not much new in the compacting world...except that i haven't been following it very well lately. i need to re-group & re-state my purpose...hopefully that will give me some accountability with someone out there in the blogging or real world!

a couple quick tips
::walmart has great & cheap fabric for making cloth napkins...i have made a ton all for very little money ($1/yard!).

::white distilled vinegar works AWESOME as a rinse agent in your dishwasher!! it really works! my dishes have never been this shiny

::don't go to a dealership & drive a new car...it just makes you want one....darn you, MAZDA 5.....

check out my other blog for my work-in-progress, revised, longer lasting compact.

A little over one month in

And I'm doing OK. Just OK tho. I've bought a few things I wasn't going to. I bought two thingies (can't remember the name of them) at VikingFest, but that's a once a year thing, and I've been wanting to buy them since our first VikingFest three-four years ago. Bought a couple new outfits at Goodwill, so that wasn't "new", just "new-to-me" so I suppose that goes along with the Compact. :) The best thing I got that day was a porcelain Ballerina Cinderella doll that I think normally runs $25 for a whole $6. That was a heck of a deal!

Bought myself a new bathing suit, but that's not something I want to buy secondhand. And I'm not sure if my suit from last year would fit. It sux.

And the no junk-food thing? Yeah, forget it. I'm craving sugar like there's no tomorrow, so I'm about to give up on that. HOWEVER, I have done REALLY well on the cutting down on fast-food idea. So, there's a big plus.

That's my update. I'm worried about the move coming up, I'm going to TRY to stick to the Compact, but I may have to put it on hiatus until the move is completed.

May Progress Report

This month wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Everything we bought new was for the move/new house, but I still feel a little guilty.

- Various nails, picture hangers and hooks for the new house
- Umbrella for the patio furniture (I did use a coupon from Bed Bath And Beyond, so I got it for $40.)
- A new scale ($40) - Ours was old and barely worked. Since I am trying to lose weight I decided to get a digital one.
- Fire pit - Not a need by any stretch, but all of the nights spent out there as a family make it totally worth the $45 (I got 10% off because the first one I bought was missing parts.)
- Weed Eater ($20) - I gave mine away when we moved into the apartment. I posted on Freecycle to see if anyone had a weed eater and lawnmower available, but nothing. I did end up getting a lawnmower, though. (The house next door is also owned by my landlord and he gave us the one the previous tenants left.
- Wood for Christian's bed - his loft bed didn't fit into his new attic bedroom, so he and I built him a platform bed. All told, it was about $100.
- Landscaping timbers for clothes line posts (About $13)

I really wanted to garden this year but I decided not to spend the money. I hope I don't regret that decision.

It is funny... not much has really changed about our lives since we started compacting, except the guilt. I know... crazy.

Cross posted at Life, in a Nutshell