After many phone calls and multiple emails to different businesses that I thought would use 55 gallon plastic barrels I found out that those things are 1) very expensive and 2) hard to locate! Finally I located someone who had a large number of barrels for sale and was charging a VERY low price for them! I was able to get the guy to sell me 20 barrels for $1.00 each!
Now I know you are asking your self, what in the heck will he do with 20 barrels? Don't fret my dedicated readers, I have just the plan! After seeing that those barrels are usually $5-$10 each for used ones I developed a plan. I will use the ones that I need and then store the others in my shed while I attempt to sell them for $5.00 each. I will then apply this money to my project for other materials. Yay Capitalism!
One of the catches with the barrels are that they have 2-2inch holes cut into the top. I will have to redesign my rain barrel system to fit this slight inconvenience but for the price the adjustment to the design will be worth it.
The next concern is the previous contents of the barrels. I have to be sure that no chemicals were stored in the barrels that will turn my grey water into black water. Lucky for me, food additives were stored in these barrels.
So I will go pick these barrels up tomorrow and will be ready to start my rain harvesting system by no later than next week! The only other material I will be waiting for is the pressure treated 4x4's. I know I will have to buy the other materials but the 4x4's might be free if I wait for them.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Donations
As you will see in the right column I have added a donation button. This is there for anyone that would like to donate anything towards my families journey! Most of the materials will be stuff that is laying around but some of it will have to be bought. I know most people will say why should I pay for you to build your stuff. So I thought of a couple ways to justify your donation to our project.
#1 My blog is entertaining to you. You get to see a whole family come together and make some very hard changes. Trust me it wont be easy not running the water when we brush our teeth and I have not yet broke it to my wife that we are all cutting shower times in half, that might require donations for hospital bills haha
#2 You get to learn how to do things that you can do right in your own backyard. Yes there are tons of other blogs that can teach you the same thing, but you chose mine, AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT!
#3 We are making changes that will cut down on a family of 7's impact on the earth. Think of it as us giving you more room to justify your longer shower times, or letting the water run while you brush your teeth.
#4 It will keep my wife happy knowing that all of these things I have planned to do will not completely drain our bank account.
#5 the donations are safe and completed through Paypal, you can click on the button and follow the instructions which are very easy!
All-in-all this is a hobby for myself and my family so donations are not important to us, we are going to do it regardless The good news is I can now tell my wife that I have a job and my material COULD generate income!!
Continue reading and I will continue posting!
#1 My blog is entertaining to you. You get to see a whole family come together and make some very hard changes. Trust me it wont be easy not running the water when we brush our teeth and I have not yet broke it to my wife that we are all cutting shower times in half, that might require donations for hospital bills haha
#2 You get to learn how to do things that you can do right in your own backyard. Yes there are tons of other blogs that can teach you the same thing, but you chose mine, AND I THANK YOU FOR THAT!
#3 We are making changes that will cut down on a family of 7's impact on the earth. Think of it as us giving you more room to justify your longer shower times, or letting the water run while you brush your teeth.
#4 It will keep my wife happy knowing that all of these things I have planned to do will not completely drain our bank account.
#5 the donations are safe and completed through Paypal, you can click on the button and follow the instructions which are very easy!
All-in-all this is a hobby for myself and my family so donations are not important to us, we are going to do it regardless The good news is I can now tell my wife that I have a job and my material COULD generate income!!
Continue reading and I will continue posting!
Great set up
Wow! This video is a great example of how one could be completely self sufficient on rain water and survive off of only 9 inches of rain a year! This guy describes his massive rain water harvesting setup he has and tells the viewer how he uses the water for everything from drinking, showering, and dishes to watering his animals and caring for his landscaping!
This project is obviously much larger than what I have in mind but I still got some pretty neat ideas from the video! It is a must watch for anyone that is interested in rain water harvesting!
This project is obviously much larger than what I have in mind but I still got some pretty neat ideas from the video! It is a must watch for anyone that is interested in rain water harvesting!
IMPRESSIVE!
Joined Facebook
Everyone knows that Facebook can take many hours out of your day; however, if you are a Facebook follower you can now see when the blog is updated. I cannot lose any additional day hours now that I have a home to prepare, I spend enough time updating my awesome readers about my progress! But you can "like" our blog page on Facebook by following this link! >>
ENJOY!
ENJOY!
Family education
While I am going to be searching for the materials to build my rain barrels I have to make sure I am doing it to save money! I'm not going to save money and teach the kids about conservation if they continue to abuse the resources we get now!
Like most other problems in the world you can take it head on and try to tackle it all at once or you can work at it a little at a time with a large goal in mind. I am choosing to work at it a little at a time.
I will start talking with my kids and my wife about the importance of doing their part to cut our dependence.
The first thing I will address is what we have been told since grade school. Turn the water off while brushing your teeth!
Another one is not to take long showers or to fill the bath up to the rim when bathing.
One I know I would like to sell to them but my wife would not allow for sanitary concerns is the flushing the toilet only when you drop one or two. Remember she is a registered nurse so she will not go of unsanitary conditions! Which I don't mind, I mean I want t be less reliant not have a stinky house...
Point is find ways to cut corners to conserve what you do have to use. If you fill your sink up all the way when doing dishes, try just filling it up half way and see if that works the same. I mean whats the point of trying to find ways to collect water to use if you are not willing to cut down on the amount you and your family use?
Like most other problems in the world you can take it head on and try to tackle it all at once or you can work at it a little at a time with a large goal in mind. I am choosing to work at it a little at a time.
I will start talking with my kids and my wife about the importance of doing their part to cut our dependence.
The first thing I will address is what we have been told since grade school. Turn the water off while brushing your teeth!
Another one is not to take long showers or to fill the bath up to the rim when bathing.
One I know I would like to sell to them but my wife would not allow for sanitary concerns is the flushing the toilet only when you drop one or two. Remember she is a registered nurse so she will not go of unsanitary conditions! Which I don't mind, I mean I want t be less reliant not have a stinky house...
Point is find ways to cut corners to conserve what you do have to use. If you fill your sink up all the way when doing dishes, try just filling it up half way and see if that works the same. I mean whats the point of trying to find ways to collect water to use if you are not willing to cut down on the amount you and your family use?
People that will survive
This photographer, Eric Valli, lived among a few groups of people here in the USA that have decided to leave the modern world behind and live completely dependent on nature. Click on the caption below the photo to see the full collection by Eric Valli:
Pretty amazing that these people have given up absolutely EVERY type of modern living.
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| CLICK HERE To see photo collection |
Pretty amazing that these people have given up absolutely EVERY type of modern living.
Cutting down on waste and getting immediate rewards
Soda! I love it! I also love to have the occasional night on the patio by the fire where I always accidentally drink a 12 pack of cold ones. In other words my family uses a lot of aluminum for our drinking pleasure, more than we should I am sure. We could just throw the cans in the trash but why would anyone do that?
Lest face it people even if you could care less about the fact that landfills are filling up at alarming rate, you cannot ignore that aluminum is $$$$$... and why the HECK would anyone throw $$$$$ away?!?!
So this is what you do:
Google aluminum can buyers in my area
Get out your phone book
Ask your friends
Call your local Chamber of Commerce.
However you do it, locate your local scrap yard that will purchase your cans off of you!
This will help me fund my project over the next year to become less dependent on outside resources. It will not make me rich but every cent is going to help me during this time to become independent!
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