Yay for internet research!

I just found this awesome website for looking into the possibility of raising chickens!

http://www.backyardchickens.com/


I also floated the idea past my parents and they were a little less than thrilled. But I think I may be able to convince them by assuring them that I will take the chickens with me when I move back out of their house next summer.
Hahaha :)

Shopping assistance

Here are a couple of my favorite shopping-trip helpers :)


This book is amazing!
http://www.betterworldhandbook.com/2nd/

And I've actually found that making a list helps to keep me from impulse buying, (sometimes, LoL!)... You can Google "Grocery List" and there are a whole lot of them to choose from- just pick the one that best fits what you need.

I'm looking forward to making some of my own grocery bags. I found a bunch of patterns at
http://tipnut.com/35-reusable-grocery-bags-totes-free-patterns/
I have a few reusable bags from here and there but I think that once I make some myself, I'll quit using plastic bags all together! Yay :)

Intro: Finances

One thing that has always interested me is the way that my money influences the rest of the world. More specifically, how I can use my money instead of allowing my money to use me. When I was younger, I had a very naive outlook on this: Money causes good and bad things to happen so we should all just be good people and then we wouldn't need money and the bad things wouldn't happen. Obviously things don't operate this way and, for better or worse, money is the driving force behind the world. I know that at this point in my life I cannot live my life as I would like to without money, (although I do have a dream about living on a perfect commune that doesn't have money and is both its own providence but is still connected with the outside world, but that's another entry in itself). In this specific project, I am going to look into how I can better use my money whether by researching companies, looking at investments, or simply not spending as much.

Intro: Farm

My parents have always had a decent amount of property and we have always grown a vegetable garden. Over the years, we've tried different plants and have expanded our garden to include a few plots that are unattached. This year, I want to add even more vegetables and attempt to persuade my parents to use as many eco-friendly options in the garden as I can. (It's not that they are against the idea, they just haven't seen any 'green' options that work as well as the ones they usually use.) Also, I want to get a chicken coop and keep a few laying hens. I already know a guy who can make me a fantastic coop for a reasonable price and since my dad used to have ducks just for fun, I think I can convince him to let me get a few chickens. The only thing I worry about is not being able to take them with me when I move away next summer... but I have a feeling he would truly enjoy having them once I got them and he got used to the fresh eggs.
For right now, more research is needed. Especially in the area of climate and how it affects different crops as this has been a weird weather year.

Intro: Bio travel

Right now I'm working on research for a more environmentally friendly travel option. I commute a lot for work and school and while my conscious is decently assuaged by the fact that I drive a Honda Civic and keep up on its maintenance and drive it (usually) gently, I would like to take it another step further. After watching the documentary, 'Fuel', I have become super interested in lessening my use of gasoline/oil.

My goal is to find a safe, reliable, used diesel engine car this summer and either run it on bio-diesel or convert it to run on vegetable oil. Or something along these lines...

And by the way, if you haven't seen 'Fuel', you need to. Take it with a grain of salt, if you want to, but it still makes a plethora of good points.