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The Miller Acres

We help young families pursue a simple, more sustainable lifestyle by planning purposefully with frugality in mind.

budgeting

How to Do a No-Spend Month: Interview with Zero-Waste Maker

February 3, 2023

“My biggest piece of advice is to keep going if

“My biggest piece of advice is to keep going if it’s something you are passionate about, but to be smart about your time and energy! A business is awesome, but nothing is worth sacrificing all your time with your family or to be so distracted by business stuff when you’re with your family that you aren’t cherishing those moments.”

This week, I shared my interview with Glynne Bliss of @glynne.ashley.photography on my blog. I met Glynne at my sister’s wedding. She was the photographer, and we started talking prior to the ceremony. She shared that in addition to her photography and mentorship business, she is learning how to homestead and is homeschooling her kids. Glynne is the oldest of nine kids, and her mom homeschooled (and is still!) homeschooling her children.

My family is very new to homesteading, and I am interested in homeschooling my kids in a few years. I was so intrigued by Glynne’s story and how she lives her life—balancing her family, business, homeschooling, and other passions. I learned so much from my interview with her and left feeling inspired, motivated, and encouraged.

If you are interested in homesteading, homeschooling, and entrepreneurship… you can read the rest of Glynne’s story using the link in my bio or at themilleracres.com.

All photos were taken by @glynne.ashley.photography and were used with permission.

Glynne is about to go on maternity leave, but has a few more sessions available, including one wedding spot in August!

I hope he never loses his sense of wonder. ❤️

I hope he never loses his sense of wonder. ❤️

Well not really, but some days it feels like it! G

Well not really, but some days it feels like it! Garden prep and setting out to grow most of your own produce is no joke.

It’s good work, but it’s hard work. I keep coming back to the term “a compelling idea” which was coined by Sonya Shafer of @simplycharlottemason. If you’re going to do something and do it well, you need to have a compelling idea. What drives you to learn something new? What motivates you to keep going when it gets hard?

Caring for acreage (and we only have 2.5!) is hard work. Our weekends are often spent weeding and repairing. Our days are filled with trips to the supply store and starting seeds. We’ve spent hours planning and researching before jumping into each new project.

We are motivated by the compelling idea of spending our time, as a family, building something from the ground up. We are driven to bypass many conveniences and learn the process—learning to value our food, our clothes, our home because we know what went into it to create the end result. Some days, many days, I am overwhelmed by all that needs to be done. Our house has come a long ways, but the land and outdoor structures have a long ways to go. But it takes time. And seeing the smiles on my kids’ faces as they are covered in dirt from head to toe makes it all worth it.

So if you want to homestead, if you want to pursue a slower way of life—find your why. Because friend, you’re going to need it. ❤️
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What’s your compelling idea? Let me know below ⬇️

It’s finally time to start planting outside! I’m starting some new seeds (and some ones that didn’t make it) indoors, and I am beginning to plant outside too. I still have so much to learn about gardening, but last year I thought you could start broccoli seeds outside in June, so I’d say I’ve come a long way in the last few months! 😅 what are you planting this spring? Let me know in the comments below ⤵️

But what if she likes both? 😆 I’m hopping on

But what if she likes both? 😆

I’m hopping on this trend because I found it a little comical even though I have some problems with it. My husband and I are team and don’t view our relationship as transactional. We both value each other as mutual contributors and make decisions regarding our family and finances as a team. That being said, I do happen to have some interests and hobbies that can be expensive. But, we have found ways to invest in these things on a budget! Keep reading to find out how.

For sustainable fashion and shoes, I start by shopping secondhand. I scour the internet looking for pieces from my favorite brands at a price that I can afford. I learned to sew my own linen and organic cotton basics instead of buying them. I save up to buy items on my wish list and often wait until they are on sale. Speaking of which, my code THEMILLERACRES will save you 20% @nisoloshoes. When buying new, I think about my purchase for a long time. How many ways can I wear that item? How many seasons will it work for? Do I already own pieces that can be worn with it? If not, I pass on that item.

For gardening, we are doing a no till garden. We got our cardboard for free and shopped around for the cheapest bulk compost delivery option. We don’t have the prettiest garden, but it is functional and will hopefully provide food for us for most of the year! We got our seeds from @trueleafmarket, and bought their Heirloom Seed Garden pack to save.

For farm animals, well we just got our first chickens this week! We opted for older ones so that we can have eggs now. We fixed up the old coop that came with our house instead of building a beautiful, Pinterest-style coop. Maybe someday it will be prettier, but right now, we are using what we have and it’s getting the job done!

Slow fashion, gardening, and farm animals can be expensive, but there are affordable (and often more sustainable) ways to pursue these passions. It just may not always be the most aesthetic, and that’s ok!

If you are interested in slow, sustainable living, how do you pursue it on a budget? Let me know in the comments below ⬇️

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I reached into my daughter’s drawer last month–unable to find a matching outfit. She had way too many shirts but hardly any pants. And if I found pants, they rarely matched the shirt. The simple act of trying to find a matching outfit for her took way longer than it should have! Can you relate?

If you know how to sew or have a desire to learn, keep reading to find out how I solved this problem by sewing a seasonal capsule wardrobe for my daughter!

I just created a printable planner to use when sewing your own capsule wardrobe. I've made several capsule wardrobes for my kids and am in the process of making one for myself, but I used to have no system and just had sticky notes with random notes all over my sewing room. I designed this planner to simplify the planning process so that sewists can enjoy the sewing part and not stress over all of the details!

It comes with printable templates to help you stay organized with:

* Taking Measurements

* Picking a Color Palette

* Determining Clothing Categories

* Choosing Patterns

* Getting Fabric

* Cutting Patterns 
* Sewing Pieces 
* Planning Outfits

This planner is designed for anyone who wants to sew a capsule wardrobe—whether it is for yourself or a child.

Let me know your favorite piece of clothing to wear below and why, and I’ll send you a discount code for 15% off my Sew a Capsule Wardrobe Planner!

#sewingprojects #sewacapsulewardrobe #capsulewardrobechallenge #sewyourclothes #sewyourkidsclothes #kidscapsulewardrobe #babycapsulewardrobe

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