We have some pretty shady spots in our backyard and I totally gave up on grass there and bought some clover and sorrel and kinda mixed it all in together. I let the chickweed go rampant back there too. It's not "grass" but I think all the different leaf textures and tiny flowers are very charming! Only downside is those dudes don't tolerate a whole bunch of tromping around.

No tips, but I am in a similar financial situation and bought a used versa this year! So far it's been great and as someone who is used to driving a pickup, I'm loving how easy it is to park and how roomy it is! The seats fold down so nicely and I can fit all sorts of stuff back there.

My only advice to you would be not to shell out for any extended warranties/plans at the dealership. As a young single lady they really push you hard to pay for extra stuff you don't need. My tactic was to say "you know, this is a lot to take in, can I just take this home and think on it?" They'll give you a few days after you buy it to decide on all that and it gives you plenty of time to research it.

Also don't buy on Craigslist without getting it looked over by a mechanic. Learned that the VERY hard way.

Yards! So great! They're like the tiny house version of the OUTDOORS! After living in apartments for so long, I am also in a place where I'm doing a bit of landscaping and this is what I've prioritized so far:

Places for little wee animals to live and eat (birdhouses, bee houses, feeders etc)

Native plants and grasses- I used prairie moon's catalog to pick out grass for the yard and some landscaping plants

Fruit! grapevines (scuppernong) and blackberries!

I like yards that are well lit at night, it's so inviting and warm. We went with the budget solution of Christmas lights and an extension cord but there are so many cool solar powered options out there nowadays.

FIREPIT? Just saying. And marshmallow sticks of course.

Things my boyfriend has done in the past few months:

Built a shed and now every time we go anywhere he has to inspect other sheds so he can talk about how ours is better

Built a matching wood shed (but far enough away from the "good shed" because termites or something, the distance was of great concern to him and required much consternation)

Made tiny homes for bees and painted them to match the shed

Made tiny homes for lizards out of spare tile

Bought a new drill and every time he uses it he goes "NICE!!!"

Went to the IKEA as-is and bought a piece of countertop, originally $120 for $10, and then bragged to all his friends about it

Annd he's not even a dad. Love him.

Seconding the bag balm! Seriously I'm a lanolin addict and I use it for everything. Lips, hands, feet, sunburns, anything! And it's so cheap for a giant tub!

Oh my gosh, SO MUCH YES on not feeling like a "real" hunter! Even though I spend somewhere in the vicinity of 20 hours a week in the woods or water year round, anytime I'm talking to one of the "guys" I always feel like a total newbie.

I have this total pipe dream of starting up a women-only hunt club! I'm tired of feeling like I'm less of a hunter when I'm around guys. I'd love to go out with a bunch of like-minded ladies! My dream also includes apprenticing new lady hunters so women with an interest in hunting can learn without having a husband/boyfriend/father to initiate them. A misandrist paradise, if you will.

I've been dying to check out the first lite stuff, and have definitely been watching the evolution of their women's line. I've become such a wool fangirl- I live in my orvis wool windbreaker- and once my UA base layer finally kicks it I'm gonna go all merino I think!!!

I think one of the women quoted made a fantastic point about the lack of funding for the "becoming an outdoorswoman" programs and how if people were really serious about getting women into the field, that would be the proper direction to go in. Like, if I have all the education and skills to go hunting, the color of my blaze is wholly unimportant to me.

Yes to the internalized misogyny part! I struggle with that too. Like, I want to look like I "belong" outdoors which is supposed to be a mans world so I want to wear masculine colors? I don't have an easy answer to that desire but I feel like the day where it is actually a CHOICE to wear pink outdoor gear is the day that it becomes empowering.

Good lord does that women's line piss me off. Hunting leggings!?!? (To be fair I do wear their 4.0 baselayer)

Have you heard about lawmakers legalizing hot pink as an alternative to blaze orange in order to get more women in the field?
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160329...

As a woman who spends all her time hunting and fishing, this article hit me hard, especially this line:

"It's a little reminder that the world doesn't always consider me to be as strong and capable as I feel"

It's SO HARD to feel comfortable in a male-dominated hobby as it is. Almost all the guys I meet in the field are either mansplainy or they will just talk past me, addressing only my boyfriend or buddies. I've been talked down to more times than I can count in tackle shops and gun stores- "you think you can handle that, little lady?" I feel like I constantly have to prove that I belong in the club, that every time I miss a shot it's going to be chalked up to the fact that I'm a girl. It's even worse that half the time I'm out, I feel like I'm a child playing dress up in her mothers heels! Nothing fits, my jacket is too big, pants too short, I look and feel like I don't belong.

Finding hunting or fishing gear that fits, is warm, and is functional has become an almost Sisyphean task for me. Despite the fact that women are the fastest growing demographic for the hunting and fishing industries, I can't just walk into a store and find anything made for a woman with the same quality and price point as the men's gear. Cabelas is starting to improve their selection but it seems like the industry, as a whole, is insistent on making sure their women's gear looks as infantile and poorly designed as possible.