Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

If I could Turn Back Time........

That song has a new meaning for us.  As I have spoken of before, our home was built in 1890 with an addition added by 1910.  In living here, Joe and I have often talked about the remodeling that we would like to do.

This morning, the remodeling discussion took on a whole new turn that I am very excited about.  Last week, 2 of the 5 circuits in our electric box went out.  We have had no electricity in the kitchen, other than the 220 outlet for the stove.  The refrigerator is being run temporarily by having a heavy duty extension cord run from another part of the house.  The only other electricity that we have in the home is in the laundry & bath which share a circuit and the dryer which is on a separate 220 circuit.

This has been a very eye-opening week.  We have found that we don't need the electricity as much as we thought.  After the first 2 days, no one has missed watching TV.  That brought us to this morning.  I had 2 oil lamps lit and placed on opposite sides of the room.  Joe came in, getting ready for work, and noticed how much light those lamps provided.  He was surprised to see how well they did are providing enough light to do what needed to be done.  That was when he made the comment that changes everything.  Instead of replacing the circuit box with a larger one, we are going to wait another 2 weeks until next pay day.  If we are still finding that we don't miss the electricity, then we are going to a small circuit box.  We will then be putting electricity in only 3 rooms of the home.

Kitchen: In our kitchen, we have an electric stove (220 volt circuit) that I use when the weather is too hot for using the wood cookstove.  We also need a 110 circuit to run the refrigerator.

Laundry: In our laundry area we have our water heater and clothes dryer that share a 220 circuit.  There is one plug and we simply plug in which ever appliance we are needing to use.  We also have a 110 outlet for the washing machine.  We will keep these, but he plans to add a second 220 outlet so we don't have to switch out the dryer and water heater.  If they are not being used, we can unplug them. They will each have their own outlet however for the times when we do need both to be used at the same time.

Livingroom: This room will have a single 110 outlet to have available for the computer and my sewing machine.  The computer is a necessity since we will be using it as an income resource.  Eventually, I will have a treadle sewing machine, but until then the electricity will be needed.

This weekend when he makes a trip to get supplies, Joe will be buying a few more oil lamps and oil.  Making this change is a huge step for us. It is one that we are finding to be easier than we would have thought a few years ago.  As time goes on, we will likely find we can use even less electricity.  In the meantime though, this step alone is bringing us closer to the time when we will easily be able to manage our electricity needs with only a wind power system.

The clothes dryer & washer are appliances that are seasonal.  Whenever possible, I will be hanging the laundry on a clothesline to dry.  Days like we are having right now when it is raining, the dryer will have to be used.  The washer will be replaced with a wringer type as soon as we are able to do so.  While I still am wanting to hand wash as much as possible, I am being realistic about the arthritis in my hands and planning ahead.

We will always have the option of adding another circuit box later if we find that we have need to do so.  I am very optomistic however that it will be unnecessary.  It seems that the more time we spend doing things the "old way", the more we realise the modern ways are not as essential as we would have believed them to be.

Eventually, we will be using a wind-power system to provide our home with the electricity we need.  Cutting back now on our usage will be a good preparation for that time.  The size and type of system we use can be adjusted to fit the actual need.

Untitled Comment

03:11, Thursday, September 4, 2008 .. Posted by snowdropcottage

Glad to see you've turned what could have been such a huge problem into a positive experience. Hope all continues well for all of you. Jan

If I Could Turn Back Time

08:19, Thursday, September 4, 2008 .. Posted by backtotheland

Paula, good for you and Joe. This is a big step but it sounds like you guys have it together and are doing wonderful. I use oil lamps in all my rooms and have had the cable shut off for the TV so that will be on a lot less now and I know I won't mind a bit.

God's Blessings to you and yours,