Starting Point

So, today is my first day on this challenge, but I am not exactly starting from scratch.

Here are some of the things that I already do regularly. I will post on these individually as time goes on.

• Make many of my own cleaning supplies.
• Buy food in bulk using cloth bulk-bags.
• Don't buy plastic garbage bags.
• Compost
• Buy milk in a glass bottle.
• Use cloth grocery bags.

These are some of things I will be trying out right away.

• Making my own yogurt, using the milk in the glass bottles.
• Replacing paper towels with a cloth rag system.
• Finding more stores where I can bring my cloth bulk-bags.
• Making my own bread crumbs.
• Looking for plastic-free cheese.

I will be taking an inventory of what's in my kitchen cupboards in plastic baggies to see what else I can start making myself. Here's a look at what they look like now (all of the closed cupboards are just filled with dishes, pots, pans, and small appliances).

Pretty cute, if I do say so myself! As you can see on the left, I have a cupboard full of random, assorted food in plastic bags to find replacements for: bread crumbs, arborio rice, dried fruit, etc. On the right, I have a pretty nice system of containers for baking supplies. These were mostly acquired due to some bug-problems I had in my previous home, but they'll be useful for this as well. We'll have to see what's up on that top shelf though... On the counter, storage jars for dry-goods: four types of pasta, brown rice, quinoa, and nutritional yeast. Below we have cleaning supplies, most of which are already home-made.

The storage room is some-what under construction, and a little under-utilised. It does contain a lot more dry goods, and our home-grown potatoes in a chicken-wire basket.

The laundry/utility room has lots of space for making home-brew, a deep-freeze, and cleaning supply ingredients.

Now to choose somewhere to start!

Stay tuned!