'...with a little help, from my friends...'
Ooooh, interesting conversations happening already. First thing I've learnt: 'local living' isn't exactly new, but it's new to me/ us, so in seeking advice we may need to get it from new people/ sources..and 'community' becomes self-evidently important! (And a joy!)
Here's the conversation so far from: http://experiment.noimpactproject.org/group/simplesteps/forum/topics/sunday-consumption-69
“hhmmm..i have consciously cut down on buying new stuff already over the last year or so, at first thought, the main new thing i would buy this week is a birthday present for a 5 year old boy's party. now, i don't have a problem making or buying second-hand for him...but will my 7 year old son accept that for his friend, will the birthday boy, and will the birthday boy's family understand? hmmm...the party is next sunday, let's see what i can come up with. apart from that i can't think of anything else apart from food that i'll need. so far :)”
“Vaike, that's an interesting conundrum. I find it easier to give homemade or secondhand gifts to adults rather than to children. Doesn't that seem odd, given children's imaginations and creativity? I'd love to hear what you come up with!
Wendy, thanks for the link to the meetup groups. My old clothing swap ended when the organizer moved out of state, so I can't wait to connect with a new group.”
“Like Wendy, I've been cutting down on consumption for quite awhile now. I was shocked to find that I was still using shopping as a comfort/soother ("retail therapy"), despite becoming more aware of my mindless spending patterns. The hardest part of decreased purchasing for me has been finding new and different coping mechanisms. Initially, I just started shopping at thrift stores, rationalizing that my shopping-as-a-stress-relief was okay because I was buying used stuff. But me, my husband and 2 wee dogs live in less than 500 square feet and there's just only so much room for crap. So, now anytime I find the urge to shop, I have to ask myself why and what I can do to genuinely address the issue. Interestingly enough, this resulted in me getting a new, amazingly (nearly!) stress-free job. Ah, relief!”
“Vaike, I've had great success printing out free paper toys from thetoymaker.com. I print them on white cardstock and place them in a binder with a personalized cover. So far, the kids I've given them to have loved it, particularly because they can work on making the toys with friends and adults. But if he's into war games and what not, this might not work!
Many moons ago, I got one of my teenage nephews used clothes. He was offended when he found out until one of the "popular" kids noted the name brand (a normally expensive brand). After that, he kept asking me to get him more of "those used clothes." Sadly, I didn't use it as an opportunity to talk with him about the perils of brand worshiping, etc. I was just happy he was willing to wear secondhand clothes.”
“I had to wean myself from retail therapy, too. Usually, it takes just a simple question -- "Am I buying this because I need it or because I'm feeling down?" -- to avoid temptation. There's one shopping indulgence I still allow myself, though -- the greenmarket! There's no better pick-me-up than wandering through the stalls, chatting with the vendors, enjoying the sensory overload, and later making a big batch of roasted whatever-looked-good.
The site http://stopbuyingit.com/ intrigues me. Has anyone else kept a tally of the items they didn't buy?”
“Vaike, that is an interesting dilemma. For me, an important part of this challenge is not to be "perfect" but to do what is right in minimizing our impact. I think we do the whole process a disservice when we do things that make the whole green movement seem bizarre and out of touch. Giving a second hand gift could be perceived that way. One suggestion I have for the child's present is to make a purchase but try to but something fun and creative from a local crafts person instead of something from a big corporation. Decreasing consumption is important but I think it's just as important to channel our remaining consumption towards local, socially conscious people and companies.
Please let us know what you come up with. I think we can all learn from these experiences!”
