Out With the Old..

As the holiday season and the year 2011 comes to an end and new year is beginning I (along with most people) have made some new years resolutions. Now yes, I have made the "usual" resolutions - exercise more, eat healthier, watch less TV, etc. but this year I am adding a few more to the list and challenging myself to take my goal of living a sustainable zero waste life to the next level.

The Resolutions

1. If I truly feel that I need to buy something I will look for a used option before buying new. This goes for clothes, gifts and household goods (definitely not food!).

2. If I do buy something new, I will make a huge effort to buy local and buy American. 

3. At the grocery store, whenever possible I will buy in bulk and look for other products that come in packaging that can either be recycled or reused.

4. I will only buy a to-go drink if I have a reusable mug with me.

5. I will refuse plastic bags at the store. If I forget my reusable bag I will carry whatever I've bought.

The Challenge

I will admit up front that this challenge is not an original idea. Last week my sister sent me an email of a blog posting by a friend of hers. At the beginning of 2011, this friend (who had recently moved) decided that she had too much stuff and really wondered if every item in her home had a purpose, or was it just meaningless clutter. So, decided that she would challenge herself to find one item every day to get rid of, 365 items in total.

Here are a few of the rules she gave herself:
1) If something got replaced, it didn’t count.

2) Every item counted as one item. No extra points for big stuff or expensive stuff: whether it was a pair of earrings or a moped, it counted as one.

3) To keep my honest, I’d take a picture of each item. At the end of the year, I should have 365 pictures.

Although I have "purged" a lot of clutter from my home in last year, I know there is still more I can get rid of.  Starting today I am taking on the challenge of getting rid of 365 items during 2012. I am planning to follow the same rules listed above. I will take pictures of all the items before they leave the house so I can keep track of what I decided to get rid of. At the end of the year I will be able to look back and reflect on what I got rid of and what the experience was like.

So, here is to 2012, the year of "out with the old and in with, well, nothing".

Happy New Year!

Less Stuff = More Happines

This video sure does make you think. 

I am never this happy while moving!

That's that I have been doing a lot recently, thinking. Thinking about the things I have in my home. What is all this stuff I have? When did I acquire all of it? Do I even use or wear it? How much money have I spent on stuff that lives in boxes or sits around collecting dust? It is scary to think about- but is something that needs to be looked at closely. Over the years I moved almost 20 times (between shuttling back and forth to college, to jobs out of state and back again), and I am only 27 years old. Each and every time I've moved I have gone through the process of getting rid of stuff. I go through my DVD's, my closet, my books, my kitchen and all the other random stuff in between. I have also gone through phases of getting rid of clothing and other stuff I don't need. This has happened a lot. And times, I will go through my closet and fill a trash bag with clothing I don't want. The next month, I do it again. And on a day when I can't seem to find room for my clean laundry I do it yet again. Each and every time I felt like I got rid of a lot, and yet I always seemed to have the same amount of stuff.  Sound familiar to anyone? I would be flabbergasted to learn that I was the only person in America who has gone through/is going through this!

You cannot tell me that this woman looks happy.

How could that happen to me? How could someone get rid of so much stuff and over time, end up with the same amount? I wish I could say it magically appeared, but that would be a lie. Well, for one, I was a slight "shopping addict". Over time, I have almost recovered from the disease. Almost recovered, but not entirely (I do get the yearning to go buy things every now and then). I bought so much stuff- DVDs at Blockbuster (4 for $20), cute holiday candle-holders or decorations (that were always on a super-sale), and clothes (even though I am not the least bit "trendy" or "fashion forward". I made excuses for why I needed an item- I could never admit that I just plain wanted it. It didn't help that I worked at a sporting goods store for many years (where I got a discount and first dibs on new "fashions", markdowns or the clearance rack). I always say that with the amount of athletic clothing I had, I should be an Olympic Athlete (which I clearly am not)! Shopping was also such a great experience for me, or so I thought. I loved going to the store and picking out things. It fell so great to fill my shopping basket, paying for it with own money (or in my case, own shiny credit card) and bringing it home. Once I got home though, I realized that all those things in the bag didn't actually make me happy - it made me feel empty and a little depressed. Especially when I got my credit card bill.

CC bills and my over-stuffed living space made me feel like this!

I used shopping as a band-aid when I had a bad day or when I was bored. I liked to shop when I was having a good day and even more when I was having a bad day. In the end though - I ended up with a house, dorm room, or apartment overflowing with stuff. Stuff I didn't need, and sometimes didn't even want. Stuff that was made overseas and traveled thousands of miles to get to my house, that took natural resources to make (and ship) and would probably end up in the landfill one day. Now, I didn't really change my view on shopping and consumption until fairly recently. It really started when I started working at my current job. Working in the solid waste management sector you learn a lot about the problem of trash and over-consumption in America. I mean, it wasn't that I never thought about the environment, I did. I grew up recycling and composting and saving every single piece of wrapping paper, tissue paper and gift from birthdays and Christmas. But I guess I never really realized the problem - that every family in the US is not like my family. Now everyone uses reusable water bottles or coffee mugs. Not everyone takes their lunch to school/work in reusable lunch bags in tupperware and with metal utensils. I realized that my adult self had turned into the problem. I was an over-consumer. And this over-consumption had not only resulted in significant credit debt, but also, all of this stuff I had  didn't make me happy - it made me frustrated, because it was everywhere I turned.

I have filled plenty of bags like this recently!

So how have I changed over the past year? Well, for one, I am actively not buying things unless I really need them, being careful to avoid single-serve packaging and items, getting rid of things in my home that I don't need or want, and walking the talk. I can't expect school children to recycle, compost and reduce waste just because I say so. They should know that we are doing this side by side and are all working together toward a common goal. What also motivated me to work harder to simplify my life was Tropical Storm Irene. After the storm hit Vermont this fall, I immediately knew that I could help people. I had a closet full of clothes (most of which I hadn't worn in 6 months or more), and plenty of other household items I could donate. My house was overflowing with stuff and there were Vermonters out there who had just lost everything. So, with this as my motivation I have been working hard to look at what I owe and think about what I really need and want in life.

I would love to work less so I could spend time with my pups!

I recently visited the Cliffs of Moher on a trip to Ireland!

I love hiking and spending time outside- and would rather do that then fill my home with unnecessary stuff!

What do I want in life? To travel, to spend time with my friends and family, to get outside, to start a veggie garden and grow my own food. The less stuff I buy, the more money I can save. With no credit card debt from unnecessary purchases I can save money to go out see the world or to buy my own home with some land. If I can make do with a smaller living space, I may save money on rent or utilities. In turn I may be able to work less and spend more time doing the things I enjoy with the people I love - instead of worrying about my paycheck.


Picture Credits:
Moving - www.movingauthorities.com
Sad Shopper - www.foxbusiness.com
Sad Little Girl - www.shelliebee.blogspot.com
Donations- www.theconfidentmom.com

How Many Tote Bags is Too Many?

Picture from:petronioassociatesblog.com

The reusable tote bag; a wonderful invention, which in the "old days" was just a regular bag. But with the birth of plastic and paper bags, the cloth bag was brushed aside, as many sensible items had been when disposable items exploded onto the market. But with the wave of "green living" washing over the US, the reusable cloth bag has made somewhat of a comeback. I don't think though that it’s the right type of comeback. For one - the cloth bag never disappeared, they have been in existence and been used for what seems like ever. These days reusable tote bags are more than just a sensible item to own (and use), they have become like many things, a fad. It has become a fashion statement and trendy - although not trendy enough for everyone to use instead of using plastic or paper bags.

My tote-bags!

Picture from: www.colortime.com

I can’t say that I have not fallen victim of buying an extra tote bag because it was cute – I definitely have. But, recently I have begun to re-evaluate not only the amount of stuff I have, but what I own and have bought over the years. I am finding that I have a lot of stuff that is just that, stuff- it has not meaning. I want my home to be filled with meaningful things- pictures of friends and family, my Grandfather’s paintings and my Uncle’s wooden duck decoys. I want antiques that my parents collected and copies of my favorite books. What I don’t want is clutter. I don’t want decorative candle holders that cost $1 and were made in China. I want more room in my home friends, family and dogs! So, in taking a look at what I have in my home I looked also at my reusable tote bag collection. And wow – over the years I have acquired quite a collection. I know I didn’t buy all of them- many were free- and everyone knows that it’s very hard to say no to anything free.

Well, all in all I found out that I probably have at least 25 reusable bags. Twenty-five! Seriously – who needs that many tote bags? Although some I have purchased, others I got for free or were given as gifts. I know that some of them I do use for groceries and some for knitting projects, and others are good to have around just in case. But I really realized that I did not need all twenty-five. So, I decided to donate a good handful of them. I am still hoping to further reduce the number I own. I may choose to donate more or re-gift a few. No matter how I choose to reduce the number I own, the one thing I am promising to do – not buy anymore or fall into the trap of the free tote bag. Because, although these bags are reusable, natural resources are still needed to make them and some of these great, trendy reusable bags are made over-seas and sent to the US – using non-renewable natural resources every step of the way. This pledge I am making is just one more step I can make to help and protect the fragile earth we live on. 

More bags - it's never-ending!

 Can you pledge to stop using paper and plastic bags? Can you also pledge to only own a reasonable number of tote bags? If you took this pledge and asked one or two friends to make this pledge also - together we could make a difference.  

P.S. - If you need a tote bag or two, I may be able to help you out!