How to Save Money and Live Organically
by Sabrina Dawkins
Be patient. We are socialized in this era to want things fast: fast food, fast results. We expect immediate results when we embark on something, becoming frustrated when the results don’t come quickly. You have to start thinking long term and only buy things that will help you in the long run, not give you temporary pleasure, such as junk food and junk entertainment.
Don’t throw out food. Let’s say you buy a whole chicken on sale. You cook it and then after a few days get tired of eating chicken or forget about it, letting the rest rot in the refrigerator. Then you throw it out. I never throw out food. I always buy my meat raw and in bulk. I cut it up into meal-size pieces as soon as I get home, put the raw pieces in individual Ziploc bags, and place them in the freezer. Therefore, I never cook more than I will be able to eat before it spoils. And always look at the expiration dates before purchasing food so you can plan what to eat first or how much of a particular food to purchase considering how much you will be able to eat before the estimated spoilage date.
Buy in bulk. Buying in bulk means less wear and tear on your car and less gas money and time spent going out to buy food. I don’t eat out, and when I’m with someone who does eat out, I’m always horrified by the high prices compared to the prices at the local grocery store. I go grocery shopping once every three weeks or so, and when I’m hungry, all I have to do is walk to the kitchen.
Air-dry your clothes. Save cardboard boxes. Local stores might even have free shipping boxes they’re getting rid of. Instead of using the dryer, air-dry your clothes on cardboard boxes. I hand-wash my clothes, so I bought a 35-quart rolling mop bucket with a side-press wringer. I wring out the washed items until there are no more drips of water into the bucket and then hang them over cardboard boxes to dry completely. Washing usually means letting them soak in detergent or soap and water for at least an hour and then letting them sit in just water for a while. If the clothes are visibly dirty, I will have to do more rubbing with my hands to get the dirt out.
Use reusable cloth menstrual cycle pads. Instead of buying new disposable sanitary napkins or tampons every month, I use cloth ones. And after using one, I put it in a plastic container and place the plastic container under the faucet. The next time I wash my hands, the soapy water runs into the plastic container to clean the pad, which I let soak for several hours until all of the blood has settled to the bottom of the clear container. If blood is still in the pad, I wring it out and rub more soap directly into the pad. Then I rinse off the pad, wring it out, and let it air dry.
Know the difference between a need and a want. You don’t need entertainment. Get rid of cable TV and the desire to buy new fashionable clothes. Most of the programs are probably junk anyway. You need the computer and Internet in this increasingly technological world. There are many jobs online. Use the Internet to quickly access targeted information, not to be entertained, and to do online work.
Use fans instead of air conditioning and extra layers instead of heat. In the summer I use a fan. In the winter I wear multiple layers and only use a space heater in the closed room I’m in and when it is absolutely necessary. You will need a dehumidifier.
Use natural light. During the day, open the blinds and use natural light.
Wear your natural hair. I wear my hair natural, so I don’t have to go to the salon. I buy five pounds of black soap and five pounds of shea butter, and that lasts a long time. Just add water to black soap and shea butter to make shampoo. I hand-wring my hair after washing it and apply shea butter. A revelation I received for easy detangling is to comb my hair with a wide-tooth comb right before washing it—that way it is for the most part already detangled after washing it. Then I just quickly comb it again after the wash, and it is much easier to comb through than if I hadn’t combed it before washing it. Then I braid it into about 12 braids and only unbraid it when I go out. Keeping it braided and then unbraiding and combing it right before washing it prevents it from tangling and locking. I wear a soft scarf over it while I sleep. The shea butter is my lotion and chapstick as well.
Drink only water, and not bottled water. I thought I needed caffeine, but I didn’t like getting headaches whenever I stopped drinking it for a while. I decided it was a drug I didn’t want to suffer withdrawal from anymore, so I stopped consuming it and found out that I didn’t need caffeine, I just needed the right amount of sleep. Now all I drink is water, and I’ve never felt better. I keep two pitchers filled with tap water in the refrigerator.
Grow your crops. I can go entire seasons without having to buy vegetables from the grocery store because a few packets of seeds I paid less than $2 apiece for steadily produce crops throughout the season.
Make your own compost and fertilizer. You don’t have to buy fertilizer. What comes out of your body is even fertilizer. The dormant bare-root blackberry plant I bought last year didn’t start thriving until I sprinkled compost around it. I had poured water and urine on it, but that wasn’t enough nutrients for it to really flourish. This year I have a huge blackberry plant and a lot of blackberries growing on it. What was the compost made of? Things that people would normally throw in the trash or flush down the toilet. And urine speeds up the composting process and helps cucumbers, okra, collard greens, celery, chard, etc. grow vigorously. I composted paper, cardboard, celery bases, apple cores, peanut and pecan shells, garlic skins, the bottom portion of asparagus, sticks, leaves, dust, dirt, hair, skin etc. Why not throw your “trash” into a trash bin with holes in it in your backyard instead of throwing it into a plastic bag to be taken away by someone else? That “trash” will become gold in a year when you use it to fertilize your garden. The composting process is finished when it turns dark, dark brown. But, again, you must be patient and focused on long-term results.