Living in the Thrift

This small town's mentality has taught me a few new things that really aren't new at all. I'm learning to use what I have and conserve in order to have what I use.

Not having a large department store just down the road has helped me realize how much stuff I am happy to live without. In fact, using what I already have gives me a strange sense of accomplishment. I not only save money, but I rise to the challenge and find new uses for things.

For example, before our big snow-fall I spotted a rusty Radio-Flyer wagon with three wheels in the mud near our driveway. Having two guest rooms down stairs, my goal has been to make them homey and enjoyable for people visiting Alaska. My vision is to make them rustic and lodge-like. So, what would I do with a three-wheeled wagon?

Just yesterday, Jon helped me take the wheels off. I cut some cork board (from a bulletin board that broke during the move) to fit inside the wagon bed and now hope to hang it on the wall. I now have a unique wall-hanging that I can use for postcards or even a guest book in our extra bedrooms.

When the sun was shining the other day, I noticed several cob-webs floating in the corners of my living space. I wanted to feel organized, so I wrote "feather duster" on my shopping list. Soon after, however, I realized I already had the tools in my closet to take care of these nuisances. A broom is not only good for the floor. Duh.

One of the unique features of our new home is that our water is shipped on and off the property. We are told city water is rusty and sulfuric. It's not ideal. So, we have a large tank in the ground behind the house that gets filled every Friday. Due to our proximity to the city, we're also not piped into the city's sewer lines. It literally stops two lots down from us. One day we're told it'll make it up this far, but at the moment, we have our own septic tank. Thankfully, it only needs to be emptied yearly (so I'm told).

Nevertheless, the church has to spend money to maintain these systems. And right now, we're pinching pennies. So, naturally, I want to use as little water as possible. For example, I used to let the water run when I was rinsing dishes in the sink. Now I re-use the water from dish to dish so I can be sure no food is going to stick after they run through our dishwasher. Water-efficient shower heads are also a must. Another trick I learned was to not throw any good water down the drain...say if I were to empty a glass of old water. Plants get thirsty, too.

While we're on the topic of water, this spring we hope to install rain barrels. Why use water from the tank to water outdoor plants (and maybe even a garden) if it falls free from the sky? On that same note, my hope is also to start a compost pile. Old food scraps can decompose into soil for future fertile planting projects. My dad used to do this when we lived in Washington. I always thought it was kind of a cool idea (a good science lesson) and now want to implement it in my home. I have one hesitation, though. Bears. We'll see if they bother it. I guess it's one way to get some great pictures!

Another thing I'm eager to do is leave the lights off in the house and lower our power bill (we have outrageous rates in Homer). I feel blessed to have the availability of natural light in most every room of our home. Living in Alaska with the light, light summers has its advantage. We still have snow on the ground, but dusk settles at 9:30pm already. Due to our high electricity prices, another trick I've recently learned is unplugging anything not in constant use: cell phone chargers, my Kitchen Aid, toaster, laptops, bathroom night lights, and I'm even tempted to put the TV systems on a power strip so we can switch them all the way on or off (not sure Jon will go for that one, though). A friend of ours took this idea to heart and said she saves a lot of money. She was amazed at the amount of power small things with little power lights or digital displays used. Many of our electronics today have some kind of computer memory in them that uses constant electricity when they're plugged in.

Strangely enough, one of the popular "shopping" places in town is the dump. There is a large shed with three driveways. At the back of the shed is a 6 ft wide conveyor belt where garbage is disposed (we haul our own garbage in this town). At the back of the shed by the third driveway is a reuse center. It's basically a corner where people place their reusable junk. We often see refrigerators, washers, dryers, tangled fish nets, and even an occasional couch. We've profited from this corner a few times. A fairly new corner desk was deposited there several months ago. With a few minor repairs, it's as good as new. We had actually planned to build one very similar in design, but God allowed us to find this for free! Jon's also found some good wood there, and a power washer. Just last week, an ABI (Alaska Bible Institute) staff member showed the student body his brand new remote control car he found in excellent condition (this was a fancy one, too).

Speaking of refrigerators, we've been told those who like to smoke their salmon often use broken refrigerators. Wood chips are placed at the bottom and a couple heating elements are installed. Place the fish on the metal fridge shelves, shut the doors, and in several hours you have yourself some smoked fish.

Some of these ideas probably aren't new to the average house wife or eco-friendly neighbor, but I wanted to share what I've recently learned. It's rewarding to implement new living strategies into my everyday routine.