up for additional insulation and would like to replace our front window, which lets in a lot of heat.
DH so far has nixed composting and rain barrels but we’ll see . . .
Green America has a handy little Efficiency Poster with tips for saving energy in your home.
What ways have you found to save energy in your home?
This post also shared at Simple Lives Thursday
We rented a house last year with hardwood floors and it was so amusing to watch our cat chase tufts of cat hair around on it 🙂
The husband and I are saving up money for a house right now and hopefully we’ll be able to get all the “green” parts of it that we want.
Jessica
How exciting! Good luck house hunting/saving.
We live in an apartment which has carpets … I wish it had hardwood or tile floors instead … but the management would get a little upset if I ripped their carpet out (lol). We do as much as possible, though … we compost and grow a bunch of veggies on our little patio. We recycle and use CFL and LED light bulbs. We use Eco-friendly, handmade cleansers (vinegar is my best friend), and rarely turn on the heat/air conditioner (when it got down to 19, we turned on the heat … just a little). I’m one of those people who believes that every little effort counts. 🙂
Thanks!
19? wow, you are hardcore! We need to look into different lightbulbs, as we were replacing the lights in the bathroom vanity with CFL as they burned out but now that they are all CFL it is way too dark.
We have hardwood! You are so right about the clean up. Especially with the snow right now it is easy to clean up with an old towel. We also just started collecting cans, plastics, paper & cardboard for recycling. I know that is a duh thing but for us it was huge. My hubby takes our trash to work to the dumpster and this has reduced the amount he takes by 1/2! I feel so much better about our trash going out–now to start that compost bin. . . .
We recycle at work but I REALLY need to do it at home, too. Small steps, eh?
We rent, and our landlord recently pulled up the carpet and put in laminate flooring. I love it! I just saw Small Footprints comment about vinegar. I was just thinking yesterday as I was pouring vinegar in my dish water (we have hard water)….Vinegar is my best friend too!!! LOL 🙂
Next week I hope to explore some cleaning recipes . . . vinegar seems to be the magic substance! LOL
We keep our temperature low, very low at night, despite the below zero temps we have had outside. In the summer we garden, catch water for garden use in a rain barrel, don’t use our air conditioning, preserve food for winter dining. I use all homemade cleaners, 100 percent natural makeup (the ingredient list looks like I could eat it, which makes me wonder if I could make my own, hmmm). Ride bike to work in the summer. Well the list could go on and there are so many areas we are still trying to make changes, its better that the changes come slowly that way we can stick with them.
Very nice article.
-Brenda
Sounds like you are well on your way! Good tip about adding changes in slowly though. I am trying to be patient but still move forward.
I just read your blog about the 3 bedroom, 2 bath ranch not being very green. I think it is all in perspective as I live in a 3 bedroom, 1.5 bedroom ranch, 1500 sq. feet (plus basement) with 5 people. We have a 1950’s ranch, and to be honest I have become very excited about it after reading “Atomic Ranch” and the blog “Atomic Indy”. Both are dedicated to preserving the mid-century ranch houses. I have discovered just how “green” it really is, at least mine is well built they, has hardwood floors, double paned windows, brick that requires little attention… I also discovered the “Remodeling for the Not-so-Green House” by Kelly Lerner and “Not So Big House” books by Sarah Susanka and decided to take a wall out inside my ranch to make the living/dining room bigger without changing the footprint. With a few “green” upgrades rather than buying a big new house, I can keep a small house cleaner with much less time. I have room for a garden (cuts down on mowing) and anytime I plant a tree or bush, I make it part of an “edible” landscape for me or the birds.
You know, you’re right – I am greener than I thought! It’s so easy to get discouraged instead of looking at what we do have. I also love the Not So Big House books! Thank you for making me feel better 🙂
Love the idea of this. I have some de-cluttering to do over here…