Our story It began in a foreign country in Western Europe. It was the summer of 2018. We made a move and later, another decision that would change our lives f o r e v e r. The city was Berlin. The year was 2017, in the … Read more...
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A change introduced itself
Whether we want to or not, a change may just happen. It may creep in secretly or it may come on full force. Read here, how a most likely change may appear and what to expect.
Are you ready for a change?
Locating to a new country is never easy. Even more, if it is the country, which language you do not speak or find extremely difficult. I am not going to write about the paperwork and filling in the forms. Also getting notifications on things that I have no idea about. This is pure madness! I rather would love to write shortly about the change. It all started when we were finally so lucky to land a place of our own. A change introduced itself!
A completely empty apartment, except a kitchen corner, can make the figurative juices flow like a river. Now it is the time to start painting that empty canvas with the most beautiful colours and creative ideas. It offered us a chance to jump into the unknown and realize that living without a fridge is definitely a doable thing!
This is exactly how I felt – so many possibilities, so many great ideas, so many things for us to learn. I felt a surge of inspiration flowing into me. I was walking around our empty space and was thinking that now it is the time to do it our way. A better way, a safer way. But how do I set up all that? What do I need in my new home? How to get all of it in the cheapest way there is? Also how to do all of this in the right way. Well, sometimes the emptiness is the answer, sometimes you need a little help from your friends, read: internet and friends.
A change would do you good!
In the beginning, it was just me with my thoughts. I was trying to figure out what would work and whatnot. I started putting these things into practice and some of those ideas worked. Some I had to alternate a bit and for some, I needed to do a thorough internet search and ask my friends for help.
If you are not locating to a new country or getting a new apartment, then perhaps reading these lines, wherever you are may help you start any kind of change. As one of my favorite singers Sheryl Crow sings in her song Change Would Do You Good: ” A change would do you good, I think a change would do you good“.
Let the adventure begin!
…A note from Eve:
I am the kind of person that craves change, but I have trouble getting my head around it. It makes me feel anxious when things change, even if it’s for the better.
Moving to a new country, especially when you have already got work takes away one of the biggest stressors of relocating, money. Still, life found another way to create another big stressor- housing. Working while being homeless is very difficult. I am an introvert, and I need time to gather my thoughts, emotions through reflection at the end of the day, especially when I am in a brand new work environment in a foreign country.
Imagine having a 49 plus hour week, and staying with 5 different people, going to work from 5 different locations and going home from work to 5 different places. It doesn’t help me at all when I know that I am on top of it all, also directionally challenged.
The change was welcomed, in fact, it came rushing in all at once. Newly married, new country, new job, new people, homeless. When change is called, it comes rushing in, in all directions. Change is important to our nature, life always moving because of its all energy. When energy is confined and unmoving, it becomes stagnant. It creates a blockage.
I believe I can speak for both of us when I say that the impact of the changes have been more than we could ever imagine. Its made us more resilient, creative, and more purposeful than ever before.
How can you not have a fridge?!
Do we really need a fridge or it has become one of those commodity items in our households? Read here about our life without a fridge in a quite warm climate.
While looking for furniture for our new home, we were also looking to get a fridge. Our new kitchen didn’t come with one. We wanted just something small for our little needs. I almost got the fridge and was quite happy about it. But when I showed the ad to my friend asking for his help to pick it up, he said it was an old model and probably uses lots of electricity.
This got me thinking, do we really need a fridge? Google came to help and I came across a wonderful article at a very lovely webpage www.survivalsullivan.com. They had published a gorgeous article on How to live without a fridge. After finishing it – I was sold. Hahaaa, I am such an easy customer! Read below and see if these few points would work for you to start your own adventure. You can find the link of the whole article below.
Is it possible to live without a fridge?
Our major reason for going fridge-free was that it was a hassle to get one and we wanted trying out living green. Fridges suck up a lot of electricity, so we were open to using less electricity.
Remember I wrote about a change. The idea of having no fridge was nicely adding to the big picture of changing our habits and start saving some money. We were eagerly making this big step, a change and be different. I know we all are afraid of being different. But it doesn’t hurt to test the waters and get comfortable in your own skin and with your choices.
Going fridge free is super easy when you are vegan!
If you do not consume any animal products, which usually demand being stored in the fridge, you really do not need a fridge. Or if you are mostly eating fruits and vegetables, legumes, grains, condiments and as luck has it – none of those really have to be in the fridge. Keep in mind something when buying fruits and vegetables. Though the produce may not come from the fridge in the shopping hall, they most likely were kept in the fridge. It is easy to understand when touching the fruit/vegetable. If possible it is recommended to purchase those items, which weren’t refrigerated before.
NB! If you are not vegan, don’t worry Survival Sullivan has you still covered for making it a step closer becoming fridge-free!
Forgetting having a fridge if you have any of these:
*A cold room in the basement
*A root cellar
*Large 5-gallon buckets (get used ones from wine or grocery store) and place them in a hole in your yard; if the bucket has a lid and the food is underground, it will stay cooler
*A cooler or cooler bag
*A zeer pot or pot-in-pot refrigerator (one smaller clay or terracotta pot inside a larger pot and separated by a barrier of wet sand)
*The great outdoors, such as a backyard or balcony, which is obviously only an option for people who live in colder climates.
We are lucky to have a basement just below us. So it is easy to go there and store vegetables or whatever needs a cooler environment. Plus, it is great to also have a balcony, which I can already imagine, treats us well in the wintertime. Especially during the colder times, we can buy more products, which otherwise need refrigerating.
So how do you feel? Ready to make that big change? If not fully, then give yourself a month or two and see if you manage. As you can always get a fridge if you need.
Read Survival Sullivan’s article how to live without a fridge HERE.
*UPDATE! We survived the hot summer with a constant degree of 30 C and nothing we cooked went bad. All the food stored in the basement was edible. We are completely satisfied and definitely, we are not looking for a fridge in our life.
… A note from Eve:
When Kerly first brought up the idea of living without a fridge, I was more supportive than even I thought I would be. Again, after living on so little for months, I was simply happy to have a beautiful roof over our heads. Living minimally makes sense in the mind and heart too. It feels good to choose to live on less. I was ready for the challenge, therefore positive.
The biggest blessing and an important factor in the no fridge equation is our cold room located in the basement. As Kerly stated, living on the first floor is a huge blessing because we care able to have immediate access. At first, I enjoyed taking a backseat while Kerly went up and down with food, but I soon started going myself.
She also made it super homey, by cleaning and organizing this massive storage/fridge of ours. Adding a new LED light made it even more comfortable. It’s now beautiful, bright when we need to see everything, and most of all, it helps us live happily fridge-free!
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