We Have Liftoff – The Seeds Have Germinated

Germination station

It’s been two days since I started the seeds on fibre mats and today the first seeds germinated. I placed the tray on a heated mat yesterday to help them along, and it seems like they liked it. I removed the floating seeds from the soaked chili and pepper seeds and placed the rest of them on a papertowel. I would’ve used another fibre mat if I had one, but I’m all out.

Now it’s time to start soaking the tomatillo seeds. I don’t think they’ll need as long, so I’ll probably place them on some paper towels tomorrow. I don’t know if they’ll do as well as the ones on fibre mats, but I have ordered some more fibre mats that will be here next week.

No Spend Year

I am on a no-spend year and for the first quarter of the year I only spent 5-6 percent of what I spent the first quarter of last year. The plan was to not purchase anything online all year, but unfortunately I am not yet at a point in my life where that is possible for me. To clarify, I don’t shop online. However, when I need something that’ll be more difficult to acquire on my own, or that will be delivered to me quicker if I buy it online, buying it online becomes the better option. That being said, I keep it to a bare minimum, choose the most environmentally friendly option, second guess every decision to make a purchase and I make note of what I need so I can get more in one go rather than purchase a little many times over.

For me, knowing that there’s room for personal development motivates me. I am doing my best to get out of the habit of using and relying on money. I am also in the process of relearning toxic ideas that have been programmed into me. I am teaching myself that being busy is not to be glorified or sought after. That it is okay to relax, enjoy life and that my worth is not determined by how much I earn or how many different things I can do in a day. We are taught to be productive no matter the cost, and value productivity over health. This has turned out to be a lesson that will take both time and effort to learn.

Decycling My Life

For the last few years I have been on the very important journey of decycling my life. Identifying habits, beliefs, interests, traits etc, deciding which ones aid me and which ones I have been programmed to learn for the benefit of the system. I am not a factory worker. I do not need to live my life as one. I don’t want to clock in and clock out. I don’t want to adhere to a schedule or be bound by a clock. Nor do I want to be bound by or to technology. I want to live according to my own natural cycles that coincide with nature’s cycles. We are all part of nature, but we live in a system that tells us to ignore that and do as we’re told.

There are so many harmful messages and lessons that we learn as we grow up in modern society and most of them are not for our benefit. They’re just plain brainwashing to turn us into new cogs in the wheel that is the system. But I don’t want a system that is built on my back and the backs of others. Where the 1% is living in indescribable luxury and excess, funded by war, environmental abuse and animal explotation, while the rest of us barely make ends meet. Quite frankly, modern society isn’t something I want to take part in. I want to avoid it as much as I possibly can.

For now, there are still some ways in which I rely on the system. Healthcare, for one. But my ultimate goal is to get as independent as I can and become part of a smaller, more sustainable and real community of people helping people. I want to bring back bartering. I want to bring back growing your own food, making your own clothes and trading what you have for what you need. Where enough is enough and there is no need or desire for excess.

What I have spent money on this year

Rent – about €350 per month

Groceries – about €50 per month

Storage – about €59 per month

Individual purchases:

• Etsy – some digital products for work
• Supplements/medicine
• New piercing jewellery (Something I buy in bulk every other year and it was time.)
• Fibre mats and a few seed packages

My thoughts

I shouldn’t need to spend anything else on supplements or medicine until after summer or there about. Maybe later still.

I won’t need to spend more money on piercing jewellery for a long time. At most I may need to get one of the pieces in another length, but I haven’t decided yet.

The purchase at Etsy was a business cost and it should pay for itself.

The fibre mats will allow me to have constant access to sprouts and microgreens for an entire year. That’s a whole lot of money saved. The seed packages were the last on my list. I purchased seeds in bulk last year, so that’ll have enough for at least three years. That means I’ll have a good supply of vegetables, alliums and herbs for the next 3+ years. That’s a good deal for having spent a few euro.

Conclusion:

Old habits die hard and it takes time to unlearn our programming, decycle and create our soul existence. But the inner peace that comes with it will always be worth it.

Do you have any habits you would like to change?

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