?Not Too Much Impact Family?

I had been trying to decide if we were going to be adding something to the blog every day, or just updating it every few days. (Yes, hubby will be posting sometimes, too) I guess the two day break made the decision for us. We've been busy searching for a new house and working on current house projects the last few days. (Photos at the end of this post.)

Thursday night we watched No Impact Man again. I am a documentary junkie. The first time we saw it Tyler and I were a bit taken back by the extremes Colin Beavan went to. Giving up toilet paper?! That's just a grossness I can't even wrap my brain around! Washing your laundry in cold water in your bathtub by stepping on it?...I don't think so! But, we did come away with some helpful tips and extra things to consider implementing into our own project from watching his story this time around. We both agreed we liked how his family did things in stages. It will make the whole eating local with no packaging easier if we could add that stage when the local farmer's markets are in full swing. In the mean time we will do our best to eat as local as possible, using the least amount of recyclable packaging available, and purchase our food from local stores/co-ops. This same principle applies to eating out- which eliminates most places for us. (Thankfully our favorite haunt, The Old Fashioned, fits the criteria. YAY!) We also agreed we needed to define what "local" meant to us. Tyler and I decided it means products that are grown, raised, produced or operated only in our great state...WISCONSIN. Hubs and I also marveled at how little actual trash the Beavan family created during that year; it was like nothing. That is something we are definitely going to be working hard on achieving ourselves. More recycling and reusing- no disposable things like paper towels or swiffers! Once we move to a new place with more space and an actual yard we plan to begin composting.

Now for the "fun stuff"... Fridays are typically date day. Ty has off work, the kids are usually in school, and we get to spend the day alone. Yesterday we used that time to make our first of many visits to the Habitat for Humanity Restore. I hesitate to even share the awesomeness of this place with anyone, for fear they'll steal the great finds out from under me. Seriously, if you haven't gone... GO! It's amazing! They have everything you could ever need to repair, remodel, or even do fun projects for your home at a fraction of the new cost. You'd be saving the planet and getting great deals all at once- Win/Win, if you ask me. We got a headboard for $15, and we have our eye on a few awesome lighting fixtures for the same price. They had a great paint selection- so I guess my previous post may have been for naught. There were even appliances and power tools in the inventory. Much like Goodwill, though, the inventory is always changing, so you have to check back often. If you're in the Madison area, it's located at 208 Cottage Grove Rd.

(Hubby and our youngest 7 year old sanding the bar cart on our balcony)