July 16th, 2008
Get me some beeswax and a sturdy rope...
I'm back from my hiatus. It wasn't really
technically a hiatus, more like the lack of the
aforementioned items. Despite my best intentions not
to listen to the siren song of our consumer culture,
it seems like I hit a small vortex which pulled me
down into the sea of sales only to surface a week
ago, dazed and confused but with a newfound
dedication.
As all things in my life - it started out
innocently enough (much like the free fish tank I got
from my cousin once that ended up costing $3,000, but
that's another story.)
It all began with the All Saints Academy Rummage
Sale, which I co-chaired. For days people would bring
their stuff - sweaters, skirts, shorts, chairs, books,
records, shower curtain rings, skates, strollers,
tools and much more. We received merchandise that
represented THOUSANDS of dollars of "investment" on
the part of the donating parties. I looked at the
table where we neatly piled sweaters - even at a
conservative estimate of the original cost of these
items - lets say $20 per sweater there was easily
$5,000 just on one table. At .50 cents per sweater -
well - the depreciation is pretty amazing. The sheer
amount of things was overwhelming. At original retail
cost there must have been easily over $200,000
dollars. This was just two weeks worth of people
bringing things! It made me very aware of the
incredible glut of "stuff" that we as a consumer
culture posses, pass on and discard.
So what did I do? Bought $22 dollars worth of it.
This filled me with guilt. A deep guilt I wasn't
really ready to share. So much guilt in fact that when
"Goody Two Shoes" - a local shoe store - had a going
out of business sale I went in and bought 3 pairs of
shoes, and 10 pairs of shoelaces. (to replace the
round shoe laces the manufacturers of shoes conspire
to inflict on each American in the hopes of getting
us to exercise - that's my latest theory) This fall
from grace at the rummage sale was bad enough - but
how would I explain to my faithful readers the
shameful joy I got from 3 inch pink high heels at 50 %
off? So I stopped updating my blog.
What brought me back on track?
I realized that while I long for perfection, I'm only
human. A 50% off shoe sale is a very strong
temptation. And while the sea of sales is surrounded
by islands of stores where sirens sing their tempting
song of clearance discounts, I can always remain in my
dingy, bobbing around not paying too much attention to
their relentless call.
Odysseus solved the problem by stuffing his ears with
beeswax and tying himself to the mast - the siren
song for the consumer is everywhere. It has to become
a personal choice.
So I'm back on track now. Progress - not
perfection is the motto. Awareness and choice is the
method. Failing that- a stong piece of rope and some
beeswax should do it.
May 22nd, 2008
The quest for the spatula continues....
My search for the Ekco Nylon Pancake Turner good to
400 degrees is entering its second week with no luck.
I had to go to Marquette to take care of some business
and checked Target, Shopko and three small grocery
stores - NOTHING.
I feel like I'm on a quest for the Holy Grail.
It occurred to me that even though it SEEMS like as a
society we are very homogenous - the tiny differences
in small things like which spatula we use at home -
make us feel special and unique. A perfect thing for a
culture whose main religion is shopping.
So I guess I will continue looking - I have checked
every hardware store, every dollar store and all but
one grocery store in Ironwood, Hurley and Bessemer
(just thought of the Sunday Lake Supermarket in
Wakefield - maybe they will have it!) If not -
Rhinelander!
I have to admit I did stop by two thrift stores while
I was in Marquette.
It's funny that both Judith Levine and I had our
lapses in thrift stores - a place I wasn't even
supposed to visit. I bought two pairs of jeans, three
shirts and two books. Ok, and a tart pan.
I have never made a tart, but IF I need to make one -
I will have a pan!
I'm trying to figure out why I lapsed.
Perhaps being out of town gave me an excuse, perhaps I
rationalized it, had a stressful day, really deserved
something for myself.....$13.78 cents worth of
"things" is not a big deal necessarily - and it
doesn't contribute to the downfall of
society....after all these things are now recycled...
Oh yeah. And I did buy a glass citrus squeezer at the
Health Food Co-op in Marquette. $3.75 - I realize it
is not a necessity BUT perhaps it was the very thing
that made it easier to visit those thrift stores,
after all I had already broken the no buying it rule
by getting a "non essential" so why not just have a
"day off".
And maybe it was my fruitless search for the Ekco
Nylon Pancake Turner good to 400 degrees, yes, that's
it. My frustration with not finding the perfect
spatula turned me into a consumer.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
(Just like my scrambled eggs to the bottom of my cast
iron pan every morning since I lost my beloved
spatula.)
May 12th, 2008
Flipping out over a Spatula
Those of you who have been reading my blog know about
the blue sponges. But few people know about "The
Spatula".
It's just an ordinary spatula to the uninitiated. I
wrote a letter to the company about this spatula. The
spatula is a $1.99 piece of wonder.
Made by the Ekco Company somewhere in China, this
simple straight forward spatula has flipped countless
pancakes, eggs, hamburgers, chicken breasts and more -
until yesterday. Mothers Day.
Mothers Day almost always means an attempt by the men
of the house to cook something for "the Mom'.
This usually involves burning something and yesterday
that something was the spatula.
- I think everyone can agree that a spatula is a
necessity - and
IT SHOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT TO FIND A SPATULA
Having said that - my spatula purchasing criteria are
very high.
It can't be just any spatula but rather an Ekco - safe
to 400 degrees - black handled spatula with the
perfect 30 degree bevel on the business end and a
SIMPLE handle.
Three different stores - 11 different spatulas - and
not one that will suffice. Super One - 2 styles - all
wrong. At Kmart - the Martha Steward $6.99 - way too
fancy and all metal to scratch my delicate cast iron
pans. OXO brand $5.99 - what's with the giant handle?
Kmart Home Essentials - $2.99 - the bevel is not big
enough and the surface area of the spatula part is
weird and way too trapezoidal. The super cheap ones at
Kmart - way too cheap - all plastic and not safe to
400 degrees. Wal-mart? Hmm. Faberware and three other
brands - all no good.
As I stood there in the brightly lit, filled to
capacity store that seemed to have everything EXCEPT
for what I needed, I couldn't help but notice the
absurdity of it all.
Tomorrow the search continues. And when I find "The
Spatula" - I'm buying three and hiding two of them
away till the next mother themed holiday.....buying it
or not be damned.
April 30th, 2008
Today after work and after a wonderful dinner we went for a family walk. I stuffed a garbage bag in my pocket and we started walking. By the end of the walk we had gathered almost $5. worth of returnables from the side of the road, saw signs of spring everywhere and discovered quite a bit about our neighborhood.
The best part ?
At the very end, when we were just blocks away from home I saw what I first assumed was a mountain lion, but then quickly realized was a fox.
Who needs shopping when there are foxes all around!
Ok, not all around, but how often do you get to see a real fox?
So while it was exciting to see a fox and several deer, it was discouraging to see all the trash everywhere. It amazes me that in this day and age people still toss garbage out of their cars!
I have consumed beverages in my vehicle many times - but I'd no sooner kick a puppy then throw a bottle or can out of my vehicle!
Which reminds me of a disgusting story -
Our neighbor saw a woman pull up to a restaurant parking lot, and after a while slyly open her car door and deposit a poopy diaper on the ground. He ran up to her and made her pick it up and put it back in her car. It was a while later as he drove home he saw the same diaper on the side of the road! He was outraged and I know what I felt when I heard this story. It's a sad world where a mother can't find 35 seconds to walk over to a trash can but chooses instead to catapult a diaper full of poo out of her car window.
April 29th, 2008
I can't really blame consumption or lack thereof for a shortage of excitement in my life.
After work today I sat in front of the TV, moving only to get some buttered lima beans and to put on the tea kettle. I watched "Law and Order" and then right after - "Mr and Mrs. Smith". I usually don't spend a great deal of time in front of the television, but it was just one of those "need to tune out" times. Since I had already seen "Mr and Mrs Smith" once - this second time was great for taking the movie apart and pointing out the inconsistencies to my family. In the end we all agreed to just suspend disbelief and watch Angelina while wiping drool off our faces. We then watched the news, played with the cats and went to sleep.
April 25th, 2008
Do you want to open your eyes?
I mean really open them?
No?
Then do not follow this link.
www.chrisjordan.com.
And while you're there - do not click on "Running the Numbers:An American Self Portrait"
How can I describe these works? Disturbing? Haunting? Overwhelming?
I'm not sure I can describe them. All I know for sure is that I'm reducing my contribution this year - but what about all the years after that? What about my family?
Will my not buying 12 bottles of fabric softener this year make a dent in the grand scheme of things?
CAN I DO MORE?
WILL EACH PERSON READING THIS?
If you were brave enough to look at Chris Jordan's work - and it convinced you to take action - Great!
If you don't want to open your eyes - I can't say I blame you!
April 22nd, 2008 Earth Day
It seems like each year the awareness for earth
day increases.
Even Oprah did a big special where Julia Roberts and
Sandra Bullock showed off their ecofriendlieness.
Once again I felt like I was on the cutting edge
of trends. After all I haven't used paper towels in
months, I don't use aluminum foil anymore or fabric
softener.
I have however gotten awfully sloppy about my
recycling.
I compost, mostly in the summer and fall, but I am
considering worm composting in the winter and spring.
At my son's school all the kids got a reusable bag
to bring to the grocery store. I have six reusable
bags now, but I keep forgetting to bring them to the
store. I will start leaving my bags in the car from
now on.
I wonder how long the awareness of our consumption
will last.
Take this for example:
Every year Americans throw away 25 billion individual
water bottles. Thats Billion with a B - not Million
with an M.
Now I'm no math whiz but it seems to me that that is
A LOT of bottles.
Considering that each of those bottles is made of
plastic - a petroluem product - that's alot of
oil......with gasoline at a sobering $3.69 per gallon,
instead of drilling in Alaska,- it would seem to make
sense to me that a great way to make the US less
dependent on foreign oil is to use less of it for
things like water bottles, fabric softener and
detergent bottles and more....
Does anyone remember the days before bottled water?
I recall my dad asking for water at a McDonald's drive
through sometime in the 80's and we got a cup full of
water and ice - FREE!
Ahhh, the good old days.....
April 20th, 2008
Ah, truly the best things in life are free.
The snow is melting, the yard feels like a wet
sponge and the birds are making a racket, fighting
over the best spots for worms or the choicest nest
sites. We decided to take a family hike out in the
woods after our chores for the day were done. The air
was crisp and clean, the sun was shining and it was a
wonderful day to hike in the woods and take it all
in.
The walk took us maybe three hours but it felt like a
mini vacation. We talked, looked at woodpecker
doctored trees and I was keenly aware of not having
to spend a penny to do this (okay, not counting gas).
I'm already looking forward to the next weekend to do
this again and see all the changes that will take
place by next week. It seems like each day brings more
green, more sunshine, and more animals - we drove up
to the garage in time to see a very chubby deer leap
and bound out of the yard - jumping very high - almost comically given his size.
I know the grass will need mowing long before I'm
ready. I guess this infatuation with nature will
slowly fade as spring unfolds, and it will once again
become commonplace and dare I say - boring, and then
that Land's End catalog that was sitting on the table
with amazing bathing suits and spring fashions will
look so much more exciting then budding trees. I hope
the fascination with spring and all things free will
last well into summer, because I'm determined to stick
to my resolution of not buying.
April 18th, 2008
I'm down to the last blue sponge. How this happened is hard to say. I must have underestimated how fast I go through them. The one that is left will have to last a LONG time!
While at the grocery store yesterday I was very tempted to get aluminum foil. It's so easy and convenient! I ended up not getting the foil and using my roaster with the cover to roast beets for the beet and orange salad. It was no hassle to roast the beets and the roaster cleaned up very fast.
I found the recipe at www.grouprecipes.com - a neat website where people can share recipes and rate them. (And it's free!)
April 17th, 2008
Got to watch Oprah's show today. The topic was "Living
with Less"
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200804/tows_past_20080417.jhtml?promocode=HP21
Does this mean that I'm on cutting edge of trends?
I mean I was doing that 4 months ago!
One of the participants of the Oprah challange said "I
want to buy what I need, not what's available to me"
That was a really insightful statement to me. After
all - even though I grow asparagus and with a click of
a mouse I could own the $46.00 asparagus peeler - just
because it's available to me doesn't mean I should own
it.
The truth be told, I do not desire more things. After
watching "Story of Stuff" - the desire for "things"
has lessened a great deal.
My trash days have been lighter than ever - and the
other day I fixed a floor lamp instead of buying a new
one. I do encourage everyone to watch the story of
stuff and to take the Oprah challenge.
It was fun to watch her show. Great to know that there
is an awareness spreading throughout the world.
April 16th, 2008
I have a mall in my house. It is the smallest mall as
well as the largest mall in the world. Any person
reading this also has one. While the actual size of
the mall is about 2' square, in reality its size is
infinite.
I now have internet access at home.
It has opened up a virtual Pandora's Box in the house.
The mall is open 24 hours per day.
In it there are hundreds of stores and each one has
just what anyone might possibly want. There are
bargains, there are luxuries and there is
an overabundance of stuff.
There is entertainment in this mall too, paid and
free.
There is no need to get in a car and drive. There is
just you, the keyboard and a screen.
What do you want?
Pants? Jewelry? A tiny part for your antique Waring
blender?
ANYTHING YOU WANT
Things that you need?
Milk, butter, eggs, toilet paper? Well, not really....
Just the stuff to fill your home, decorate your yard,
peel your asparagus.....yes, really you can buy an
asparagus peeler. Only $46.95
Get yours today. Asparagus season is right around the corner......
April 15th, 2008
This monday was a very busy day. While I may not be
buying, on this sunny day, there were tons of people
out and about shopping.
I did have to stop by the grand temple of the restless
consumer (WalMart) to get batteries for the camera.
I managed to embarrass Alex - not so hard to do these
days as he is a 12 year old boy - we were in the
checkout line and the register next to us had a very
melodic beep, quite different from the one where we
stood and since it sounded musical - I decided to
chime right in. Beep, bop, beep, beep, bop, bop, boop,
beep, boop, boop - you get the idea. I had the cashier laughing. It would have made a great soundtrack into to a movie about the national obsession with shopping... We bought the batteries and nothing else.
I'm going to have to do something about clothes. Not
for me, as my closet is full (I even have some fur
stole that I've dragged with me on every move for the
past 15 years and wore only once in my whole life).
No, for my son who at the ripe age of 12 is wearing
mens size pants - that's right, 16 - the last size
before a boy starts wearing mens size pants are now
too small for this 12 year old....
Beep, beep, bop, bop, boop, boop beep - plastic or
paper?
April 14th, 2008
Best laid plans.....
I meant to spend the entire day reading the book about
garbage, but Sunday usually doesn't go so easily.
I baked pizza, did some housecleaning, went for a walk
and hung out with the family.
Cat petting amounted to at least 2 hours of hypnotized
bliss.
Then there are phone calls to friends and family and
before you know it Sunday has evaporated.
April 12th, 2008
Mea Culpa.
I'm sorry I haven't been keeping up with the site. I
have been very busy, but that is no excuse.
I have been keeping up with my project...sort of....
I have broken down and after a hard day of work bought
TAKE OUT!
On another day - I went to a RESTAURANT! Oh, my...
It's not easy to stay out of the mainstream. Like
flood waters that look so manageable, once you dip in
a toe, you might as well have put on a bathing suit
and dived in.
I have however been able to avoid temptation even
while facing a very tempting item - namely an enameled
timer (I really like timers)
In my absence from this site I have read several books
- "A year without Made in China" and "What would Jesus
Buy"
"A year without Made in China" was a quick, funny read
that had me thinking about the implications of it long
after I closed the book.
I went to the recently opened WalMart in our town and
started turning over the products and reading the
labels.
Made in China, Made in China, Made in China. Wow. Made
in China.
It was strange. Given the high cost of transportation
- why would it pay to ship plastic cups - $2.29 per
six (retail) all the way across China and across the
ocean? The strange thing was that the very same item -
plastic cups - in a smaller size had a "Made in the
USA" sticker on it.
I was in an antique store recently - try this fun
experiment - look at the labels on objects in an
antique store. Almost everything in them is "Made in
America" - with a sprinkling of "Made in Japan" or
"Made in occupied Japan"
Do the benefits of having everything manufactured
overseas outweigh the benefits of having things made
close by?
I highly recommend this book. It not only truly
exposes the problems but also invites a look deep
inside ourselves.
"What Would Jesus Buy" a roller coaster ride of a
book. Reverend Billy and his followers perform street
theatre and various other acts, staging the "saving"
of consumers from their own desires.
I guess you have to be a complete extroverted ham to
actually do the things he describes - I would have to
have several drinks before embarking on something like
that. You can find out more about Reverend Billy and
his church at www.revbilly.com - you can join
his church and greet the Shopocalypse prepared.
I'm also reading "Gone Tomorrow, the hidden life of
garbage" by Heather Rogers. A wonderful quote greets
the reader in the introduction. "A society in which
consumption has to be artificially stimulated in order
to keep production going, is a society founded on
trash and waste, and such a society is a house built
upon sand"
Dorothy Sayers
The best part of the above quote is it's age- it was
written in 1942.
Yup. Kinda timeless, huh?
Here is a link to the website www.gonetomorrow.org/thebook.html
Since I'm not quite done with the book I can't really
say too much about it, but tomorrow is Sunday and I
plan to sit on the couch most of the day and finish
reading it.
By the way - all three books were loaned from the
library using their new website.
February 21st, 2008
I went to Ashland today to visit the Chequamegon Food Co-op and to look for
a hutch.
I did have lunch at the Black Cat Café, but I have decided that rule #4 and
rule #5 do not apply when you are hungry and out of town. After all I have to
eat!
I love Ashland and I was very glad to see that the two stores I normally
like to visit while there were closed. (No temptation that way)
I was also glad that nothing called out to me at WalMart. I was there to
see what they did after their remodel and to see if Organic produce was part of
their store. I left feeling both under and overwhelmed by the selection and
sheer size of the store respectively.
I was glad to get back home. In this cold weather, it’s where I prefer to
be. I made split pea soup with Canadian bacon and homemade croutons. It was
great.
There was just one dark spot in the day. While at Goodwill in Ashland
looking for a hutch I saw “it”
Yes, a paint by number painting.
And not just any paint by number painting.
Yes, it was Leonardo DaVinci’s “Last Supper” Cost - $3. I love paint
by number paintings made by anonymous painters, bit by bit, carefully staying
within the lines. At $3 it was a bargain. I left without it. It was a dark day
indeed……
February 20th, 2008
Here is another great little tool.
This site will give you an idea of your ecological footprint - your impact
on the environment. I did the test twice to see my impact in Ironwood and in
Chicago where I used to live. My score for Ironwood was 9, and for Chicago 8.
This was a surprise because I live much more consciously in Ironwood, but it
made sense.
My lifestyle is very different than it used to be. For one in Chicago I
walked most places and took the bus or train and in Ironwood I drive everywhere,
seldom walking. I used to live in a three story apartment building and here we
live in a house. But food is the biggest piece of that pie - In Chicago food
accounted for 5.2 points of the total score of 8 while shelter was a low 1.5. In
Ironwood the food points dropped down to 3.5 as we try to eat local as much as
possible, while the shelter went up to 3.2. I encourage everyone to take this
test to see where you rate. (I know that I will try to use my car less this
summer so that I can answer question 11 differently.)
February 17th, 2008
Sunday
I made fudge, apple crisp and a delicious dinner. I have noticed that I’m
cooking a lot more. I’m not sure why I made fudge given this weight thing I’m
trying to deal with…
Alex and I cleaned house and played darts while David went to get logs for
carving.
Later on we watched “Fargo” which I borrowed from the library.
And here’s a note on the library. The Ironwood Carnegie Library has
recently upgraded their computer system and now you can access your library
card account on the internet. This allows you to renew materials, update your
address or order books from participating libraries. It makes the whole process
really user friendly and super easy. Check it out here
http://ibistro.uproc.lib.mi.us/uhtbin/cgisirsi/43YHIhP5zT/IRONWOOD/10380065/60/1182/X
I was concerned that without the option of renting movies or buying books
I’d be bored, but this library deal is fantastic.
February 16th, 2008
Today is my day off which means cleaning house and catching up on my
laundry.
And here it is - I’m out of fabric softener and the static is
amazing.
My three cats look upon me with suspicion whenever I get within petting
range. Each one has given/gotten a shock of static electricity when I or anyone
else in the house hold pets them. The dry winter indoor air doesn’t help
matters. At night when Mruczek, my kitty jumps onto the covers to snuggle I can
actually see sparks fly off his fur. Honest.
I’m proud though - by eliminating the softener I’ve taken at least 10
plastic bottles out of the waste stream and will save about $40 dollars by not
buying it.
What did people do before fabric softener? Oh, wait - they line dried!
Funny how each new technology (in this case driers) that is meant to make
our lives easier creates with it a string of other disposable “support products”
that quickly become necessities.
As soon as it’s warm enough I’ll be line drying.
I looked up more info on fabric softeners and you’ll find the link at the
bottom.
Scary. We spend 700 million PER YEAR on liquid fabric softeners. WOW.
I’m not a math wiz, but lets assume that the average bottle of softener
costs $4. So there must be 175,000,000 bottles sold each year. That’s a lot of
money and a lot of plastic.
Since plastic is made of petroleum, I wonder how much oil is used to make
all those bottles. I also found out the main ingredient is hydrogenated tallow
(beef fat). I wonder if the adds promised us “Beefy Softness” “Soft as a Bull”
and the like would we still spend $700 Million per year on the stuff.
February 15th, 2008
Friday and Alex has the day off for president’s day. He is researching
laptops and bending my ear about exactly what kind he wants. I question his need
for a laptop as opposed to a desk top and he just rolls his eyes. I wonder which
is better for the environment - laptops are smaller, therefore take less
materials to produce but they contain batteries. Hmm.
Maybe there is a web based tool that calculates this. Ok, sort of.
This site rates desktops and laptops and gives them a bronze, silver and
gold for their environmental impact.
February 14th, 2008
I’m still following the rules, although for Valentines day I’ve allowed
myself a dinner out with my husband at the new Greek restaurant in town. (Great
Greek dressing by the way)
I’ve spent part of the day looking for a hutch. The hutch will house coffee
at the store - but I’ve been everywhere in town and cannot find a suitable one.
I’ve even tried in the forbidden territories of St. Vinny’s, the Couch Potato
and Cash Liquidators. No luck.
The good part was that I was able to walk out of each place without buying
anything.
It was at the antique store that I faltered.
I bought a cast iron pot for $12. As a gift for my husband for Valentines
Day.
My justification is that this is a gift and because my rules do not specify
gifts as a no no, it is acceptable. David for his part carved a heart with a
chainsaw, put my name on the front and wrote “Wood you be Mine?” on the back.
His homemade gift from the heart was so very special that my purchase of his
gift seemed so very wrong.
Later that night I picked up Judith Levines book which thankfully contained
an entry for the 14th of February. She covered a matchbox in shiny
paper and cut heart shapes out of magazines to put in it. So while I should have
felt happy about finding a gift that David really liked, I was left feeling
empty and disappointed in myself.
But…tomorrow is another day…
February 10th, 2008
Two Words - Pee Rags
Ok. Those of you who know me personally and those of you who have read the
blog know that I’m always questioning things. Like for example the need for
paper toweling or aluminum foil. I have in the past questioned the necessity of
toilet paper, but I’ve never taken the plunge and eliminated TP from my
household. (Yes, both puns are very much intended) Now, some people consider me
a radical for eschewing paper towels and having only 3 channels on my TV (oh,
the horror) - but toilet paper - that would make me an extremist.
But, on with my story…
My friend Cyndi invited my son Alex for a sleepover for the weekend and on
Sunday I went to pick him up. Cyndi and I have been friends for over 9 years,
and while we’re a lot alike, if someone had to label us she’d be “Extra Strength
Hippie” and I’d be “Hippie Lite”
But I digress…
While at Cyndi’s house I needed to use the washroom and noticed she was out
of toilet paper. I came back into the kitchen to ask Cyndi where she kept her
toilet paper when her daughter piped up - “Mom, we’re all out”
Without missing a beat Cyndi cheerfully brought out two small rectangles of
flannel and handed them to me. “Here, they’re clean” she said.
OK… I used the washroom, rinsed out the pee rag, said a quick prayer of
thanksgiving that I only needed to go number one…and hung the pee rag to
dry on the empty TP dispenser.
Upon my return to the kitchen I found Cyndi regaling my husband with tales
of pee rags.
I saw my sweet husband get more and more excited by the idea of tearing up
our old flannel sheets and keeping them in a bucket next to the toilet. I would
even say he was flushed with excitement!
Ok, as I said I’m only “Hippie Lite” - so I’m not sure I’m ready to take
the plunge into a world where toilet paper is not available. David, who spent 15
years working in a paper mill and is well aware of the environmental impacts of
TP making was all for it. I'm just not ready...
But I'll keep everyone posted should we decide to go without TP. For now my
11 rolls of Scott Toilet Tissue - 1000 sheet rolls! - should help me put that
ever important decision off.
February 3rd, 2008
Jefferson, Wisconsin.
Well, we have been spending time with Sarah in her new place. Her first
apartment is wonderful. A two story hundred year old brick house in the
beautiful city of Jefferson, the apartment is a palace compared to my first big
girl apartment in Chicago.
Jefferson is a lovely small town tucked away thirty miles from Madison and
five miles from Fort Atkinson. It’s filled with big ancient yellow brick houses
tucked here and there next to newer homes. The big employers are Briggs and
Stratton and Purina Pet foods.
The wet slushy winter did nothing to add to the charm of the place, but
there is no mistaking it’s uniqueness.
The downtown is filled with old buildings and not a vacancy in sight. I saw
realized potential - a fabric store, two cafes, an antique store, an old
fashioned hardware store and more. Of course when you’re not buying anything,
the joy of wandering in and out of stores just to browse doesn’t hold the same
appeal as when you have the permission to perhaps buy a thing or two.
Shopping, browsing are much more than mundane tasks that must be endured in
order to procure goods - there is also the aspect of social interaction as well
as the instinctual drive of some hunter gatherer ancestor.
In my life a trip to a café for a wickedly good cup of coffee and a great
used book store where I can exchange a few pleasantries with the owner and get
that great book are a social event. I dare not enter such places, knowing my
hands are tied.
February 1st, 2008
If I end up writing a book about this experience it’ll be titled “How I
saved money, organized my house and lost 30 pound while saving the planet”
I guess first I just have to lose 30 pounds and complete this experiment.
But I am making great strides saving money, organizing and recycling - that last
one counts as saving the planet. Besides with a title like that - it’ll be on
Oprah featured in the book club.
This weekend we are going away to visit David’s daughter Sarah and since
she just got her first big girl apartment we are driving down to see her and
bring her a whole bunch of goodies. It’s funny - as we’re packing things that
she might find useful I’m finding out that I am much more of a consumer than I
thought. My kitchen alone is a treasure trove.
I wonder if it differs all that much from the typical American household. I
should say from the outset that I love to cook, so perhaps the amount of
gadgetry I possess has something to do with that but here is just a partial list
of what I have in my kitchen -
A mini Cuisinart, a full size Cuisinart , a bread machine, 2 juicers, two
pasta machines (one manual, one electric), a coffee grinder, a toaster oven, two
meat grinders, a springerle rolling pin, a food mill, a ravioli form, 3 rolling
pins, a yogurt maker, a soda maker, an ice cream maker, a popcorn popper, a
seal-a-meal food sealer, a dehydrator, a pie board with a cloth cover (a note
here - I have NEVER baked a pie - which makes the next item even weirder - I own
3 pie tins), a blender, 3 square baking dishes, 3 cake spring forms, 2 stock
pots, 6 pots, 3 frying pans, a slow cooker, 2 colanders, 1 crepe pan, countless
specialty tools like melon ballers, twisty potato makers and much, much more. I
do not own a microwave.
We took some of my bounty down to Sarah’s place and I still have plenty -
for example - somehow although I’ve always insisted that I was not that big of a
consumer I had three full sets of measuring scoops. ? How this happened I do not
know. But getting rid of some of the stuff has definitely helped me organize.
January 31st, 2008
Well, the first month is done!
My last purchase for the month was $5.61 for saline solution for my contact
lenses, and once again I question whether this is a necessity. I do own two
pairs of eye glasses, and I guess strictly speaking contact lenses are not a
necessity. Eyeglasses however make me feel awkward and are not a part of my
persona for lack of a better description.
I started wearing contact lenses in high school - the braces were bad
enough - I didn’t want to have glasses too, and I’ve grown so used to my contact
lenses.
I’d be hard pressed to give them up, besides - the glasses leave a gap
between my cheek and the lens of the glasses and this makes the things that
appear in the gap blurry, making me dizzy. I guess that’s one more addition to
the rules - I‘m not giving up the contact lenses and their associated cleaning
solutions.
The first month has gone by very fast and I must say I’m prod of myself for
making it a month following the rules.
January 30th, 2008
Boy it sure is easy not to spend money when you’re stuck at home and the
outside temperature is -18 degrees. Living in the UP is a dream sometimes - a
warm house, a hot cup of tea and a good book is all you need. (Maybe a cookie,
too)
January 26th, 2008
Today I baked cookies and spend most of the day cleaning house.
I should not have baked the cookies, much less butter cookies. You see I
recently saw a picture of myself and I look FAT. Which brings me to an
interesting point. As I was cleaning the upstairs of the house I came across not
one, not two but 17 (!) workout videos. I brought them downstairs where my son
and his friend were busy watching TV when an infomercial for “Hip Hop Abs” came
on. You too can have ROCK HARD ABS!
With absolutely NO SIT UPS! I must admit I briefly watched the
gyrating bodies on TV, but I saw right through them. I learned my lesson with
“Yoga Booty Ballet” thank you very much!
You see I have two left feet. Now don’t get me wrong. I can dance (if by
dancing you mean shift my weight from one foot to the other while moving my
arms) When it comes to a coordinated effort that requires a predetermined set of
movements - well, that is not me.
I remember when I received Yoga Booty Ballet in the mail. I was very
excited when I put in the first DVD which promised an introduction and a warm
up. Ok, I can do this, I though. WRONG. 3 minutes into it I was lost. The people
were moving in unison as if connected by invisible strings while I was tripping
over my feet and flailing my arms like a drowning person. Last I remember I sat
down and watched the rest of the video without doing a single move. At $19.99
plus shipping and handling it was not my most extravagant purchase but that and
the 16 other workout DVD’s expose me for the consumer that I am. I’ll go and
have some cookies now.
January 25th, 2008
Kitty Litter clean-up musing.
As I sat combing the presents from our three cats out of the kitty litter
it occurred to me how very wasteful cat litter is. The forty pound bag of
clumping pure clay that will end up in a landfill stinking up a storm is very
wasteful and certainly not sustainable. I have to find a better way.
January 24th, 2008
As it often happens when I embark on some project, material falls into my
hands with an eerie synchronicity. Since I started this journey - books,
websites, and other materials come to me from all directions. Today my husband
brought home the January issue on National Geographic. It has a story that
starts on page 64, entitled “High Tech Trash”.
It can be seen with this
link.
Take a look at the photo gallery for the article. There is a couple of startling
photos that bring the article into a sharp and painful focus. The one that got
me is a picture of a man melting lead from circuit boards in the same pot his
family cooks in. Remember the brouhaha over lead dust in PVC mini blinds? At
least we weren’t eating off of them!
The same National Geographic has short article on recycling. The bar graph
it has is enough to give even non-tree huggers pause.
January 23rd, 2008
Today I found a neat website to help along.
www.catalogchoice.org is a free service that gets
rid of unwanted catalogs before they have a chance to grace your mailbox.
So far they have over half a million members and have stopped over 6
million catalogs!
And it’s very simple to use.
1.Gather your catalogs.
3.Find the catalogs you receive from their very extensive list
4.Fill in the customer info, hit Decline and you are set.
They forward the request to the catalog company and you are done!
Just don't get tempted by all the catalogs they show that you've never even
heard of!
January 22nd, 2008
As my understanding of “consuming” deepens - so does my feeling of one
person not being able to make a difference. My friend sent me a great link to
www.storyofstuff.org It’s a site that hosts a 20 minute movie on our system of consumption. The
material is very clearly presented, in Black and White animation narrated by a
very pleasant woman.
I can’t relate everything here, that’s what the link is for, but of the
material presented two things really got me - Planned Obsolescence and Perceived
Obsolescence.
Planned Obsolescence is essentially a method by which a manufacturer
determines the life of a given product and then makes sure that product just
about disintegrates within that period and still makes the consumer feel like
they got a good deal. Have you ever noticed for example how simple goods in
antique stores are solidly made? I’ve seen brooms that are hundred years old and
they’d still be useful for another 50. Of course brooms in my house last
forever, so I guess that is not a good example. Many of the goods manufactured
today are made to be disposed of after one use. (Swiffer cloths, paper towels,
plug ins, wipes saturated with cleaning solutions etc) I recall reading
about the Scott Brothers (one of the first to mass produce toilet paper) - who
were quoted as saying that it was the perfect product to sell - it’s necessary,
disposable and non reusable.
They did have naysayers who would complain about having to pay for a
product that was usually free (the Sear Catalog was widely used before the
advent of TP)
But once again, I digress. The second concept is perceived obsolescence -
that’s another way for manufacturers and advertisers to make sure we all consume
more and more. Making products different from season to season and promoting the
newest products as better that the nearly identical versions from the year
before it keeps the consumer hamster on the wheel.
I have been very conscious of my purchases for the past 21 days - but this
short movie opened my eyes even more both to the inequities of the system and my
contribution to it as well. It also made me think of my grandma. When I was 19
(18 years ago) I sent her a flannel nightgown for Christmas. I recently spoke to
her and she told me she still has it, and although the flowers are faded and
she’s had to mend it, she loves it. My grandma is the anti-consumer. She has not
owned a computer, a car, a house, a VCR, a DVD or CD player or even an answering
machine. She does however have a radio, a TV and over 500 books. I must mention
that she does live in Poland, but that is hardly a third world country.
It does seem to me that in our society the things of value are the new,
improved, upgraded, the young, the hip, the cool, the hot, the things that were
on Oprah. (And they only stay valuable till the next thing comes along two
months later) I encourage everyone to see the movie.
www.storyofstuff.org I did my share of consuming today - $40 worth of gas and $47 worth of
groceries.
January 21st, 2008
We had a wonderful dinner with friends. I made three different kinds of
pizza using my fool proof pizza dough recipe. The kids helped to make Greek
Pizza, Pineapple Pizza with Canadian Bacon, and a Pepperoni Cheese pizza.
There was a great moment when my friends arrived and their son Harken, who
knows about my project proudly handed me a three pack of blue sponges! (I’m set
till at least July!) It was great to get together with friends and enjoy each
others company.
January 19th, 2008
Well, I finally finished reading “Give It Up”!
The full title of the book is “Give it up - My Year of Learning to Live
Better with Less” and when I first heard of the book I assumed it would contain
some insight that would be helpful to me during this yearlong project,
unfortunately it seems that the only things that Mary Carlomagno and I have in
common is that we are both women and we both like chocolate and coffee. Other
than that…well, if my lifestyle was that of an upwardly mobile New Yorker - I’d
find this book insightful and perceptive. Mary however leads a life that is
alien to me.
The following is a list of what Mary gives up :Alcohol, Shopping,
Elevators, Newspapers, Cell Phones, Dining Out, Television, Taxis, Coffee,
Cursing, Chocolate and Multitasking.
Perhaps this is what makes me so indifferent to the book: I don’t drink,
there are a total of 2 elevators in the whole town where I live, I don’t have an
obsessive need to read the paper each day, I don’t own a cell phone, my dining
out consists of a visit to the legion for fish fry every other month, my TV has
two channels, there has not been a need for me to take a cab in 3 years and the
closest I’ve come to multitasking is cleaning the toilet while on the phone with
my ex-mother in law. Shopping? Well, our ideas of shopping differ vastly - I
don’t own a single pair of $300 pink high heels, nor would I be caught dead in
the same. I could almost commiserate on the chocolate and the coffee…
Add to all the above some of the observations that Mary makes and you can
see why I couldn’t “get it”. Here is just one quote “Certainly choice is good,
but having too many choices can create confusion”
Hmm…what other gems can she find? Let’s see “water is wet” , “puppies are
cute”. (Now say that and imagine yourself as Chrissy on Three’s Company with
head cocked to one side and a pout)
Ok, now I’m just being mean. I guess a woman who wears pink 3” heel sling
backs to walk around in New York deserves pity and not my ridicule.
On a completely different note - I visited the Hurley Museum today.
The ladies there weave beautiful rugs re-using old clothing. The rugs
support the museum, they recycle materials that would otherwise end up in
landfill, they boost the local economy, provide a meaningful creative outlet for
volunteers and create a beautiful practical merchandise where there was none.
Really inspiring.
January 16th, 2008
I went into the Devils Den - yes that’s right - the dollar store. I was
looking for a calendar for work. Never mind that I received 4 different calendar
from 4 different suppliers, somehow I managed to convince myself that none of
them was adequate. The calendars I had were all too big, not big enough, too
busy or just not right.
The good news was that the dollar store didn’t have the perfect calendar
and I was able to walk right out without purchasing anything!
The funny thing was that after I walked out, I realized that instead of
feeling deprived and resentful like I assumed I’d feel this month - I felt
liberated and wealthy. By realizing there was nothing I “really” needed - I felt
all the wealthier for it.
I’m focusing on what I have, not on what I do not.
Seven years ago I lived in Chicago in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood.
While Ukrainian Village was a working class neighborhood with a park, five
delis, a ma and pa hardware store and a small pharmacy - the adjacent
neighborhoods of Wicker Park and Bucktown were decidedly trendy with fancy
bakeries, boutiques, Starbucks, and expensive gift stores. I felt at home in
Ukrainian Village with the little old ladies shopping at the delicatessens, the
moms taking the kids to the park, the rusty cars parked along the tree lined
streets. In Wicker Park however, the scene was much different.
Wicker Park was full of SUV’s and BMW’s and they had a DOG park where all
the yuppies would walk their puppies. There was even a DOG BAKERY.
Whenever I wandered over to “their side” - the feeling of inadequacy was
almost tangible.
I honestly think that if I had attempted to do this experiment in a large
city like Chicago, it would be nearly impossible to not feel resentment.
January 14th, 2008
Snow day and Alex has shoveled out the sidewalk in front of the store. He
used the $5 I paid him to buy donuts. I guess this indirect purchase of donuts
over which I had no influence does not count, but a point here - my son’s
impulse to purchase something, anything the minute he had money in his pocket
speaks volumes. In the mail today I got my Benjamin Barber book “Consumed”. I
almost finished “Give It Up”. It’s still very hard to read. Yesterday I read the
chapters where she gives up taxis and chocolate.
I can’t wait to start “Consumed”.
January 13th, 2008
(Sunday)
I’m starting to think in terms of bargaining. As in “How about just one
movie rental per month?” My husband says "Resist beginnings, far too late the
cure once habit hardened has run it's relentless course" No movies for me.
This morning after a delightful breakfast with the family we turned on the
TV to the world of Sunday morning infomercials - pretty much the equivalent to
Saturday morning commercials disguised as Saturday morning cartoons for kids.
The six week makeover, mineral makeup, shoe inserts - all the things we “Need”
were being hawked by hyperactive individuals very excited by bouncing golf balls
and brought to tears by flaw concealing make-up of the “Stars”. One of us
finally snapped out of the haze and clicked off the T.V. Thoughts of rewards
flitted by as I congratulated myself on how good I’ve been about this project.
But I prevailed and we spent Sunday morning watching birds and squirrels at the
feeding stations we had set up on the front porch of the house.
As I did laundry later on I looked with dismay at the bottle of fabric
softener. It was almost empty. I briefly entertained pictures I’ve seen in TV
commercials of housewives hiking down their static cling covered skirts and
peeling socks off of their husbands shirts. Will I be resigned to the same fate?
This is almost worse than the blue sponges!
January 12th, 2008
Agonized over shampoo today. I guess everyone can agree that it is a
necessity, but then we have degrees - do I need a fancy shampoo or will any
shampoo do?
I settled on Tea Tree Oil shampoo which I feel is justified given the itchy
winter scalp I’ve been dealing with this winter season. Definitely a “Need” and
not just a “Want”
January 11th, 2008
I had an interesting discussion today which made me think of my project in
slightly different terms. A couple visited the store where I work on their way
through town, They are downsizing as they move closer to retirement. Although
I’m nowhere near retirement, downsizing sure seems like a by-product of this
experiment. Already by way of consciously making purchases my cupboards and
pantry have gotten lighter and my supply of tea is dwindling. (ok, still have
over 28 varieties, just less of each one)
January 10th,2008
Hardest day yet. After an uneventful day at work I was rushing to an
appointment when I slipped and fell (rather comically) in the parking lot. One
minute my mind was completely on getting to the appointment on time and the next
minute I was sprawled out on the ground my arm stretched out in front of me like
Superman flying through the air.
My right arm hurt and although I made it to my appointment on time I was
very stressed by the time it was all done. And that’s how I came to the first
challenge. I was filling up with gas at Citgo and there next to the cash
register - temptation in the shape of sausages.
2 for $1 said the neon pink sign. It took every ounce of willpower not
to buy them.
I realized that stress was definitely a shopping trigger for me.
Looking back at some of my purchases in the past, stress definitely played a
part.
January 9th, 2008
I managed to purchase only necessary groceries today. I was going to buy
BBQ sauce, but when I looked at the ingredients all the choices contained High
Fructose Corn Syrup,
so I made my own from the odds and ends at the house. It turned out great.
All it took was tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, molasses, brown sugar,
allspice, salt, pepper, port wine, and half a jar of plum jam that has been
taking up room in the fridge for a while. Ta Da.
Since I’m still not buying aluminum foil the BBQ chicken got covered with a
cookie sheet and went into the oven. Turned out great.
January 8th, 2008
Still on target and it feels great.
I have been reading “Give It Up” by Mary Carlomagno. She gives up one
“Vice” per month, sort of like the idea of the Catholic Lent. The first month
she gives up alcohol, the second month shopping, and so forth. I must admit I
have not had such a hard time getting through a book since Wilke Collins “The
Moonstone”. And here I must admit once and for all I will never get through that
book. I have begun reading it no less than 8 times now. I have gotten as far as
the half way point where he switches the narration and I still don’t know who
stole the jewels and probably never will. But back to "Give It Up". Mary
Carlomagno is the polar opposite of Judith Levine. She is the “bought and paid
for” consumer while Judith Levine is the introspective conscious consumer who is
able to look within and evaluate.
I hate to call anyone shallow, but reading the book “Give It Up” takes
shallow to new lows. I’m forcing myself to keep reading though and I keep hoping
for at least one wonderful insight.
January 7th, 2008
Seventh day of not buying it and it is going surprisingly well. Even a trip
to the hardware store proves this. At the checkout counter they have a display
of plastic gizmos with carbide blades on one end and ceramic rods on the other.
It is a lovely knife sharpener, and even though it’s only $3.99 - I do not
purchase it. David watches me briefly hold the gizmo, observing me much like a
scientist might observe a rhesus monkey. If he had a note pad, I could almost
see him jot down “Subject returned the plastic object to the correct bin on the
counter and is now pretending not to be thinking about it while stealing
covetous glances at it” What he doesn’t realize is that I remembered I
already own three knife sharpeners. Sure, not as nice as this gizmo, but it sure
makes it easier for the consumer brain to put away something one already
possesses.
January 6th, 2008
Spend the day socializing with friends, knitting and cooking. My friend
Cyndi commented that I’m finally using up my yarn.
A brief explanation. I have been gathering wool (pun intended) for quite a
while now, never really doing anything with it. Balls of various colored yarn
abound in my house.
Not spending my time purchasing stuff, I’ve begun using the stuff I have.
When I ran out of dish soap this morning instead of running to the store I
grabbed a bottle of organic shower gel I never really cared for and since “soap
is soap” I’ve been using it to wash dishes. Normally I would have run to the
store and returned laden with bags of other things. I can’t count the number of
times I’ve gone to the store for just one thing and remarked to the cashier
while I wrote out a $30 - $70 check
“Gee and I just came to pick up some butter”
David has been reading “Not Buying It” and quoting passages of it to me
today. One I especially like is “an inconvenience becomes a desire, a desire
becomes dissatisfaction, dissatisfaction becomes a need and a need becomes a
matter of life and death”
I think most of my desires don’t become matters of life and death - but I
certainly reach the “need” phase for quite a few things.
January 5th, 2008
A rather uneventful day. I had a brief epiphany that led me to cleaning
house.
Normally on a day off I’d do everything but clean house. My usual escape?
Shopping.
Not today. I wonder how clean my house will be at the end of the
year.
January 4th, 08
Friday. It’s delivery day at work. We get four new varieties of potato
chips. (Cassava BBQ, Candied Sweet Potato, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Blue
Potatoes with Jalapeno) But I stick to my guns and manage to buy only groceries
and no tea or chips.
Then off to the pet food store where I part ways with $73 in cat and dog
food.
At home my mailbox is once again full of “great” offers. 2 catalogs and an
interesting letter from my bank. Just use your debit card 20 times in the month
of January and get a free prize. The more you use your visa debit or credit card
- the more points you earn, the better the prizes!
This makes me mad. More so because I work in retail and I know how
advantageous it is for the bank and the credit card companies to have you using
those cards.
For all uninitiated here is how it works. The consumer is duped into
thinking that the cards are better, faster more convenient then cash or checks,
meanwhile the retailer pays a significant fee to accept and process them, plus a
nice monthly maintenance fee. The fees are higher by the way for using your
debit card as a credit card, they are higher if the transaction is less then $10
or if the card cannot be read by the machine because of a problem with the
magnetic strip and it has to be entered manually.
This increased cost for the retailer is passed on to the consumer. So when
you collect your ½ point for each $100 dollars spent using a debit card and 1
point for each $100 dollars spent using the same card and pressing credit - the
bank makes money, the retailer loses money and you pay for that flashlight or
set of luggage you get as a prize one way or another. It’s maddening. It'll be
nice to opt out of that system for a year.
January 3rd, 08
I managed not to buy anything despite finding the exact pot I wanted on
eBay. $28.50 plus shipping would have gotten me an antique French pot, but I am
steadfast.
I arrived home later to find three catalogs waiting for me. Northstyle,
Home Improvements and the equivalent of chocolate for the chocoholic - the
Victoria Secret SEMI ANNUAL sale catalog.
I picked up the phone and one by one cancelled the catalogs. Wow.
I can only imagine I’ve just kept 50 pounds of paper out of the waste
stream.
This little project might have far reaching effects I didn’t
anticipate.
January 2nd,2008
The mail beckons with offers. Columbia House, Charter Cable and Artist’s
Magazine
would all like me to partake of their generous offers. All of them make it
to the trash except the Charter Cable one which I leave on the table for my
husband to look at. It does seem like a money saver and we’d have internet
access at home…..
Later we have dinner with friends and I discover a new object of desire. A
cast iron pot.
But not just any cast iron pot. An antique French cast iron pot with the
most unusual handles I’ve ever seen. “Oh you can get them on eBay” - my friend
remarks casually.
A conversation ensues about my project and to my horror David brings up the
dish sponges. They are not a necessity he points out. And he is right.
Here I have to explain. I use Scotchbrite blue wave sponges to do the
dishes.
The are perfect. I buy them by the three pack. David, my sweet husband
hates them and routinely will toss them into the trash, insisting that they are
not sanitary. I have boiled them and microwaved them in the past and use each
one for about a month. The horror! This means I only have four months of my
sponges left, or less if he tosses one without me catching it!
I have impressed upon him the importance of my blue sponges and warned him
that without them he will be forced to do all the dishwashing. I can only hope
this is enough to stop him from disposing of them before it is time.
January 1st,2008
Safe from buying for now. Of course I have not left the house all day and
have not watched TV or even looked at a computer. So far the day has been spent
watching the chickadees at the bird feeder. (It’s a good thing we bought a 50 lb
bag of black sunflower seeds last week, because it is not technically a
necessity)
I’ve added another rule to the rules for the year - namely - no more buying
tea until we drink up all the teas we have. Here is the explanation. I love tea.
Barry’s Irish breakfast, Mango tea and Earl Gray are my three favorites. Somehow
though I’ve managed to acquire over 20 varieties of tea in my cupboard. I
counted - make that over 28 varieties. Wow.
December 31st, 2007
The task before me seems simple
enough. Do not buy anything for a year.
I’ve managed to convince myself that this will be easy. I did some last
minute shopping on the 31st, and safe at home from consumer land I
started cleaning my kitchen counter.
There were several bags of dried fruits and pecans on the counter and I put
them away into some lovely refrigerator jars I bought. They were a bargain - 6
jars for $3.50 and the apricots and pecans looked so lovely in them. This may
not be so easy after all. I desire more jars…but they are not a necessity. I end
up going to the basement and getting some canning jars with plastic lids…of
course these are not the beautiful refrigerator jars. I guess I’ll have to wait
a year or do away with my desire to possess them. I wonder which is
easier.
Later on that same night we went
to Kmart and while my son picked out his skateboard rail, I eyed the pajamas.
(Beautiful, cheap, flannel pajamas.) ON SALE! At first I thought I’d get a pair
for my grandmother and send them to Poland, but I left the store on my last day
of shopping for the next year without them.
When we got home, I regretted my decision not to get them. I kept seeing
myself warm and snuggly in new flannel PJ, reading the 4 magazines which
constituted my very last purchase. This may prove tougher than I initially
thought.
Later I went to use the aluminum
foil and pulled out a three inch end piece. Now what? It is not a necessity, I
had to admit.
What exactly constitutes a necessity? Do I go back to caveman times? Food,
shelter clothing and fire?
About six months ago I
eliminated paper towels. They had seemed like a necessity and I used to buy them
by the 6 or 8 pack every two months. I don’t really miss them. Occasionally when
the cat vomits I briefly miss paper towels, but then toilet paper comes in
handy. But what can you use in place of aluminum foil? Would it be cheating to
ask my husband to buy it. I should dig about the cupboard, maybe I have a spare
roll.
