Story of Stuff
Update: Hidden in the sacrasm of this post is my excitment and support for all of this. I love that people are blogging about it. I don't think anyone trying to consume less is funny. I think the fact that our country needs to have a "movement" about it is funny in a sad way. Since I am also on the bandwagon I am putting myself at the top of the list. I hope more will hop on because I was getting tired of doing all the nagging myself.
Apparently there is a new movement surging the nation (or blogs at least) which I find wonderful and hilarious at the same time. People are getting on the band wagon to STOP BUYING STUFF! This is wonderful because the money I see people waste on crap brings tears to my eyes and it's hilarious because some of us have been doing it all along. Where were the rest of you? Oh ya, out shopping.
Here are some of the new (or maybe not so new) band-wagoneers. Hopefully they will inspire us to new heights of simplicity. Do you know of any more?
Me!
We Don't Buy It
The Year of Not Shopping
A Year Off
Random Rantings
The Simple Family
Can We Make It?
Stranger and I sat down and figured out how much money we spent total on Christmas this year. It was around $400. That includes money we spent on each other, our three kids, friends and family. Are we cheap? Maybe. Are we trying to live a frugal, clutter-free, stress-free life? Most definitely yes!
I'm sure you've all seen The Story of Stuff but if you haven't watched it with your kids yet you must do so immediately. I watched it with mine and we had a lengthy discussion of it. They saw for themselves why their mom won't buy them every little piece of crap their heart desires. One thing I taught my kids long ago is that we can afford anything we want. We just can't afford everything we want. I never EVER tell them, "We can't afford that," because we can. Most people afford what they want to afford. If you're broke and you're paying for your Internet connection and a cell phone instead of food then that is your choice.
When we're in the store and my kids see Moms buying stuff for their kids they will sometimes whisper in my ear, "We're saving our money for other things aren't we Mom." Dang right!!! My kids have a great life. They just have a different life from most other kids in America and I'm proud to say it is a life we chose for them instead of a life we accidentally fell into because it was the same one everyone else was living.
So what's your story of stuff?
On a different note. I am the number one search result for "How To Start Your Own Pancakes Business". Who knew I had so much to offer in this field?
Labels: Shopping
posted by The Lazy Organizer @ 5:29 PM
25 Comments
25 Comments:
and i was just going to order some organzing bags! guess i'll wait. haha but seriously, i totally agree with you. i think i'm going to give it a try. actually cleaning out the playroom wed. from all the junk that piles up. calgone, take me away!
stacy
You should also look at the No Impact Man´s blog:
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/
With his family, he cut down on consuming (and more!) for environmental reasons and the results of his year-long experiment are very interesting.
As for myself, I can add that my father was extremely happy when we gave him an Oxfam present for Christmas; 12 chicks to be donated in his name to those who need them to subsist. He says it´s the best gift he´s ever had. And of course, it didn´t add up to the clutter.
I agree.
3 years of blogging have shown me that this trend comes and goes with the new year.
There's no one more zealous than a convert, though, so it's motivating to see all the new ideas flow through the blogosphere!
I want to be cheap too! I'm worried I'll have to hit rock bottom though. Can't I just wince as I watch others? Do I have to do it myself?
From what I learned this past year, it's not finding great ways to store all my stuff, it's getting rid of the excess. Some people refuse to make this choice, but I am not going to be one of them. I can't keep everything I've saved over the years. I must choose what I most need and love and show it the respect it deserves. To quote Peter Walsh in It's All Too Much "Clutter makes us forget what's really important."
What a great post! I love how you taught your children and you inspire me to do the same!
Funny....my husband and I both talked tonight and decided to try one month from tomorrow no spending (except gas money and perishable groceries). I am excited...I think I am a thrifty and frugal person, but there is always room for improvement. Thanks for the links, I will check them out.
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I'm going to remember your words "we CAN afford it" and I think that will be enough motivation to help me over the humps when I really want something but deprive myself of it for the greater good.
Oh, I was also going to mention my other blog, www.wantitall4free.blogspot.com that is dedicated to my passion for freebies and thriftiness! Check it out!
I think we spent about $400 on Christmas too! We really try to save our money for just the basics and that which is useful. One of my Dad's favorite memories of visiting us last year was when he took my then four year old to the store. He asked her what she wanted to buy and she replied,"Do I have to buy something? If I do I better what and see what's on sale." He got a kick out of it.
i'm not really going to stop buying stuff... instead i'm just going to stop going to target entirely... i really think that will help.
My husband and I have been trying to figure out ways to simplify and live a little more frugally. We'd like to pay off some of our bills (several, we think, will be paid off in the next couple of months) and start actually having some savings.
We have already implemented some changes, and they have been going pretty well. Not perfect, but better than before. And, then we're putting some more plans into effect on Monday, which is the start of our fiscal month.
I think one thing that is helping us is that we are introducing changes a little at a time. It has made us more likely to stick to them than ever before.
I found this one just yesterday.
www.wedontbuyit.blogspot.com
Interesting trend. I would gladly give it a go although I don't buy much excess as it is. I hate clutter and stuff that just sits around and doesn't fulfill a purpose. I'm working on my dd6 who has become a pack rat thanks to her nana who insists on saving EVERYTHING...her view is throwing it OUT is wasteful...sigh....dh hates clutter too but likes his electronic gadgets and CONVENIENCE. Keep up the great blog Lazy!
I was going to respond here, but my thoughts kept expanding, so I've written an entire post about why this is more trendy than usual over at Lords of the Manor
I don't think its just another blog trend. It's somethng we all must do for ourselves. While we still need things I hate giving away my money to make someone else rich.
I was going to recommend No Impact Man as well. He is really interesting and well-informed.
It is so crazy that people spend so much money on things that don't matter!
P.S. We spent about the same that you did on Christmas and I wish we had spent less!
We spent Christmas in a furnished apartment in our family's town and the lack of STUFF everywhere was so refreshing. We wanted to do the same thing to our home once we came back.
If we're buying anything now, it's plastic containers. :) It probably would be easier to just junk most of it, but part of it is that we're in an apartment and space is extremely limited. So I won't feel too bad about it - yet.
My grandmother died last May, and a large part of what her family spent doing after her memorial service was finding homes for all her stuff and throwing a lot of unusable crap away.
We live in a small, storage-challenged house, so keeping the stuff we have to a minimum is the cornerstone of neatness and organization. I've passed on a lot of our baby gear, and am still wracking my brain to come up with a polite way to ask people not to give us stuffed animals. My kids don't play with them and they end up being donated. And when people ask for gift ideas, I have no qualms about asking for things like money for art classes, because an experience can be just as good a gift as something you open.
This whole trend actually has me thinking about the opposite view, that in which people try to make other people feel guilty for how they choose to spend their money. I'm planning on posting about it this week.
I think it is important as we look at this trend to remember what MommyK is I think hinting at- not judging others by how they spend. I've seen a few comments like "How is that a big deal? I do that all the time." I think what this whole "movement" is more about is spending what is right for you personally, and changing habits that affect you personally. This whole concept means different things to different people. Regardless, I am glad people are talking about the subject.
I definitely think for me this is going to be a springboard to further saving and downsizing. Even in the week since I've started doing this, I've noticed I rethink alot of other purchases- junk food at the store, too many sodas during the day. Clothes is a starting point,and is definitely my Achilles spending heel, but I'd like to take this challenge to other areas of my life.
While I appreciate the words, I can't help but feel I'm getting a bit of the whole "oh, jumping on the bandwagon" feeling here aimed at us.
I can promise you that I knew nothing of these other's ideas-- perhaps greatish minds think alike?
As for where we were all this time, yes, it is hilarious! We were SHOPPING! Doing what had been taught to us! Doing what American society preaches at us from cradle to grave.
I think what is interesting is really why people are doing these things. My husband and I haven't "been buying" for months now (I know, NOT YEARS, shame shame) but I just felt we could go further. We needed to cut back on a few things (secondhand fabric is a weakness of mine) and this was a fresh start-- past Christmas and all that hooplah --for us.
I honestly don't know how much we spent on Christmas-- I'm voting less than $200 and, yes, that was for extended family as well. Many late nights were spent sewing and concocting in this house.
But, back to main topic. I think any changes are good ones, especially in regards to consumerism and simplicity.
Such a good message to teach your children early on!
Okay I'm going to shock you now - we spent about US$ 180 on Christmas (that includes "special food" for having the family over)
I agree that it's crazy to buy such a lot of stuff. And then in the new year these people are paying off debt for months to get back to normal.
off to visit the other blogs now
I do wonder, seriously, what would happen to our economy if we all cut back and didn't spend. I'm on the bandwagon for no spending. But after 911 what did they encourage everyone to do but go out and shop! And every December what is the news report, how it was a good spending year or a poor one and how the retailers will recover from such a season. Just a thought. I'm no economist, just wondering. Guess I better ask my new nephew-in-law, he's graduating soon in economics! LOL!
Hey Lara congrats on the Pancake Business!
d2quilter:
This is exactly one of the aspects of consuming No Impact Man talks about on his blog, it is really worth to take a look!
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