Easier ways. Helping ourselves to a better life. :)

Laine use to write a series called Easier ways.  I loved that series. I set up a baking centre because of her.  (If you are not familiar with Laine see my section in her name, once you get going on Laine's Letters you won't be able to stop!) 

This year I knew I needed to make some changes and make my life easier.  I don't want to become less productive but to avoid this I needed to re think.

Some ideas came quickly and some slowly through the year.  These are the ones I can remember.   Maybe the key is realising we don't have to do the same things forever,  we can change!  

1.  I got the lawns onto an automatic sprinkler system.  My big wide lawn is an important part of my fire prevention.  But keeping it watered, dragging around hoses and sprinklers takes hours and many many moves during the day.  Actually a huge job.  Now... it's automatic.   The time saved is many hours a week and it's more efficient... and if I was away from home and I knew there was a fire I can turn them on remotely.   Never again will I move sprinklers! 

2. I got all my chooks into one hen house.  I had hens in several houses in different locations.  I decided nope I need only one lot to look after and one lot of eggs to collect.  This is saving me about 20 minutes a day. 

3. My front garden is now all on a soaker hose set up.  I have three soaker hoses and I just turn on one a day and let it properly water.  I have bore water so I have no worries there. This is saving me almost an hour a day in the hot weather.  Keeping my garden alive in a heatwave used to nearly kill me!

4. I completely gave up vacuums with a cord. I no longer drag a vac around and I never will again. I'm done.  In my life I have probably vacced the equivalent of the whole earths surface.  I also HATE emptying bags or even the non bag types.  I got a shark and it's cordless and it empties itself.  

5. I gave up having a car that didn't fit everything and got a ute.

6. I amalgamated all my container garden and pots into one fenced area.  This is the only area I hand water.  It is the biggest success I've had with lots of produce as it is fenced,  protected from wind, tree roots can't get into the soil... slugs and snails don't seem to bother...  it is great! 

7, All my fruit trees are now on a dripper as well.  Oh my gosh the hours I spent in the heat watering fruit trees... no more.   Now they are deeply watered and looking wonderful! 

8. I changed my odd fridge and freezers into one big streamlined and labelled system.  It's fantastic.  It was an epic saga to get it all done but worth it.

9. I got rid of the goats.  Goats are trouble. They went to a happy home in the family.  My life is easier without goats. 

10. I found ways to contribute to the community without attending meetings.  Meetings are a no for me.

11. I batch cook so I can eat really well and help the family even if I only cook twice a week.

12. All my animals have automatic water troughs.

13. This one is more of a gift... the larger supermarket in town will now deliver out to us once a week.  Chloe now uses this service and it is amazing!  So this is a possibility for me too. I no longer need to go to town once a week.   

I think for the time being all my huge projects like fix up a cottage, fix up a whole house,  fix up a shearing shed etc are done.  It has been a few years to get to this point but there are no humongous projects I need to tackle.  Yay!!

These all add up to so much help, especially in the really hot weather when I found it hardest.  The real heat was an exhausting time.  

Others are things I've always done ie I keep a long way ahead on supplies... I am not going to run to town for a few things. 

I had a rigid routine to clean the bathroom and wash the linen.  Now I do these on days that suit me because seriously things stay cleaner longer for one person.

What are some easier ways you have found?  Are there any areas that you need to change to make your life easier?   

All of these things have been an investment in my life here. 

Now I look at it this was a fair bit changed over for '25 and I intend to keep going.  

I think best when I write.  If you have any make life easier tips please, please share!   And if you have any areas that you need to make easier... maybe make a plan!   Sometimes one thing leads to another.... ie if you want to sew it might take cleaning out a whole room and getting set up to make it happen.  But it is worth it!  Now might be the time to get the ball rolling.  This reminds me...  Stephanie has a whole room pantry and I thought oh, this would be my dream!  Then weeks later it occurred to me I have a large room which was Andy's office.  Never once did I realise that room didn't need to be an office anymore.  It was quite a challenge to empty it and begin a pantry room.  It had sat unused almost a year.   

Now I have this figured out I can listen to the garden watering itself while I work on the next post...  some of my plans for the New Year.   I am really grateful for all the good things of 2025 and almost ready to turn the page.xxx