Back to basics

There we were catching up on old times and I happened to mention that I had found some soybeans to make tofu. The general response was why don’t you just buy it? Maybe I’m a little slow but I always thought I should buy only the things I can’t grow or make. From the looks I received, apparently I’m more old-fashioned than I was aware.

As a formerly full time employee and full time mom I know just how important convenience can be and I was more than willing to pay for it, to an extent. However, even if I don’t always do it I feel I should not loose certain basic skills and be able to do as much as I can from scratch.

In these days of products filled with chemical nasties and genetically modified organisms, I long for a little control over what I put into and rub onto my body. Here are some basic skills everyone should have that are heading into obsolescence:

Bake a loaf of bread You’d be surprised how few people can bake a loaf of bread, even with a recipe. I will never forget when I learnt a build-your-own sandwich shop was found to be baking their ‘ fresh’ bread with a chemical used in plastics covering yoga mats. Oh the horror! While the chemical was removed I developed a deep distrust of franchised fast food.

I know what goes into the bread I make at home; flour, water, salt, sugar, yeast and butter. Nothing more, nothing less. Depending on what I’m baking, the ratios do change and for particularly tender breads I include milk and eggs. I don’t have a single recipe that calls for yeast enhancers or yoga mat chemicals because they aren’t necessary. Fresh, piping hot bread straight from the oven with melted butter is an experience everyone should have.

Make children’s toys We used to be good at making toys out of what we had on hand. Chickey chong, paper boats from copy book pages, kites from paper and cocoyea. Now we buy kites in stores and give our children remote control boats and drones. We don’t have the time and a world of skills are lost, as well as the opportunity for our children to develop the skills to innovate and create. A pity.

Start with a box and use whatever materials you have on hand to make it into something else; a TV set, a rocket ship, a car, a plane, a thingamajigga or a robot suit. My sister and her son even make a T Rex helmet out of an old box. Even if the project looks like hell warmed over when it’s done, you and your child spent quality time together.

Try soaping As one of the scheduled activities in the at home camp I created for my son, we made soap. Well honestly he was more interested in wearing a white lab coat and goggles so he looked like a scientist than he was in making soap. l did all the dangerous prep the night before so we only had to measure the oils and fats and mix. After it was all over, I realised this is easy and addictive. I can make my own soap! (I would not be the frowsy girl even if I were in a Naked and Afraid scenario) Now I have a ton of soap (if only that was an exaggeration) for a fraction of what I would have spent to buy body wash or handmade soap for the year.

I’ve already practiced and made my own lip balm, body scrub, body butter and body oils. It’s good to know what goes into these products so you can read ingredients and know the difference between a good and a bad product. Some chemicals are in the products we use can contribute to cancer, others irritate the skin or can cause hair loss. It’s good to be natural, it’s also good to be frugal. Making your own soap and body care products can save you money and help preserve your health.

Learn how to sew One of the mandatory courses I had to take in high school was Clothing and Textiles. I hated it until I got to choosing subjects for CXC then I was a model student. Granted I had a leg up on others since I was good enough to sew things for myself that I couldn’t get my mother to buy for me. There were other positives; knowing how to sew will save you money. You will be able to tell a poorly made garment from a well-made one and knowing fabrics will help you be able to tell good quality from what will dissolve in the first wash.

You will never be able to wear poorly fitting clothes again and you will have a better sense of what works for your body type, again saving you money.

Nothing is worse than buyer remorse on an overpriced poorly fitting item of clothing. Never pay someone to fix a button or change a zip. Being able to sew means you can repair clothes or revamp them, extending their life and saving you money. I’m not saying have the sewing skills to create haute couture but you should be able to fend for yourself.

Now you’ll notice I am not ascribing these skills to any gender since I feel both men and women should have these basic skills in life. I’m not saying we should all go back to life before electricity. I don’t intend to start keeping livestock anytime soon, but I do think we can bear at least a little rewind in our frantic modern lives to some simpler things. I still have memories of doing crafts with my father or my mother making elaborate desserts for no reason at all. I think without experiences like these, no matter how many high tech gadgets a child is given, they are much poorer.

Also for my own sake, I’m at the age where I just want to sign off the rat race and taking the time to knead some dough, or the measuring and stirring of soap making, which is meditative and gives me the recharge I need to go on. I also get all the parabens, silicones, sulphates, talc and mineral oil and other harmful and unnecessary additives out of my skin care. Not only that, I also feel better prepared should there be some kind of devastating event, I won’t suffer as much as others. I’ll be the one looking good, smelling good and eating well.