AVAAZ is an amazingly influential grass roots organization. Please sign their petition and help save the bee populations of the world.
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsecure.avaaz.org%2Fen%2Fsave_the_bees%2F%3Fcl%3D895537048%26v%3D8114&h=4dd2c
Thursday, January 6, 2011
So we are on day 6 and did not buy anything new today...WOOHOO! Of course I have avoided grocery shopping so as not to be near temptation and my kids are starving...lol ;) Will have to break down tomorrow and fill the pantry and fridge...lol..
Received a Christmas letter from one of my best friends. Rhian and I have been close for 28 years! GULP! LOL! A fellow Collabarative Consumer! She is also one of the funniest people on the planet. 3 pages about their life with 3 boys, one a new born, 3 dogs, 3 cats and 106 tropical plants...lol
She ended her letter with the things she has learned in the last couple of years. Here it is:
- Don't Email people when you're post partum with the flu
- All of Rhian's problems are Norm's fault
- I didn't know anything was wrong with me until I met Norm's family
- Norm didn't know he was normal until he met mine
- You can never have too many plants, wine or boots
- You think you are the funniest person in the world at 4:00 am
LMAO!
I'd like to add to her list that humour will get you through the day no matter what happens.
Score is 5/6...but tomorrow will be a test when I drive by the final clearance sales..lol..
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
New Stove Arrived!
Well here it is! The new stove has arrived and it's SELF CLEANING! WOOHOO! First time I have ever had one of those..lol...And the company took my old one away for free! It goes to the scrap metal contractor along with the others.
The drywall is almost completely up and ready to be mudded....yuck! The worst part of dry walling is the mudding and sanding and mudding and sanding.....BUT, the mud room won't take long now.
So we have not bought anything new besides the stove which needed to be replaced anyways. Energy efficient and bigger for those 30 lb beasts..lol....
Sam got invited to a birthday party for Saturday. Oh no! Now I have to buy new for a gift. Then I thought...EXPERIENCES! I will buy the boy an experience. Movie tickets? Hockey tickets? A play? Museum passes? Joined Groupon and found tickets to the Beaty Biodiversity Museum for $10! But they won't get here by Saturday so will get movie tickets. At least it's not supporting retail therapy and giving the boy some place to go...maybe even encourage some family time. We all know how expensive it is to take the whole family to the movies. But it's so exciting for the kids to see it on the big screen, in 3D and in those funky glasses.
So I'm scoring us 4/5. If you disagree please COMMENT! I noticed only 1 comment and she's one of my BFFs..lol...Maybe I should advertise this blog but I don't know where to start..lol....Technically challenged is an understatement..lol..
Happy Hump Day! :)
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Building Materials
Have yet to replace the oven as we were busy with a sick child...Mattias...and putting up drywall. Take out night! The oven is TOAST! The entire bottom framing is falling apart and the only thing holding it in place is the two counters it sits between! LOL! It must have been the 30 lb turkey that took it over the edge from functional...barely..to completely useless. Will have to call the Regional Recycling Centre and have a scrap metal contractor take it away. I wonder how much gets recycled?
Which brings me to a new topic...car seats! My friend had to throw away two car seats as they didn't meet safety standards. She called all around to find a recycling centre that would take them and no such thing! They are metal, plastic and fabric....what gives? She even offered to take them apart into building materials but they all said landfill only. How many car seats end up in the landfill every year?
So I will score us 3/4. The exceptions list is growing....sigh.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The oven is on its last legs!
Of course my ancient oven would decide to fall apart...literally...days after the promise not to buy new! Did a quick search of all the used sites and found nothing suitable. OYVEY! Will go to Matus in the am and support our local dealer. We bought the fridge from him and he promised free delivery next time so might as well take him up on that offer. So we make yet another exception to the rules....but at least the new oven will be power smart. The last of the dinosaurs in this house will be gone!
Did not buy anything new today! And can't wait for the SNOW!!!!
So we are 2/3!
Did not buy anything new today! And can't wait for the SNOW!!!!
So we are 2/3!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Success! LOL!
Day 2 and we managed to stay away from buying anything...or should I say Ron stayed away from the stores..lol...I joined two online groups that sell used goods. One is Fraser Valley Cheapcycle and the other is FullCirclesMission. Managed to check out Cheapcycle and found it to be an excellent resource. You have to request membership for both sites and they are very strict about what and how you post. The creator manages the site so you don't have to weed through a long list of spam or scammers. Really impressed!
I had to go to a Jewish Funeral today for my Grandma's (on my Mom's side who passed away in 2003) best friend Mimi...or Auntie Mimi as we called her. As is Jewish custom she had to be layed to rest within 3 days and the funeral was lovely. Passages from the bible read in Hebrew and Jewish songs. Auntie Mimi lost her husband at a very young age and became a single mother of 3. Born in Brooklyn, New York she moved to England to marry then to Canada with her 3 kids. She never let the bad bring her down. Her joy for life was too strong. She managed to raise her kids on a small salary with no credit! She even became a home owner in Vancouver and still managed to look fabulous during it all. Mimi knew how live without retail because she had no choice in her younger years. She and my grandma would sew clothes for the kids while both working full time for clothing companies. Ha!
So it's a little ironic that we lose such a wonderful and thrifty lady at the beginning of our journey. I will think of Mimi every time I pass those new hiking boots in the window and remind myself that not too long ago many women did not have the luxury of new and still managed to live life to the fullest!
Score - 1/2
I had to go to a Jewish Funeral today for my Grandma's (on my Mom's side who passed away in 2003) best friend Mimi...or Auntie Mimi as we called her. As is Jewish custom she had to be layed to rest within 3 days and the funeral was lovely. Passages from the bible read in Hebrew and Jewish songs. Auntie Mimi lost her husband at a very young age and became a single mother of 3. Born in Brooklyn, New York she moved to England to marry then to Canada with her 3 kids. She never let the bad bring her down. Her joy for life was too strong. She managed to raise her kids on a small salary with no credit! She even became a home owner in Vancouver and still managed to look fabulous during it all. Mimi knew how live without retail because she had no choice in her younger years. She and my grandma would sew clothes for the kids while both working full time for clothing companies. Ha!
So it's a little ironic that we lose such a wonderful and thrifty lady at the beginning of our journey. I will think of Mimi every time I pass those new hiking boots in the window and remind myself that not too long ago many women did not have the luxury of new and still managed to live life to the fullest!
Score - 1/2
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Day one and Hubby blew it!
OMG! My husband decided to go shopping! And where did he go? URBAN PLANET! And what did he buy? Sweat pants! And his excuse? "They were cheaper than Value Village" And guess where they were made...BANGLADESH! UGHGHGHGHGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we didn't even make one day without buying new! I am still committed to making the change....even if hubby doesn't want to join my "crusade" as he puts it. Crusade? More like a lifestyle choice. He's pretty sheepish right now so I hope that feeling remains when he goes out next time. I should have known this would happen.....he LOVES to shop. I guess I just have to laugh about this slip up and move on.
Did some more research on the subject and found a catch phrase that describe a new movement.Collaborative Consumption! Don't buy - Lend, Swap, Share and Borrow. Gone are the days of beg, borrow, steal....a new consciousness has many thinking about our impact on the planet. Collaborative consumption is a growing trend. Some families have created clothing swaps in their neighborhoods. Some schools have set up swaps year round in an unused room in the school. There are plenty of websites devoted to swapping or selling used goods. Craigslist has been a favourite of mine for some time. Bought a sauna, an elliptical trainer and some garden tools for much less than retail and in mint condition. Besides saving money, which is important when you have 4 growing boys to feed, buying used ensures that the goods don't end up in a land fill, that there is zero packaging to dispose of and resources are not being used to make and transport a new one. It really is common sense.
I understand the thrill of buying a new pair of shoes or finding that screaming deal in the mall. The just have to have it now moments. Guilty of impulse shopping and not thinking about the people that made it, how it got to the shop and the enormous resources used to display and sell the product. I have not set foot in a mall in over a year. I unconsciously began an anti-consumption program in 2010. Maybe it was because I hate shopping or because I got a dog so the focus was to go outside. Maybe caring for my dying mother shifted my focus and got me thinking about what is important in life. Whatever the reason the process had already started but to go 100% to collaborative consumption will still be a challenge. Which brings up the exceptions questions. My husband and I agreed that food, medications, vitamins, undergarments and shoes can be purchased new. We both believe proper foot wear is important, especially for growing boys. Will try my best to find decent used shoes but am not holding my breath. Also...school supplies? How do you source out used notebooks, pencils etc. May have to be another exception. Toiletries? Makeup, soap, toothpaste etc....those I will consider part of the grocery bill. I'm committed to the process but there is an ick factor to used toiletries. Internet? Videos? Games? I need the Internet for my job as an accountant so that stays. Movies will have to be pre-owned as well as PS3 games and Wii games. Magazines? I guess I have to beg to get peoples' seconds...lol...Can't think of any other exceptions at this time but will post if anymore come up.
So here we are..Day 1 of the challenge. 0/1....failed already but will keep trying. HUSBANDS! UGGGG! LOL!
Susan
Did some more research on the subject and found a catch phrase that describe a new movement.Collaborative Consumption! Don't buy - Lend, Swap, Share and Borrow. Gone are the days of beg, borrow, steal....a new consciousness has many thinking about our impact on the planet. Collaborative consumption is a growing trend. Some families have created clothing swaps in their neighborhoods. Some schools have set up swaps year round in an unused room in the school. There are plenty of websites devoted to swapping or selling used goods. Craigslist has been a favourite of mine for some time. Bought a sauna, an elliptical trainer and some garden tools for much less than retail and in mint condition. Besides saving money, which is important when you have 4 growing boys to feed, buying used ensures that the goods don't end up in a land fill, that there is zero packaging to dispose of and resources are not being used to make and transport a new one. It really is common sense.
I understand the thrill of buying a new pair of shoes or finding that screaming deal in the mall. The just have to have it now moments. Guilty of impulse shopping and not thinking about the people that made it, how it got to the shop and the enormous resources used to display and sell the product. I have not set foot in a mall in over a year. I unconsciously began an anti-consumption program in 2010. Maybe it was because I hate shopping or because I got a dog so the focus was to go outside. Maybe caring for my dying mother shifted my focus and got me thinking about what is important in life. Whatever the reason the process had already started but to go 100% to collaborative consumption will still be a challenge. Which brings up the exceptions questions. My husband and I agreed that food, medications, vitamins, undergarments and shoes can be purchased new. We both believe proper foot wear is important, especially for growing boys. Will try my best to find decent used shoes but am not holding my breath. Also...school supplies? How do you source out used notebooks, pencils etc. May have to be another exception. Toiletries? Makeup, soap, toothpaste etc....those I will consider part of the grocery bill. I'm committed to the process but there is an ick factor to used toiletries. Internet? Videos? Games? I need the Internet for my job as an accountant so that stays. Movies will have to be pre-owned as well as PS3 games and Wii games. Magazines? I guess I have to beg to get peoples' seconds...lol...Can't think of any other exceptions at this time but will post if anymore come up.
So here we are..Day 1 of the challenge. 0/1....failed already but will keep trying. HUSBANDS! UGGGG! LOL!
Susan
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