How to Live on $1.25 a day

One thing I do to conserve propane is cook as little as possible. I get dried beans and rice from the food pantry, but I also get canned beans. Canned beans only have to be heated up. I eat a lot of sandwiches, and way too much bread, but I don't have to cook it, unless I make toast or grilled cheese sandwiches. Cereal is always good too when I can get it.

I've tried cooking in the truck but it wasn't too successful. I'd like to try a real solar cooker when I can afford the materials to build one. In fact, I'd like to have a lot more solar power. I just have to have the money for the materials to build the equipment.

Cooking in a camper heats things up too. Not cooking helps keep things cool, although once winter comes, I'll be cooking more to help keep things warm.

Since I don't have running water, yet, I don't have a hot water heater either. I sometimes heat water on the stove, but I try to remember to fill my solar shower bag and use that for washing. It's amazing how hot it gets on sunny days. I can take a shower and have enough left over for dishes.

With such tight funds, going to the laundromat is an extravagance. Washing clothes by hand is free, well, almost. I used to make my own soap but have fallen out of the habit. I'm thinking about doing that again. I'd still have to buy lye. I don't have wood ashes now to make lye from.

I have used just a bucket and a plunger to wash clothes. I still do wash the dog beds like that, but I bought a table top washer some years ago and love it. The only drawback is that it doesn't hold much so I have to do laundry every day almost. It's still cheaper than the coin operated machines.

I hang clothes in the bathroom to drip and then hang them around the camper. If I wan't in an RV park, I would hand them outside. I love the smell of fresh, sunny clothes.

When I moved, I left behind a large garden I had made out of a gravel driveway. I worked hard to build up the soil using compost and rich New England soil. I had raspberries, greens, tomatoes, beans, squash, onions, garlic, and every year experimented with new plants. I happily lunched on fresh salads during the summer and ate stored food in the winter. I miss my garden.

When I can be on my own land again I will start another garden. For now, I'm gardening in containers. They actually grow really well in containers. I brought some seeds with me so it's just a matter of finding containers and good soil.

Something else I will have when I'm on my own land is chickens. I'm too grossed out by the conditions in which commerical chickens are kept. I've seen videos of the birds being released from the cages and they look like victims of concentration camps. Their eyes are glassy and they can barely move, not to mention that they have few feathers on their body. I'm still looking for someone nearby who keeps fat and happy backyard chickens and sells eggs.

I'm looking for some road stands too for produce. I like eating fresh food and supporting local growers too.

I was lucky enough to get a good laptop computer recently and that has truly been a blessing. It has WiFi so I’m online through the RV park. I have an Etsy shop, a Zazzle store, and I’m blogging and writing as much as I can to make some money. It hasn’t happened yet, but I’m hopeful. The laptop also plays DVDs so when I get wrung out from trying to write, I can watch a movie.

I also was blessed with a decent digital camera. I can take walks with the dogs and take the camera along. It has helped with providing me with images for my articles as well as for my Zazzle store.

I don't forget my other blessings too. My sweet dogs give me love and insist I take walks with them. My friends and family who help me when they can. Even living in the park has its blessings - neighbors who look out for each other and help with things like lifting and installing air conditioners. And my online friends who send encouragement and inspiration.