Ditching Our Bank

This has been a long time coming. When we moved back, we had every intention to find a local bank or credit union when we returned, but we honestly got a little lazy. We started with a big bank because my little sister was working at one at the time as a teller and she got a little bonus for signing new people up. The thing about big banks--they are convient. We didn't switch because of their easy online access (since our REI credit card is also from the same bank) and the abundant supply of ATMs (I hate ATM fees).

So, we are finally now proud members of Wings Financial Credit Union (formally City-County). There are many great credit unions and local banks in Minneapolis that our neighbors on our e-Democracy listserv recommended. We first narrowed our search by only going to visit those with Saturday hours because of our busy weekdays. We also wanted a credit union with more than one location in Minneapolis. We did a credit union tour on Saturday and popped into three different candidates. We went with Wings because they were in a convenient spot not too far from our duplex, very helpful and able to answer our questions with the most ease. In one place we visited, everyone smelled liked cigarette smoke and another was just so busy and not as conveniently located.

Additionally, Wings offers easy online banking, phone app for mobile banking, Twin Cities themed checks, 0.25% APY for our checking, 0.50% for our savings (0% and 0.05% at US Bank, respectively), and great CD options. We also feel apart of a banking family by having the ability to vote on the board of directors and attend annual meetings. Here's to truly local banking!

Shout Out - Guthrie Byard Powderhorn 365 Thursday Photographer!

We have mentioned this website and community project before, but I would love to shout out Guthrie as the official Thursday photographer for PoHo 365. Here's his link to keep tabs on his work in the community.

We're back!!!

Yup, that's right. It's been over 6 months. I was in the kitchen, stirring my pot of a sweater I am dying using blueberries, salt, and vinegar and thought, "I should be taking a picture of this for the blog!" And that's what I did. The project is very passive so I was also drinking red wine and watching old episodes of the Office -- sorry, I didn't crop the pic ;-)

So, why the post all of a sudden? Honestly, 2011 has been a roller coaster. I love roller coasters, but 2011 has been a tad nauseating. Quick recap: we've lost one job, gained two, became the community photographer, put our dreams of buying a house on hold, laughed, cried, became an aunt and uncle, tragically lost a family member, cut our hair short and grew it out long, started paying back both of our student loans, had weeks (yes, more than one) where our total number of work hours were well over 100, applied for food stamps, and starting earning more money than we ever had in our lives all in one year. We sadly spent a lot of 2011 tired. We also spent a lot of time reflecting...

And now we resume the blog. It's different from before. Instead of a mini-change a week, it will be everything: changes, projects, ideas, our quest for a home to call our own, our week by week adventures of being a couple trying to be good stewards of this Earth while we enjoy one another and what She gives back to us.

So, check back this Sunday for a post on what happens with my sweater!

Peace!

Fifty-Five - Spring Cleaning + Online Resources + a little less paper

This is a hodgepodge week. I don't feel like each one in itself is good for a week, but all of these are things we did not do/utilize last year.

Swaps
The clothing swap was a fabulous event and I am loving my new threads. I also wanted to shout out a couple of resources that we have signed up for accounts online that have helped us to give and get cool secondhand stuff.

Twins Cities Free Market - Powered by Eureka! Recycling. It's a lot like the free section from Craiglists. People giving away a lot of furniture, household items, some bikes, toys, anything! You can also great listings for things in good condition that you want to get rid of. 

Freecycle Network - Guthrie and I just picked up a humidifier on this cite. Something we wanted all winter, but with some patience and timing, we will have one for next winter that was free, in the 'hood, and did not end up in a landfill just because someone didn't need it anymore (they are moving away to better winters). Not only can you search and browse what people are giving away, but you can also request items. 

Connecting with our Community - Online
Guthrie and I are finding some great new ways of being in touch with our community. While living in Atlanta, there was a message board for people who lived in the neighborhood where I worked. I joined the group to help aid in projects for Everyday Leaders, the service-learning after school club I facilitated. Here in Minneapolis there is a very cool online resource called E-Democracy -- a site for local politics and action in Minnesota. It's like an online "town hall". Read more about its mission here. We are in the group dedicated to all things Powderhorn. Like any online group, you can receive messages a little or as much as you want--I get nice email digest once a day at 3 pm and click on the posts that are relevant to mean. Guthrie and I learned about the Take Back the Night Vigil, PoHo events, info related to Powderhorn 365, history about our neighborhood, and general requests. We also recently made a request for compost and a neighborhood who is unable to garden this year due to housework has generously donated to us and Paradise Garden.

Along Chicago -- Main Street Market

Powderhorn 365
I realized last week we have not mentioned this. Guthrie got involved in this project last summer when looking on Flickr for photo groups related to PoHo. The project is awesome. Each day of the week a photographer is assigned to take one photo within the neighborhood and post it to the blog. There are more than one photo per day on the Flickr account, but the blog gives a very nice running history of the blog. It celebrates the people and businesses that are from Lake to 38th, Chicago to Cedar. Guthrie is sometimes featured as a "guest" photographer on the days that the regulars are unable to fulfill their duties. Look at his work for this year here. At the end of the year, a book is created of the 365 photos. They are for purchase online at the website as well. Guthrie has met some cool neighbors through this project and some, including Guthrie, are going to documenting the work at the Paradise Community garden this summer.

Check Register
Guthrie just announced today as he was balancing the check book that we need a new register, but we don't have any more in the drawer. Sadly, my first instinct was to do what we would normally do, order more. But then I said, I'm sure we can do this on the computer. Sure enough, Microsoft Excel has check register workbooks. It's great because we can categorize as we go for budgeting and it does the math for us. I know this is simple and almost silly, but it's a good reminder how there are still so many little changes we can make.

Alright, all of those little things make up our 55th post. Peace!

Fifty-Four - Paradise

Sorry for the delay! Guthrie and I have honestly accidentally found ourselves involved in a community garden. We met a wonderful neighbor through the sustainability community and now I have jumped right into to this wonderful project: Paradise Community Garden / Jardín Paraíso. It is beautiful, bilingual communal garden next to South City Cafe that just started last year. It is democratically run and any and all can come and pitch in. You come, you reap the rewards, you get a say, and you connect in English and in Spanish to some wonderful community members. My sense of community has increased tremendously and I have met some wonderful people. Guthrie is getting involved by working with others from Powderhorn 365 to document the goings-on at the garden through photography. This is also wonderful because we are able to bring our excess compost that the worms can't eat up to the garden as well. This is helping us to learn more about gardening, meet with neighbors, be a part of a community beautification project, and compost more! Please come and join us Tuesday 5-7 and Saturdays 2-4!

Peace!

Happy May Day!

Fifty-Four will be coming later this week (updates on the garden expansion and community resources relating to that that we are tapping into...) but for now -- go enjoy May Day!!! We are having a little get together at our place and are heading to the park a little later. You should, too!

Check it out here!

Peace!

Fifty-Two - Powderhorn Park Sustainability Committee

It's one thing to change how you live your life and interact with others within your home, but to act sustainably in all things you do within your neighborhood is a whole different ballgame. Laura and I have made 51 changes that invariably have an effect on how we relate to and interact with the outside world, but, ultimately, the end results are seen within the home.

Laura and I recently joined the newly-formed Powderhorn Park sustainability committee as a way to make sustainable changes that affect the entire neighborhood. We recently attended the first committee meeting where we laid out a hanful of ideas as to what we envision the community transitioning into with our help. The first meeting was spent discussing the recent Earth Day Clean-Up event that was sponsored by the group, so upcoming meetings will allow for more brain-storming related to our mission, goals and tasks.

On April 9th Laura, along with many of the committee members and other neighbors, atteneded the 6th Annual Sustainable Communities Conference. The conference touched on the work of the Transistion Towns program and what local transition groups are doing. Other topics included bike and pedestrian safety, rain gardens, how to start and grow community gardens, info on how to join local Food Resource Hubs, environmental justice, housing, water quality and a lot more. There was even a geographical breakout session to meet up with other neighbors to share ideas on how to make your community more sustainable.

Our goal is to take our views on how to minimally impact the enviroment for the worse and how to greatly impact it for the better, create and maintain safe and thriving local economies and to do so in a manner that includes everyone's participation to the entire neighborhood. We hope we can pool our thoughts and resources with those of the rest of the committee and the neighborhood to live lives that benefit ourselves, our neighbors and our Earth. Moving beyond the sheetrocked walls of our home to the greater home.