Monday, 19 December 2016

In our previous home, we had a front loader washer and dryer (eeek!). To stay green, I barely used the dryer and used my drying rack for most of our clothes. No way did I want to pay that Hydro Man once more red cent!

So, as mentioned in my last post, we downsized to an apartment. For all of you apartment dwellers out there, how do you feel about washing your clothes in a machine that has been used by many tenants in your building? We live in a building that is predominantly of a senior population and I got tired of pulling my dark clothes out of the washing machine only to find them covered in remnants of facial tissue. After that, my mind went into a whirlwind thinking about bacteria, bedbugs, dead skin flakes....you can imagine. I am a nurse by trade of of course I am going to imagine the worst case scenario.

Oh, and I neglected to mention that it costs $2.00 for a load in the washer and another $2.00 in the dryer. Most of our clothes are hung to dry anyway, so I would lug a wet load up the stairs to the third floor where we live...(and then deal with the "facial tissue lint" when I got upstairs). Too much work and not enough in return.

So, I went on Amazon.ca and bought this amazing Wonder Wash machine by Laundry Alternative Inc. (www.laundry-alternative.com). It cost me $69.00 (give or take) and free shipping. It came the very next day.

I have literally not done any laundry in our "apartment laundry facilities" since I received this great addition to our family two weeks ago. I no longer have to try and find the right change for the machines,no lugging or hauling clothes or dealing with laundry lint.

This machine is super easy. My 9 year-old daughter can now easily assist with our laundry chores simply with the turn of a handle. I help out with the rinsing and wringing out the clothing (Mommy duty).

This Wonder Wash baby holds 5 pounds of clothing (basically half a load in a regular machine) and does it all in one shot. If you don't want to wring out your clothes, you can purchase the Mini Countertop Spin Dryer (requires an electrical source). I actually enjoy the physical exercise from wringing out the clothes - but maybe because I am rebellious against using Hydro!

I now do our laundry every two days. It takes about 10 minutes maximum of my time which includes the beginning of the wash-to-wringing-to-hanging. It takes me longer to consume a cup of coffee these days.

I highly recommend Wonder Wash to those who do not have access to laundry facilities within their home - those who want to limit their imprint on the earth and those (of us) who want to feel independent and empowered without having to rely on external resources.

When the power goes out, everyone is coming to our home to wash their laundry in our Wonder Wash! You can bet on it!

Three years since my last post and hopefully I am three times more educated/smarter/better off in life..and so the saying goes...

SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!

First of all, we live next to this great city of Toronto, Ontario. Housing prices have jumped to sky high levels and professionals are now moving to our suburban area offering way more than the asking price of homes that are initially listed for on the market in our area. We are in the throes of a bidding war. Many homeowners are putting their homes up for sale at a certain asking price. They then wait for a week to see all offers "up and above" the asking price and settle on the highest bidder. Great sellers market - sell your home at a premium, rent for a year, then buy a house next year when the market settles. Easy peasy right?

For ourselves, we knew we had to make a change with respect to our own home. Our hydro (yep had a "smart meter"), gas, water and
food bills were increasing steadily, yet our incomes were staying the
same. Our 9 year-old daughter seemingly developed a strong passion for dance
and gymnastics which was also very important to us.

I actually pondered the possibility of downsizing
for probably two to three years before it finally became a reality and a
necessity. I say necessity because we gradually seemed to stop living over time and
just kept on working. It's funny (in a peculiar way) how long that an
individual will let themselves run on the same "hamster wheel" in order
to keep up with the status quo.

Well, thank heavens for that wonderful term called "fatigue". I got
"tired" of paying the Hydro Man, the Gas Man and the Water Man (usage = sewage)....Oh and shall I mention all that snow shovelling the snow in the winter? We do live in Canada and our weather can be unpredictable for sure.
Regardless, after a lot of fretting and
worrying, we decided to make a huge leap!

We officially downsized from a three-bedroom and three-bathroom home and leaped right into a two-bedroom and one bathroom apartment that includes heat, water and hydro. What a shock to the old system in so many ways. First of all, we have nowhere near the amount of floor space as we did before, but let me tell you we no longer have to worry about all of those other bills! Everything is included in one price! Heat, hydro and water all in one nifty bill due by the first of the month. Incredible if you ask us!

Now we are able to budget more accurately and plan for the future. We beat the Hydro Man! (For Now)

Food Facts

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About

We are a small German family with a big heritage living in urban Waterloo, Ontario Canada.
We have embarked on the long and forever rewarding journey of a self sustaining lifestyle.
As we are in the beginning phase of our lives, we are prepared for both success and failures as we learn new skills using traditional methods while preserving our Family and Mother Nature.
In this technological day and age, we strive to succeed on our little Homestead by growing and preserving our own food, making natural remedies, trading with neighbours and supporting local growers.
Our grandparents have been our greatest life teachers; both having survived the Great Depression.
We continue the legacy of generations past through life on our Homestead.