We have been at our new place for 6 1/2 months now and have been happy chook keepers for almost as long. For our first post after such a long hiatus, I thought we could talk about some of the things we have learnt, or are in the process of learning, since moving house with a toddler and a lot of stuff.
1. Its so easy to get attached to stuff.
By stuff I mean anything. General stuff. Things that you couldn't bear throwing out when you had space for it due to whatever reason: sentimental or the 'I might need it someday' mentality. We both tend to fall into the latter category.
Freecycle was a god-send. Its so easy to get rid of things using that site- generally within an hour of me posting an Offer ad, I would have replies and in some cases, people would come and pick up straight away.
Much easier and less hassle than auction sites like Trademe and no fees!
2. Reducing your reliance on a car is surprisingly easy
Simple: we just go out when we have something on. We are lucky to be next to a park but also, the shops are in walking distance and Mr nearly-2 doesn't need to go and do a bunch of activities to be happy- he is more than satisfied with a walk- especially when a helicopter is circling overhead or there are lots of trucks around. We do use it when we have things on, but way less than we used to.
3. Auckland's public transport really needs an overhaul!
We were lucky enough to get some inheritance which paid for a cheap and economical motorcycle for going to university and back which means we own one car and one bike. If public transport wasn't so expensive and unreliable, it would be a no-brainer to use it more, but for one of us to go to university on Auckland's north shore, it cost at least $10 per day. The bike, on the other hand, even taking into account registration, maintenance and petrol, its a lot cheaper and way more reliable.
4. Its easy to eat less meat
When we were DINKs (double income no kids) we ate a lot of meat. Living off a student loan, its more of a treat than a regular thing. And that's certainly not a bad thing. The Healthy Food Guide has great ideas for cheap healthy meals (we are lucky we were gifted a subscription, but everything is on their website) and you don't miss out on anything by eating less meat as long as you try to eat balanced. Most of our family is vegetarian and I dont think I've eaten anything cooked by these guys that I haven't liked!
5. Chooks are great
Ok, we might be biased, but we have really loved having chickens. We have a lot more now than when we last posted a blog, but are getting between 4 and 6 eggs per day and our babies haven't even started laying yet!
They eat scraps, their poo is fantastic for the garden and, of course, they produce eggs!
It has been a huge learning curve and we did have a couple of sad experiences but we know so much more now and we look forward to learning even more in the future.
Its been a great 6 months- living closer to family, having a fenced backyard and seeing our little one grow up from a baby to a small person! Here's to the next 6 months!
