Compacting in a small town

I haven't updated about Compacting lately because there hasn't been much to tell. How many times can you say "I bought nothing new this month."?

I am afraid that it may change soon, though.

Compacting in a small town sucks. At least compacting in this small town sucks.

I have been (what I am told are) the two biggest thrift stores in town and it was pathetic. I thought the fact that I don't need "stuff" would make it ok... clothes can't be that hard to find, right? The mens jeans section of the bigger store had exactly two pair of jeans. I couldn't even find the mens section of the smaller store.

So my options are -
1. Keep trying.
2. Drive to Jackson or Tuscaloosa (each 1 1/2 hours, in different directions) once a month as needed.
3. Try other small town thrift stores - if there are any. As the county seat, we are the biggest town around.
4. Become nudists.


I don't even know how I am going to pull off Christmas or the two birthdays we have coming up.

Sigh...

ANNOUNCEMENT! READ THIS!

After much consideration, I am moving Mamas on the Compact to Wordpress.org. We are getting more and more inquiries from people interested in joining--most of which have gone unanswered because I am incredibly busy with raising my toddler, working full time, helping my husband to run our farmers market and engaging in other charitable pursuits. But I have the time this weekend, so any of you who have NOT received an email invite will once we move to wordpress.

We will also have our own domain name, and it should be easier to register and post (you shouldn't have to wait for me :)). And for those of you blogspot lovers who may be a little nervous about the switch, wordpress is very easy to use and navigate. The new site will NOT be mother-specific, though, I imagine that many of our members will be mothers.

I will invite all of you over to the new site with an email describing how to log on etc. as soon as I work out the kinks. All posts will be imported over to the new site and this site (compactingmamas.blogspot.com) will be given an announcement for one week before I start a redirect.

Happy compacting!

NOT doing great on the Compact

Haven't exactly been going on shopping sprees, but... with stressing out with house-hunting, have kinda let the Compact slide. I need to re-assert myself TO myself, and restate my purpose with the compact, or officially put the Compact on hiatus until the move is done and over with.

I think the best option right at the moment is to officially put the Compact on hiatus until the move is done. Because with the fear that we're not going to have a house to move to, yeah.... I'm doing ok on keeping it to shopping second hand (Value Village and Goodwill are my friends right now. LOL)

I WILL be back on track, and soon!

Half way there...

The end of June marked our halfway point and I forgot to blog about it!

Things haven't changed much for us because we never did much shopping, and always looked for used before resorting to buying new. In fact, The Compact has made it a little easier because now I have a reason to give people instead of just being the crazy person who never buys new. I think the fact that being green is the new thing (we are a little slow here in Michigan) makes it easier, too.

One thing I am learning to do it think ahead. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I know that my kids are going to out grow their clothes, so I am always checking for the next few sizes at the thrift store. I know that we will always need pens and pencils, so I pick them up when I see them at yard sales - even if we have some at home. I know that eventually our couch repairs won't work and it will need to be replaced, so I am on the look out for a good quality replacement.

Thinking ahead allows you time to find what really fills your need, instead of having to settle - or worse, run to Wal-Mart - because you are sitting on the floor or flashing the neighbors!

Picture from flickr and Cross posted at Life, in a Nutshell

Clothes

Yesterday I had to break the compact - and I am so happy about it. I have lost 2 pants sizes and 1 shirt size, and had just a few things that fit me right. It happened so quickly that I didn't have time to find clothes at the thrift store. I ended up having to buy new shirts and shorts and capris... but it was all on sale, so I spent right around $50. (4 shirts @$7 each, 1 pair of capris @$12 and 1 pair of shorts @$9.)

Now I am going to start keeping a stash of smaller clothes from the thrift store and freecycling them when I am out of them.

Not a bad problem to have, I suppose.

Other than that, we have been a compacting away with our bad selves.

Cross posted to Life, In A Nutshell

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

Compacting with higher gas prices

This past weekend in Michigan we hit $4.19 a gallon for gas. Ouch! The higher prices have really been a challenge to my compacting ways. Before, I wouldn't hesitate to run to Saginaw (about 30 miles) or Mt. Pleasant (about 25 miles) to pick up something we needed from Freecycle or Craigslist. Now, not so much. Hitting up yard sales a few towns over is a thing of the past, too. In many cases the cost of gas would be more than buying the item new. Sad, when you think about it.

Have the gas prices put a crimp in your compacting/thrifty ways?

(Picture from flickr)

time's up...well, almost.

the end of my compacting challenge is almost here and it seems like i have just begun. i have officially decided that i will continue the challenge as more of a way of life. i am sure the rules of the compact will be changing to meet the changes of our family. but i am excited to see how much this has changed me.

for example:

• hosting the kids' birthday parties became a lot simpler by accepting the fact that i won't be using paper products anymore. we have plenty of party plates, cloth napkins and tablecloths. saves me money, saves the environment and people enjoy eating on real plates.
• before i even leave the house, i evaluate what i am really going to buy, where i am going to get it and if i really need it. it has totally cut down on impulsive buys and makes for less clutter & junk in the house.
• i am happier without so much stuff. i didn't know that having so much stuff made me a slave to that stuff.
• my life goals & dreams are changing. no longer do i need to live in the city, no longer is our family mantra 'bigger, bigger, better, better'. but rather, 'less is more...oh wait. less is actually less and that is a good thing'.
• buying less stuff & getting rid of the stuff we don't use has created a richer & deeper life for our family. (getting rid of our swing set was the best thing for our kids' imagination!--more on that later!)

for now, i will try to continue to adhere to the rules i set up just two short months ago. this has been 'my gig' all along. in a couple weeks, my husband and i are going away for a quick weekend sans kids--cue the angels & the hallelujah chorus--where i hope to start a great discussion about how compact living fits into the fabric of our family. i will post my new compact when we are finished with it.

i hope these two months have at the very least provided entertainment to those of you that read this blog...if not some hope and inspiration that living with less is not such a bad thing! i'd love to hear how my journey has spurred you on to making changes in your shopping habits...even your life.

organically inclined...

Hi! I'm Michelle Kennedy Hogan and I've been compacting for a number of years now. However, I decided to make it official and take the pledge (mine is here).

I'm about as frugal as they come, except in one area - our local convenience store. Because it's so darned convenient! I'll go in there for a gallon of milk and come out with a bottle of soda, a "treat" for the kids and, I don't know, some "thing" I forgot I "needed." We do live about 40 miles from any large town so buying our milk and gas there isn't unreasonable. But even with my very frugal habits in every other area of my life - I added it up last month and we spent well over $500 at this one freaking store! I was appalled. Granted, some of it was legit - gas for my truck and milk for the kids - but the rest - Oh My Freaking Word!

So - in addition to the rest of my pledge, I am taking on a "nothing but the milk and gas" clause. I do not need a 1/2 gallon of ice cream for the kids that costs $6.50. And I don't "need" the soda, just because I'm tired of iced tea and water. This will be the true test for me, because much of my overt spending comes out of kid-guilt. We'll see how I do...

another one...seriously, what is my problem! (updated)

what! another one...i know, i know. i went to kohl's. i shouldn't have...i just shouldn't have.

i walked away about $100 poorer with some really cute clothes for the kiddos. well, they are still in the bag and i was trying to decide what to do. see, bo is in desperate need of some new clothes...not NEW, but clothes that actually fit his ever growing body. those little noodle arms & legs keep growing longer & longer!

kohl's was having great clearance (what did I tell you about clearance? my WEAKNESS!). but, i think i can turn this oops boat around! there is a huge TAKE 2 sale at the fairgrounds this weekend, starting today at 10am. the reason this is my saving grace is because i am having my garage sale starting tomorrow, so i don't think i'd have a chance to go down there otherwise.

my plan is to get down there today and get some stuff for bo, so i can take back all the new kohl's stuff & get back on track!

i am finding that it is the compulsion to buy new stuff that is luring me, calling out to me. it still has a hold on me...consumerism. that witchy, witchy woman. also, i am seeing my cycle of buying stuff and then either taking it back & buying used or just taking it back. baby steps, baby steps!

**i redeemed myself this morning: returned the clothes to kohl's & went to the consignment sale. not only was i able to find just the right amount of clothes for bo, i was able to find sister's birthday present...a doll house w/ accessories. all for less than what my kohl's bill was! ahhh, the joys of being back on track.

cross posted at mint green mama

Oops'd already

Not even three days in, and I goofed. :(

Wasn't thinking when I got gas today for the drive into Seattle, and I grabbed myself, of all things, a Hostess Cherry Pie. After I said I wasn't buying any junk food. :(

Otherwise, I'm doing pretty good on the compact, but my parents are torturing me, and going shopping and buying stuff for the kids. TOYS! Rawr!!

C'est la vie. Life goes on, and I will do better.

question

Does the compact apply to everyone in the house, or just me? I'm feeling insanely guilty, because my parents (who live with me) went shopping today. I thought they were gonna shop at the thrift shop in town, but they ended up going to Wal Mart. I didn't BUY anything, but they bought me and all three kids some croc-like shoes. I, honestly, feel awful! And, I gotta edit my exemptions... Forgot to add our weekly/bi-weekly Domino's. Not giving that one up, it tends to go along with our weekly family movie night.

Confused!

And, on a side note, the husband is rather irked with me, because he said he'd "try" following the compact, and that didn't mean I had reason to join the group. Ugh. And I'm only two days into my two months.

garage sale friday!

today was not planned, but i remembered a friend was having a garage sale and boy am i glad i did! i spent the most at her garage sale, a wopping $24. i drove through urbandale & west des moines--both seem to be having lots neighborhood sales.

here is a picture of my loot! i am sooo happy with all the stuff i found. some clothes for me, a shirt for bo, two purses for me, a book & a toy for each kid, a new glass pitcher (just broke the handle off mine THIS morning!) and some house decor stuff (the tall thing is a bamboo rug for under our table or in sisters room).

i think i am most excited about the purses (of course!). i can't pick which one to love more, so i guess they will have to share my affections for now.

shopping at garage sales has never been so much fun & rewarding! also, i found the cutest toy for sister's birthday, it is a full hair salon station with all the toys...hair dryer, curling iron, curlers. it was priced pretty high for an older toy, but in great shape. i got the lady's number & address, I am going to call tomorrow and see if it has sold. if not, i am totally going back for it (& probably offering her less!)

this post has been cross posted at mint green mama

April Progress Report

You may remember that we decided to put the compact on hold while we move, thinking that we would need all sorts of little things that you would never consider buying used (toilet brush, for example). So far, we haven't had to buy a thing, but we are officially moving in next week.

One thing we have decided to buy new is stuff for the back yard. Our backyard is big but there is no patio or deck, so our table would sink into the soft ground. I came up with a design that will allow us to build a deck that can be taken with us the next time we move. (We will build four separate 6x6 sections that will be carriage bolted to each other, for a full 12x12 deck.) We also plan to buy a gazebo ($200), possibly a new grill ($150 or so. Ours is 8 years old and falling apart) and wood and various soil components for four 4x4 square foot garden beds. We had planned to sell our current patio set and buy a new one, because the wrought iron is rusting (loaned it to my brother while we lived in an apartment in Ohio and he left it out all winter, uncovered) and there are only four chairs for five people. After thinking about it I decided that I like our current set, so we will just paint it and buy a chair that sort of matches so we don't have to keep dragging a kitchen chair out there. All together, we will be spending less than $500, and since we are doing the compact for financial reasons, and we budgeted for this, I am totally ok with it. Justification? Maybe.

Everything else that I purchased falls under the exemptions that I decided on when we started. (Bras, cross trainers, shoes for large footed children.)

We have also decided to take the kids to Germany next summer, so there will be various purchases throughout the upcoming year. (Passports mostly.)

Another thing that I decided is that it isn't fair of me to drag my family along on my crazy adventure. I am the one who decided to do the compact, and it isn't fair of me to force it on them. Of course, I wouldn't hand them money and ask them to buy me something (I think that would violate the spirit of the compact), but I am not going to try to stop them from purchasing new.

So basically, no new purchases for April, but probably plenty for May.

Cross posted at Life, in a Nutshell

New to the Pledge!

I am new to the Mamas on the Compact Pledge but I'm really excited to be a part of it!

The following is my pledge as posted on my blog:

1. I am pledging to not buy anything new for a period of two months to begin May 1, 2008.

2. My reasons for doing this - I think I need to learn to be happier with what we have, which let's face it, is more than so many less fortunate than us. I also need to stop using shopping as a way of making myself feel satisfied, and I need to stop playing into the idea that you are what you can afford to buy! It really is all about differentiating between wanting and needing.

3. My plan for maintaining the pledge? Prayer! No, seriously, that may be the only way I make it through! But really, I can still buy used...that's allowed... so if I really get an itchin' for some shoppin', I can go to the thrift stores. Also, when I 'm feeling lonely and bored (which usually results in a shopping trip) I will try to spend time going for walks, making crafts, cooking, playing outside, and thinking of ways to be "greener" :)

4. Okay, finally the part where I get to justify a few things...the exemptions:

a) Building materials. We are after all still remodeling a house! This does not however exempt un-needed purchases such as furniture and decorations. I'm exempting trim and paint, that sort of thing.

b) Building materials. Redundant, maybe, but this time it's for the dwelling. We plan to use as much salvaged material (which is allowed, right?) as possible but I'm figuring that some things will need to be purchased new. The reason I'm exempting this is because it's already in the works, and therefore needs to be built!

c) I have the husband on board as much as possible...however, he has come up with a few exemption of his own:
- Music for DJing...which is unavoidable and also a business expense.
- Very early morning coffee on the way to the hospital, because if he grinds beans at 6:00am it wakes me up and that makes me grumpy...but whenever possible, he will make it at home.

d) My appointment at SalonSalon. It was a gift from Valentine's Day and even though it will be paid for during the compact, it was given before hand. And dammit, I need some pampering!

e) Whenever humanly possible, I will make or purchase recycled gifts during my compact. If this does not seem humanly possible, I am exempting the purchase of modest gifts. No going overboard!

f) Bathing suits, socks and underwear. Three things I outright refuse to buy second hand!

g) Last but not least, let's be honest here, it's soon to be summer vacation. We plan to take a small trip as soon as Walter is done with school. I don't know if vacations are part of the pledge to begin with but I'll exempt it just in case... the cost of this trip is exempt, but not purchases made on the trip. No new stuff! After all, there are thrift stores on vacation aren't there?

I think that covers everything. I know it seems like a ton of exemptions, but I'm supposed to list them up front and I may as well be honest, instead of saying I'm not going to buy anything and then end up cheating!

Well, that's it, let the compacting begin!

New to the Compact.

Ok, I've come across this blog online at http://compactingmamas.blogspot.com, and I've decided to join the compact.

Barter, trade, buy used or go without

My Pledge:

For at least the next two months, I pledge to buy nothing NEW. This does not include "new to me" items. Merely going shopping for the sake of going shopping.

I am doing this to help the environment by lowering the demand for new things to be made, as well as lowering the amount of waste created by my household. I am also doing this to help my children and myself to learn to differentiate between what we want and what we truly need. And to be completely satisfied with what we already own, instead of going out and buying new things because we're bored with what we have.

To avert the "I wants" I plan to avoid shopping websites, and stores like Target, and the mall. I will limit my shopping at WalMart to buying groceries, if I can not manage to bring myself to shop at the grocery store down the road. When I go out, I will leave my check card at home, to avoid any temptation to go shopping. I will talk to my husband about our spending habits, so as to have him help keep me on track.

Ok... my exemption are:

Shoes- I will not buy used shoes, it's just icky. They never fit quite right, and they're uncomfortable as all get out.

Underwear- I know I'm gonna need new bras soon, just gotta get the money to get them.

A Wii or a PS3- I know, I know, I know that that's a horrible thing to exempt, but it's one of those things we were planning on getting w/ the taxes, and it got put aside. I should be getting money soon, so we can get it.

Necessities- Things like cleaning supplies, and a soaking jar for my moon pads. I really need the soaking jar.

Things that I will NOT buy:

Toys- The kids have a ton and a half toys, and do NOT need any more. And before I even THINK of buying more for them, I'm going to go through what we have and get rid of a bunch.

Clothes- I *REALLY* don't need any more. I have two bedrooms FULL of clothes that need washing before I even pretend to need more.

Jewelry- Any jewelry I *want* I can probably make for myself. I will exempt a butterfly necklace, as I've been looking for one for months.

Hair Stuff- Puh-LEEZE, I *really* don't need more clips/barrettes, or frills for my hair. I *might* need elastics, but not the frills. And I can probably make do without the elastics.

Cosmetics- unless I run out, which I shouldn't for a good long while

Junk food- THIS one's gonna be tough. I have a serious junk food addiction.

Fast Food- unless we're not home, and have no other option, and if we eat fast food, we will choose the healthiest possible options.


I will edit this more as I think of more.

I forgot to say that I'll be starting on 1 May.

HELP WANTED!

Your resident compacting host here announcing that I'm terribly overwhelmed (as many of you newcomers know). I've been neglecting this blog and want to apologize.

Secondly, I'm seeking a co-admin for Mamas on the Compact. The responsibilities are pretty simple:

• Help me check for new bloggers wanting to join the compact and send them invites in a timely fashion.
• Set up the sidebar to include newcomers and move those whose compacts have ended to graduates.

Also, I'm still strongly considering a switch to wordpress and a domain specific to this blog, so keep your eyes peeled for that. If you're interested in helping out with some of the administrative stuff email me (jenny (@) green-mommy (.) com or reply to this post and I'll get back to you.

Take Care & Keep it Green!

today was a quick run to the goodwill: looking for an alarm clock for bo's room. he has been waking up way to early, so we are instilling the no words until 7am rule. i have heard it works so i am trying it.

so, i promptly found the working alarm clock...actually kinda cool for $2.99 and then as i was plugging it in, i remembered that those khaki pants don't fit anymore. a whole other story there....but we won't go there right now. i found two pairs of khakis that fit for $3.89 ea. and then a pair of dark browns that are a bit too big, but for $3.89 i think i can attempt to alter them. i am sooooo excited for my finds.

i've been on the hunt for a webcam as well, i have a friend in africa that I am dying to chat with and actual hear her voice and I found one on craigslist! we are going to pick it up tonight...a webcam & mircophone for $14.

i am finding the key to compact living is thinking ahead & making a working list. things you need right now, things you'll need in the future, things that you'd like to have but aren't necessary to get right now. i know with young kids it is hard to keep up with how quickly they grow, but it is a sure bet that they will always need play clothes, coats, hats, mittens, snow pants, etc. by thinking ahead about 6 months, then we can be prepared for when we need things by just going to the closet, rather than all around town or hoping for a great garage sale.

speaking of garage sales...it is officially garage sale season! i am so jazzed to dust of my "this van stops for garage sales" bumper sticker. i need to begin planning out my friday strategy, since in the past it has been drive by the sign and make a quick stop.

this post is cross-posted at mint green mama