e-squared

the subject of this entry are two E words that are growing important to my every day life:

Economy and Environmental(ly friendly)

My lifestyle this year in Vienna has changed a lot, in what I consider to be good, healthy ways. The combination of running on a limited budget without a steady income flow (although that is about to change with my jobs) and having a less-filled schedule than at Wellesley have definitely had large roles in the transformation.Not only do I take more time with daily activities and chores than I would at home, but I have started placing more value on the simple changes in every day routines that drastically cut down on the environmental waste I create every day.

A few years back I read that decreasing your red meat intake is actually environmentally friendly, and this year I have made a conscious effort to do that, as I am being selective about my grocery shopping and what I spend money on in restaurants. This is also economical, because dishes with red meat in Austria tend to be more expensive. I haven't had the urge for a steak since, I dunno, summer, and I might just hold off until I get stateside and can dress it with A1 sauce. Steak isn't good without A1.

To touch on grocery shopping a bit more, I could say now that I purchase considerably less than I would if I were living at home for a summer, and that I have a better grasp of how much food I actually need. Since I live 5 minutes from 3 different grocery stores and only have 2 nice reusable shopping bags, I go to the store more often and buy only a little each time. It's annoying to walk even just 5 minutes with too much to carry. Since I only plan a few meals at a time, I find that I don't waste food, since I try to finish everything I buy within a few days.

also, trying to use everything in your cupboards helps make you think creatively about cooking. And I think creativity+cost efficiency=AWESOMER lifestyle. so.

It has also been a great thing to have Clara in my dorm, because we both love trying new ideas and recipes, and we're chill about pooling our resources. My roommate's moving into a single in a few days (she can't sleep at all with someone else awake and I go to bed later and get up earlier than her....so she'll finally be able to sleep well!) and Clara is going to move in with me. Then we'll have the same kitchen and probably start taking turns getting supplies and trying to keep to a low budget to save money for other things, like increasing her wardrobe (not mine). This is also great because it is so much easier to cook for two people, and still have some extra for lunch or snack the next day.

But what prompted the train of thought for this post in the first place is my being in Vichy for a week, and having flown with Ryanair, thus only able to bring a small carry-on of clothes and toiletries. I just hand-washed some shirts (quite necessary after a few swealtry days here) and realized how much money I could save in Vienna (and back at Wellesley) if I started doing hand-wash more often. I could find a nice environmentally friendly hand wash detergent and probably use the same bottle for a few months, saving the tumble wash for just my towels, sheets, and heavy clothes. A wash cycle costs 2 freaking euros, which adds up when you have a lot of clean clothes and like them clean. Thinking toward summer, it's also a fact that I'm going to have to start washing more often. I got my dad's sweat genes (which are pretty bad, as you'ld know if you ever played concerts with him in nursing homes in the winter).

 The benefits of hand wash are actually astounding. I think I really like making things clean, from organizing my room weekly to doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen daily. I've always taken great pleasure in hand crafts like knitting and making jewelery, and I think simple (sometimes mundane) things like theserelax me and allow my mind to wander, while also being productive. So adding handwash every now and then isn't a huge deal. It's also extremely pleasant if you have a nice smelling detergent and a fun place to hang all the clothes after. Like all over the bathroom or strung up outside blowing in the wummer wind (michigan, of course). And I think this more gentle cleaning method will lengthen the life of my delicates, if not all my clothes in general.  Which is also great, since I haven't changed clothes sizes in like 3 years.

To sum it up, I'm planning to buy strictly environmental almond-scented dish-washing soap (as in, the kind sitting on Florent's sink) when living this summer in France. It makes washing dishes feel like I'm in a steamy sauna with almond lingering in the air.

Watch out, you might find me doing dishes in my new green bikini next.

peace and love.
-lab


p.s. please comment below with any additonal e-squared related ideas, I would love to hear them!