Today I want to take you along on a simple & sustainable day in the life. I made a few notes throughout my daily routine yesterday which I would like to share with you.
I strongly believe that it is the little things that make the difference. If you assess and change your habits and find more sustainable alternatives, you can shift your daily routines to a more mindful, sustainable life. At first, it might seem more time consuming or elaborate to do things differently. But I find that a lot of sustainable habits come with additional benefits that greatly outweigh a few extra minutes or the requirement to learn a new skill.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about what simple living means to me. In summary, I feel like simple living is an awareness of life. It is centered on reduction without feeling deprived. On the contrary, it is aimed at increasing happiness while simultaneously reducing distractions. I believe that simple living looks different for everybody depending on your values and interests. For me, personally, there are four topics closely related to my idea of a simple life. In short, those are: minimalism, sustainability, DIY / homemaking and living space. You can find the complete blog post here.
Let’s have a look at my day now.
7:00 Breakfast
I have been making my own granola for a couple of months. The recipe is very simple and easy to make. It contains oats, nuts, seeds, honey, maple syrup, coconut oil, salt and cinnamon. If you would like to get the exact recipe, let me know and I will share it in a future blog post.
Update Jan 30, 2023: You can find the granola recipe in this blog post.
8:00 Biking to kindergarten with my daughter
We have made it a habit to avoid using the car for all trips within our small town. It takes only a few minutes longer to bike instead of drive. And not only is it beneficial for the earth, it is also a lot healthier for us. I cherish the bike rides to kindergarten and back and always feel refreshed and ready to start the work day when I come back home.
8:30 Prepping Yarn for Natural Dyeing
As you probably know by now, I have an Etsy shop where I sell my hand dyed yarns. Since sustainability is the core value of my business, I only use natural dyes, often from my own garden or surrounding area. The yarn I use is exclusively from German sheep to avoid transports over long distances and support the local wool industry. It is organic, non-superwash and nylon free.
On this specific morning I prepped some skeins for the dyeing process. If you are interested to know which steps are involved in the natural dyeing process, you can have a look here. In this blog post I cover everything about how to naturally dye yarn from start to finish.
10:30 Cleaning Using Natural Homemade Cleaners
For several years now, I have been using a mixture of water and vinegar (in a 1:1 ratio) as my main cleaning agent. In addition, I use citric acid and soda (NaCO3). It works great and all I have to do is refill the spray bottle from time to time. By the way, CH3COOH is the chemical formula of acetic acid which vinegar consists of.
11:00 Making a new batch of deodorant
We have used one 100ml / 4oz jar of deodorant for about six months now and were running low. I simply made a new batch and it took me less than 10 minutes to make. Since I made twice the amount this time, it should last us about a year. If you would like to know how I make our natural deodorant, you can find the recipe and instructions here:
https://www.rosemaryandpinesfiberarts.de/how-to-make-a-natural-deodorant-simple-diy-tutorial/
11:30 Biking to kindergarten to pick up my daughter
12:30 Lunch
On Mondays we usually have lunch with leftovers from the weekend. Not only does it keep food from getting discarded, it also saves time since I don’t have to prepare a meal that day.
13:30 Mending two pairs of socks
We usually have some time of rest after lunch. During this time frame I usually do some kind of craft, mainly knitting or crocheting. And although I am not very good at it, I also try to mend as many damaged pieces of clothing as possible. This time I mended holes in some socks that belong to my husband and mother. I also mend a lot of holes in my daughter’s pants. If they have holes in their leggings that are made out of jersey fabric, I usually simply cut them above the knee so they can use them as shorts in summer. I don’t even hem the edges since jersey doesn’t fray.
15:00 Making Rolls for Dinner
Since spring of last year we have been making our own bread and rolls. I have a sourdough starter in the fridge which I mainly use for baking. However, if I forgot to prepare the dough the night before, I sometimes make rolls without sourdough, simply using yeast.
20:00 Knitting
I have been sewing and knitting my own clothes for about five years. By now, most of the tops, skirts, dresses and accessories I wear are handmade. Making my own clothes is not only a way to be more appreciative and mindful about the clothing I own, it is also a way to relax and a source of happiness for me. In the evenings, when we have brought the kids to bed, I pretty much always wind down with some knitting, crocheting or embroidery.
This is how a typical weekday looks for me. If these kinds of posts are interesting and valuable for you, let me know and I will be sharing more posts on the topic of a simple & sustainable day in the life.
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