Getting started

I actually started thinking about doing this a few years ago. I even did start to do *some* things. But I was a busy mom with young kids and a part time job, among other things and just didn't have the time to really follow through on a lot of this, even though I wanted to.

I even spent some time going vegan but once again, trying to keep up with it and keep up with the rest of my family was hard. Its always hard being the only one doing these life changing things.

Now the kids are older. I still work part time but because the kids are busy with many of their own things, I have more time to try and actually get some of this going. And well, the gas prices had a lot to do with this too.

I've always been unhappy with how dependent we are on oil. One of the things that I think made America unique was its character of independence. I personally think that the American Dream originally was the opportunity for people to live *independently*, whether that meant not getting hassled about one's chosen religion, or being able to live without government interference.

Nowadays, we have become way too dependent on the government, foreign oil, and basically, convenience in general. We've become lax. And while all of this is convenient, and might look like "the good life", it comes at a very high cost. I dont know about you, but i'm not willing to pay that cost anymore.

When we first got married, I moved into my husband's house. He had bought this house and moved in about a year before we got married. At the time, I wasn't sure if this was the house I wanted to live in for the rest of my life. But now, 20 years later, I can honestly say there are some distinct advantages to this house. As I go through each of the ways I plan on becoming more independent, you will come to see what I mean.