One Size Fits All

I’ve been reading Chile’s archives as my role as a bean stalk (thanks Chile!) and was reminded of some challenges that were presented last year. Specifically, Crunchy’s no TP challenge.

Now that its been a year since I began blogging, I should probably write about why I chose to blog anonymously (as anonymous as one can be online anyway).

I had been looking for a blog that discussed two main topics that I am somewhat obsessed with: money and environmental issues. And I wanted to read detail. I wanted salary info, grocery tabs, tips, online articles, etc. I didn’t find that blog, so I started the blog I wanted to read. And quite frankly, I like reading my blog very, very much. 

When I heard about the no TP challenge I wondered if I ought to admit that I didn’t use TP or even cloth wipes. One of the reasons I didn’t admit anything was because I still had mental scars from my initial days after I immigrated to the U.S. and was still open and vulnerable to criticism. As a new immigrant, I used hankies for snot (no matter how thick the snot was). I used my bare hand to wipe my bottom (with some water). Because that was how I was taught to clean up after doing my business in the toilet (which in my family was referred to as "london". There is also an open sewer in Madras that is referred to as Buckingham Canal…but this is getting a bit off topic).

So when I blew my nose into my hanky, I had to listen to the "ewws" and the "gross" comments. And since I was lonely and depressed and trying to fit in, I slowly switched to using tissue for my nose. It was a slow process because I couldn’t figure out how to use facial tissue. The material was flimsy and I often wound up with snot in my hands, and if I forgot to empty my pockets my clothes would be covered with a fine film of tissue particles. And I was very afraid of the Mr. Bean effect: a dangling bit of tissue hanging out from one nostril. But eventually I got the hang of using tissue for my nose and got into the habit of tossing it out after one use.

But try as I could, I could not figure out how to use toilet paper to wipe myself. Especially after #2. It was way more messy and I thought it was gross to not use water to wash up. And its a good thing that there were no judgemental people watching me clean up after myself, because that would have been too traumatizing. 

This non-tp use wasn’t a problem for a while. But then I started to make friends. Which led to invitations to spend nights or weekends over. Which led to panic attacks. Will they ask questions if I take a bottle or mug to the toilet with me? How do I explain this? So what did I do? I turned down the invitations. Not using tp was my dark dirty little secret.

Until I started to run across these online environmental bloggers. And note that while I am not a very affectionate person, I wanted to reach out and hug these people wanting to get away from TP usage.

Anyway…personally I think cloth wipes for #2 are a bit gross. Knowing how lazy I am, if I used wipes they would probably lie around being stinky and grossing me out. I like using my little bottle of water. Its most comfortable for me and I think the most hygenic. For first time users, you can always hop into the shower for a better clean if you don’t trust your left hand to do the job well.  

However….growing up in my parents house we had a bidet. It was only when I went over to grandma’s that I had to use the water-hand method.

As for me trying to fit in and be liked…I gave up on that idea a while back. I was very weird when I was growing up, and I am weird today. So I was pleasantly surprised to encounter all these people online blogging about stuff that I think about and used to be too scared to talk about for fear of alienating even more people. Sometimes I almost want to hug everyone, but then I remember my issue about touching people and the fact that I don’t actually know any of these bloggers. But I’ll give a little online *hug* to everyone on my blogroll, for making me feel really warm and fuzzy inside (the sangria I’m drinking now has also contributed to that feeling).

Its probably weird to be giving thanks to my bloggy friends in a post about toilet habits…but if all this peak-oil/sky-is-falling people are right, we might have to get close and intimate with our poo. And I guess environmentalists will be leading the way. 

After months of sitting around being nervous, I can finally admit that I have found success with the Diva Cup. I’ve been using rags (that are glad) for about 2 years and every month the entire process of getting in touch with my womanhood is a giant pain in the…well…you know.

Now I figured it out. And it is easy like arduous and crunchy chicken said it was. So yay!

Now I have a giant bowl of vegan vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry syrup to comfort me while I try not to die from the cramps.

Not sure if I am inspiring people or not but….

• My neighbors have started drying their clothes out in the backyard. The adult male rides his bike (I see him all the time arriving or going somewhere on a bike) everyday

• Friends are talking about buying worm bins for composting and baking their own bread

• Friends are also either starting to bike or biking more

I like offensive humor. Not the kind that emphasis toilet habits, but the kind that is not allowed in polite company. The sort that screams: Nothing is sacred!

So I’ll come clean. The type of humor that makes me laugh out loud is the sort that would NOT fly at cocktail parties. Even the ones I attend. Alas!

A few days back I linked to plentymag’s environmental humor podcasts. But now I think most of them are a bit lame. They are a little too heavy on the anger. I think if there is a point to be made in humor, it should be done with as few undertones of anger as possible.

With those formalities out of the way, here is a post on being an environmentalist.  An excerpt regarding environmental debates:

 The debate gets bogged down in bogus details. Who gives a shit about CO2 and surface temperature? A lot of us came from places that get buried in snow. We have air conditioning now. Florida real estate developers have long deceived us into thinking a humid swamp is equivalent to some kind of paradise. When people think global warming they think their hometown will be like Tahiti complete with a beach and a obsequious native to bring them fruity drinks with little umbrellas in them.
The point should be that cars stink. Conduct all environmental debates near a tailpipe of a running car. As refreshments serve water from an industrial waste dump. For food serve the latest mad cow burger. Let’s see how long you love autos when this is all you see of them. No need for stats. Just suck in some fumes and see that this can’t be good for me. End of debate. Your opponent will have a hard time coming up with a comeback when he struggling to get proper oxygen to his brain

Gee…this is long. Brevity is not the word of the day. 

My new raise kicked in this month. I immediately increased my savings (from 5%) and my contribution to my defined contribution (401(k)) plan from 5% to 10% reducing my federal income tax by a few bucks every paycheck. I get 100% matching for the first 5%. Retirement also includes my IRA. Currently we’re not paying anything toward husband’s retirement (if I die and husband decided not to kill himself from grief, he’ll get life insurance proceeds). If I get my expected raise a year from now, I will start contributing toward his retirement account and possibly pay toward his student loan as well, since we’ll be flush with cash. This is the benefit of being extremely frugal. Any extra cash feels like we’ve won the lottery. This is how my income breaks out (numbers based on gross income)

Retirement	17.36%
Savings	14.53%
Student Loan	2.50%
Taxes + Medicare + etc taxed stuff	18.86%
Living Expenses	46.76%

Savings includes my health savings account. I am supporting myself and husband on this salary. Husband’s PT job wages goes toward his student loan payments which is not included in here. If you’re wondering what my salary is: its $39,086 gross.

I notice many people find my blog searching for information on living a tightwad lifestyle. I suppose I better dole out some advice.  So…listen up.

Neither of us feel deprived with our lifestyle or my income. There are days when I feel positively wealthy. Once in a while I feel a bit mopey over my small savings account and the fact that I spent a fortune eating crappy food for so many years…but I guess I had to go through that to arrive where I am today. 

We follow all the usual personal finance advice: brown bagging lunches every day, making from scratch, turning down heat, etc, etc. Basically all the boring stuff that a magazine like Kiplingers comes up with every few months. And I am a nickle and dime type of person, so I strongly believe that all the small actions contribute toward substantial savings in the long run. But at the same time, I will spend alot of money on a product if I believe its worth it…such as a Wüsthof Chef’s knife or a good quality cast iron pan.

So what are the unusual things we do to save money or live a thrifty life?

1. We are childfree. While I made up my mind only very recently over this issue, I think the fact that I used birth control and had an abortion fund for years has been a very significant source of saving money and being aware of the cost of being a parent.

2. We are pet free. This decision has often been made for us as most rental units discourage pet owners from renting in a variety of ways. And my husband and I are just plain lazy. Having to feed another being would take away time from us lounging around being lazy. I don’t think this is going to be a lifelong decision however. I have realized that there are some very practical reasons where I would need the following: dog, cat, hawk, goat, hen. So maybe when we finally get our own land, we might get some critters.

3. We are car free. This too was a decision made for me…or rather, owning a car was never a priority for me. My husband got rid of his car in the late 90s when he discovered that we was paying more in car insurance for his junker than the car was worth. And since we love living in urban environments, a car is often a nuisance. 

4. Our hobbies are free or cheap. So we don’t own a television (we watch DVDs on my computer) or play the latest computer games, anything that requires a steady payment (except for our naked dsl line). We love biking, reading, and talking. Additionally, I actively spend time limiting my exposure to advertisements whether on TV or online. I am weak in the head so I don’t see a need to expose my poor brain to wealthy marketing firms’ gimmicks.

5. We try out crazy experiments. And I use the word crazy only because other people say  its crazy. These experiements don’t save money as much as expose us to a new way of thinking. One of my first experiments was done when I was single and 18. I decided to quit watching television for a month. At the time, I thought that the single worst thing that could happen to me would be missing my favorite television show. I found that sentiment to be disturbing. Plus I was constantly arguing with my younger sibling over what to watch. I spent the entire month locked up in my room reading books and listening to music. And after that month was over, I never had the same interest in TV again.

Nowadays we try other experiments like going vegan or using grey water to flush the toilet or increasing the number of days between showering. Often the main question behind these experiments is how I would deal with my life if I had no: electricity or tomatoes or water or whatever.

But there must be a downside to living on 46.76% of my income right? Why, yes!

1. I live in a crappy neighborhood. However, when I lived in Center City paying the same amount for a small one bedroom apartment in a gorgeous neighbood I also had problems…but never heard gun shots. Although…I did have to deal with bums sleeping outside my building and annoying drunks staggering all over the sidewalk.

I originally moved to my current neighborhood because I was going to take out loans to finish up my degree and I wanted to limit my living expenses as much as possible (husband was also in school and we were working PT). However, the apartment water pipes froze in the middle of winter and our heating system broke, and I had exams and my period and I was going mad with stress. So I moved into the current place after breaking my lease because we needed a place asap. I decided to stay on for a few months past our lease this year because we’re planning a cross country move and moving to a new place would increase costs only to move again across the country. So I decided to deal with living next to abused kids, pets, annoying banshees and practicing bands.

That’s the only downside. This post will have an abrupt ending because its getting too long.

We’ve been using baking soda (also called bicarbonate soda, a base) to brush our teeth for the past 2 months (I mix table salt with baking soda in equal parts and a bit of tea tree oil for flavor). We also floss daily and so far I’ve haven’t noticed any change in our teeth or gums (bleeding, sensitivity, or formation of cavities). I started using baking soda because I wanted to eliminate the plastic packaging that comes with tooth paste. My decision to use baking soda to brush my teeth has nothing to do with fluoride that is often found in toothpaste which is apparently a touchy subject for some people.

I decided to read more about the use of baking soda and its effects on oral care and whether it was actually a good idea to use it for oral care. I also wanted to see what flouride actually did to one’s teeth.  

Our teeth are constantly undergoing remineralization and demineralization based on what we eat.  Fluoride serves to protect our teeth enamel which can decay quickly if exposed to too many acidy foods (lemons, vinegar, tomatoes etc)[1]. Additionally, our mouth is naturally a bit acidic and saliva is a base that neutralizes it. Most people in the US drink water that contains fluoride whether they want it or not. You can check here to see how much fluoride is in your water supply. After reading about fluoride, I think the fear of fluoride comes from the fact that too much can be poisonous. Here is a paper stating some facts about fluoride, including how much is necessary at various ages. For adults the amount required is between 3.0 to 4.0 mg per day.

So essentially good oral care means ensuring that the teeth enamel is not exposed to too many acids because it would break down the enamel which will cause pain and expensive dental bills. So using baking soda to brush my teeth means that I’m using a base to neutralize the acidity in my mouth. Thus, baking soda does not harm one’s teeth. 

I know that the poor in my home country use wood ash to brush their teeth. I’ll bet that wood ash also serves to neutralize the acids in our mouth. So using wood ash is super eco-friendly for those with access to a wood stove.

Hmm…it just occured to me that we could use wood ash to decrease the acidity in our composter instead of buying garden lime.  

EDIT: Husband has a chem degree so he had this to add:

F₂ (Pure Flourine) is the most reactive gas known to man. It will corrode nearly all metals, etch glass, and cause paper to burn upon mere exposure at room temp.

F-, however is an ion that can only be found in water solution and will kill bacteria that cause tooth decay, but is not known to harm a human in any way.
Note, F2 is similar to Cl₂ (Chlorine) in properties. Cl₂ was used in WW I was a chemical weapon. It is now banned.
Cl- is an ion that is critical to life. If you got rid of all Cl- in your body you would die instantly.

Basing any opinion of an element based on what that element can do in a much different environment is not science. It makes no sense in anyway except for a dream like associative way.

But, you know, people would rather eat food with a small amount of toxins in it rather than hear a chemistry lecture…

[1] One method we use to check our food content’s acid level is by watching our worms. If our worms turn white we know we’re composting too much acid based foods. You can also just try the PH paper method to figure out acidity levels, but worms are so much more fun. 

 

Ever since Green Bean mentioned Earth Hour, I’ve been spending my evenings with the lights turned off. I’m not spending my time in the dark to make a statement on climate change. Instead, spending time in candle light makes me sleepy so I can go to bed easily and thus wake up early and get to work on time.

I’ve made some observations with this excercise.

1. It helps to be organized. You don’t want to trip over piles of clothing/shoes. This is worse for husband who is probably legally blind without his glasses and tripping also causes wax spillage. Wax spillage makes wife cranky.

2. Who knew candle technology coutld get worse? When we first began experimenting with candle light, we purchased candles made out of beeswax as well as cheapo candles from Target. Target’s candles don’t hold a steady flame and the flickering drives me nuts. Beeswax candles hold a steady flame and two or three of them can provide enough light for a little bit of bedside reading. Beeswax candles at the Reading Terminal Market at $3.00 each. I haven’t calculated how long a single candle lasts. They are the sort that fits into a regular candle stand. Target’s cheapo candles are $0.99 and are fatter but smell a bit icky. We purchased the non-scented variety of cheapo candles.

 

3. When we blow out the candles, the lights from the street are incredibly bright. I am very glad that I purchased dark, heavy curtains to block out the light. 

My husband sent me this story about the world’s most environmentally friendly car. But it got in trouble with the law for being "unsafe". The case was dismissed. The video is fantastic and worth watching.

Kiplinger had a good article on moving away from the lawn aesthetic. I don’t want to think about the amount of water that is wasted, but:

American yards have a drinking problem. for decades, we’ve bought into the aesthetic of the perpetually green lawn — watered, fertilized and pest-free. And we’ve landscaped our yards with exotic plants that crave more water than the climate naturally supplies.

At 32 million acres, lawns are the largest irrigated crop in the U.S. We pamper them with one-third of all the residential water used daily (7 billion gallons); in some regions, it’s as much as 50% to 70%.

 

The article actually suggests rainwater harvesting! There was also a little sidebar stating that at least "36 states are anticipating water shortages within five years. Municipalities and utilities face a challenge: Either build expensive and often unpopular new infrastructure or motivate people to use less water." I wonder which option will be chosen initially. I’ve heard of Californian cities and towns successfully implementing water conservation projects…but will that work in these 36 states? Another alternative would be to steal like Georgia did when Georgia recently claimed a sliver of the Tennessee River. There is also the option of reusing bath/washer water to flush a toilet either by the use of a bucket or by buying a contraption.

Edit as mentioned earlier (more…)