It’s Enviro-Mama Thursday here on Strocel.com, and today I’m taking aim at the stuff I buy. It’s my One Green Thing for June. But before I get into that, I want to update you on my One Green Thing for May, which was ditching paper towels. So, how did I do?
I’m happy to say that I did not use any paper towels at home last month. The sponge cloths I bought worked well. Those, plus some tea towels, handled all my spills nicely. The bigger issue turned out to be the paper towels I use for food prep. For example, I normally use paper towels to soak up the grease when I fry foods. I also use paper towels to cover up my food and prevent splatters in the microwave. I used tea towels instead for both purposes, and they worked. I just had to get over my fear of stained tea towels. It turns out that most of the food washed right out, though, once I actually gave it a try. I would call May a success.
That brings me to June. I recently watched The Clean Bin Project, a documentary that chronicled a Vancouver couple’s efforts to create as little waste as possible for a year. One of the key parts of the project was not buying any stuff that year. By not bringing new things into their home, they generated less garbage overall. They don’t have kids, and I think that would have upped the difficulty ante (children are constantly growing, and they go through shoes at an alarming rate), but it occurred to me that I could definitely go one month without buying any “stuff”.
I’m allowing myself some exceptions to the “no buying” rule. They are:
- Food
- Medication
- Experiences (I need a haircut, and a haircut isn’t going to clutter my house)
- A birthday gift for Hannah to give to her friend
Here’s what I won’t be buying, that I otherwise would:
- A gift for me to give a friend
- Father’s Day cards (we’ll be making these instead)
- Alcohol
- New capri pants
I don’t buy a lot of stuff – or, at least, I don’t think I buy a lot of stuff. I’m curious about how adopting a mindset of not buying more will impact my life. Maybe it won’t. Or maybe I’ll find that I actually want to buy a bunch of stuff that is now off-limits. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Have you ever instituted a “no buying new stuff” policy? Would you – and for how long? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
amberstrocel
amberstrocel
amberstrocel
amberstrocel
amberstrocel
amberstrocel
amberstrocel
amberstrocel
after the initial headlong rush into my jewelry business i’ve been able to impose a “no beads/no supplies” rule for a few years (hideous levels of over-stash). the exceptions are wire, findings (clasps, jumprings etc) and items for teaching. i’m given a pass for bead shows but rarely go overboard.
as a result i’m being more creative, less inhibited by all the junk, and have space in my studio.
oh boy did i buy a lot!
pomomama’s last post … wordless wednesday: sci fi?
Twitter: AmberStrocel
says:
Several years after closing up shop on my baby carrier shop, I still have TONS of fabric in my garage. I could probably sew for years without buying more. There’s just something about craft supplies – they’re really easy to go overboard on.
Twitter: Wendy_Irene
says:
Whenever I’ve used up my bi-weekly budget but the 2 weeks isn’t up yet I institute a no buying stuff rule. Sometimes it works well, and other times I totally fail. I think it is a good idea though. It makes you more conscious of your purchases.
Wendy Irene’s last post … Too Much Junk in the Trunk? How to Conquer the Junk Food Battle
One of my favorite cleanup things to do it look for 1/4 full bottles of cream/shampoo/soap/ you name it and USE IT and then recycle it.
… Eh hem, wine doesn’t clutter the house.
harriet Fancott’s last post … Six toddler challenges
Twitter: AmberStrocel
says:
It’s true that wine doesn’t clutter the house, but I actually am fairly well-stocked right now. So this one sort of falls under the “de-cluttering” heading. Also, it’s not strictly a necessity, although some days I would argue that point.