The Awakening

Looking out over our pond

In the early hours of the morning of December 6, 2013, I was lying in bed listening to the eerie sounds of of a silent house. I could hear the soft breathing of my younger 2 children as they slept on palates at the foot of our bed and the not-so-soft snoring of my hard-working husband beside me. No refrigerator motors whirred, no clothes tumbled in the dryer, no bedside clock alarms jolted us out of deep sleep. The house was completely dark -- our power was out, and would be for 5 days.

On Friday, Syd braved the roads and drove the 28 miles into work. At home, we lit candles, cooked on our gas stovetop, and I threatened the kids within an inch of their lives if they dared to open a refrigerator or freezer. Ice-laden branches snapped off the trees, unable to withstand the weight of the ice accumulating on them. Trees split, fences were broken. My boys spent the first part of the day playing, but their afternoon was filled with trimming and removing brush, repairing fences, and helping neighbors. 

Four o'clock and there were no signs our power would be restored. I spoke with Syd about having the boys hook up our generator to the appliances. Sheepishly, he told me he had not repaired the generator -- BUT he would take care of it as soon as he got home. No worries -- my guy can fix anything. When I went to bed that evening, he was working on it. When I woke at 4 a.m., he was in bed. 


In that moment, I realized there was no generator -- no power running to the two refrigerators and four deep freezers that held hundreds, or more likely thousands, of dollars worth of food. It had been 24 hours. We were still safe. But, for how much longer? In 2001, we were without power for 10 days. Honestly, the situation with downed power lines seemed worse this time. between the damage and our remote location, we could be easily be without power for that long.

The Challenge

In its simplest form, here is our 2014 challenge:

Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.

For one year, we will endeavor to go without purchasing anything but essential items for our family of eight.

Essentials are food, toiletries, and emergency repairs for our home, major appliances, and vehicles. Also included are internet access since I rely on the internet for my job as an educational writer, and required books and supplies for our children's schooling. Clothing (except for the obvious socks and undergarments), haircuts and minor appliances are not included.

We are not buying physical gifts for our children, although we will purchase experiences we can enjoy together as a family. Family and friends can buy them gifts and they can purchase things using their own money. The reason for this is that our 6 children at home are ages 11-19. We believe we can alter our own behavior, but we can't force this on them. Our hope is that they will jump on the bandwagon and see the value in what we are doing -- after they get over shaking their heads in disbelief at another one of their mother's hare-brained ideas. We believe they will become much more intentional with their spending and probably more intentional in looking for productive ways to spend their time, i.e. earn money.