Everyone has their vice/addiction/ what have you. For most Mamas, its the lure of the Target bulls-eye, or fashion, or shoes...for me, lately, it has been Freecycle.
Freecycle is an online group, specific to the area in which you live in, where you reuse, recycle, and repair items that someone is giving away. Why buy new, right? There are no strings attached. All items posted on there by your neighbors are free, the only stipulation is that you show up to pick things up, as you promise. No-shows are in bad taste and believe me, you'd think that just the word FREE would get people over fast enough..but you still have some folks that forget. Sigh!
Lately, with this move, Freeccyle has been my very best friend. I look at things that I won't need in the new house and immediately hop on the computer to offer up the item in the hopes that someone wants it. I want to say that I'm on there every day posting things right and left. It feels good to purge the house and know that someone will use it. I mean, who WANTS to take a trip to the landfill and throw out everything? I know I don't have the time to do that, even if I wanted to right now.
I've scored some cool things from there too! I got a vintage school desk from a Freecycler, a step stool for the potty, a deck toy box, some patio furniture, a twin bedframe, and homeschool materials. It really is easy to do and living in a green community like mine, there is lots of action. So, if you're patient enough, and are willing to put a bit of elbow grease into an item you acquire, you can end up with an awesome score too.
Today, I've posted some kitchen goods, a dining room table and chairs, and some extra cleaning supplies. The dining room set is the only one left. Not bad, for a mornings work. Not bad at all.
Have you used Freecycle? What awesome thing did you score? If you haven't joined your local Freecycle group, here's a link, GO JOIN!:
http://www.freecycle.org/
Showing posts with label Consumerism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Consumerism. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Back to School Mode – Mommy Beast Mode?
Are you in “back to school” mode? If so, be sure to
check out our affiliates on the blog (the banners on the right side of the page
when you view the blog).
EcoLunchboxes are fantastic ways to tote your edibles
to school (or work) – view a video from the creator of EcoLunch here to see why
she created these stainless steel bento boxes. Amazon.com has an overwhelmingly
awesome selection of back to school supplies (droooolll…I love school
supplies).
Zulily offers great deals on clothes (and…erm…other things that
mommies might like such as mommy clothes and household stuffs). Next week you'll be able to find discounted stuff from Teva, Birkenstock, and lots of other retailers so be sure to check them out daily.
Abe’s Market
has great natural food (and other) items to send your health-conscious family
members off to school and work with.
Overall, we have a great group of
affiliates. Be sure to consider them when you’re making purchases. We try to
make sure that the affiliates we choose are a “good match” for our readers and
for our topics, so hopefully they’ll help you too. Be sure to visit our affiliates by linking through the blog (it tells 'em that we sent 'ya)!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Post-Christmas Ponderings
Ever since I became a parent Christmas has become anxiety-provoking. I know it shouldn't be because it's not about the gifts, I know that in my head really I do. But when I thought about the presents I had for Silas (almost three) this past year, I thought (pre-Christmas), "Well that's not enough."
I remember these huge Christmases at my Gram's. The tree was at one end of the room and the presents came out to the middle of the living room (and that didn't include stocking presents which were in brown paper grocery bags there were so many). Mind you, that was for 9 people. But it's as if I had that image stuck in my head as I was thinking about our Christmas this past year. And I felt badly that I couldn't give Silas that sort of Christmas.
Fast forward to mid-January. Silas had the bulk of the presents under our tree (my parents spoiled him) and after all the anxiety of finding "the best" gifts, he plays the most with two: a set of inflatable dinos (Amazon, $17.99) and a set of cardboard blocks from my parents. The rest of his stuff is either in his toy box ("resting") or broken at this point.
Note to self for next Christmas: don't worry about the gifts. Find him one or two things that he'll enjoy currently and save the rest of the time, energy, and money on something else. Honestly I think he enjoys playing with me and Daddy with the dinos more than anything else. Oh, and deflating them so he and I can use the pump to inflate them again.
I remember these huge Christmases at my Gram's. The tree was at one end of the room and the presents came out to the middle of the living room (and that didn't include stocking presents which were in brown paper grocery bags there were so many). Mind you, that was for 9 people. But it's as if I had that image stuck in my head as I was thinking about our Christmas this past year. And I felt badly that I couldn't give Silas that sort of Christmas.
Fast forward to mid-January. Silas had the bulk of the presents under our tree (my parents spoiled him) and after all the anxiety of finding "the best" gifts, he plays the most with two: a set of inflatable dinos (Amazon, $17.99) and a set of cardboard blocks from my parents. The rest of his stuff is either in his toy box ("resting") or broken at this point.
Note to self for next Christmas: don't worry about the gifts. Find him one or two things that he'll enjoy currently and save the rest of the time, energy, and money on something else. Honestly I think he enjoys playing with me and Daddy with the dinos more than anything else. Oh, and deflating them so he and I can use the pump to inflate them again.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Why Buy from Work at Home Moms (WAHMs) or SmallCorp
Today CC Bums (run by Cami Court) posted on Facebook “Reasons to buy from WAHMs” and it got me thinking. While not all readers may cloth diaper, it’s still something to think about. Historically, humans produced what they could (i.e., farmed, raised animals, sewed clothing, etc.) and bartered with others who produced what they could not. People taught what they knew to others who paid the teachers in food or shelter (how the whole “apple for the teacher” got started) – still bartering. Now, producing what you’re good at and selling it to others who produce other things has become mostly a thing of the past sadly. Now we go to the grocery store and we’re confronted with multiple options for the same item that we feel that we need (although we probably want it rather than need it, but that’s for another discussion).
Overwhelming options don’t make our lives easier; they actually make them harder. We have so many things to choose from now that we feel post-purchase anxiety about whether we chose the “right” item. “Does Dawn really get my dishes cleaner or will I be ok with this no-name brand that I bought because it was cheaper?” In our current way consumerism, we’re making ourselves more anxious and making ourselves feel inadequate because we don’t have the “newest” or “greatest” gadget or product out there. So let’s get back to Cami’s question and expand on it a little bit.
Many stay at home parents have started businesses where they produce what they can (probably when the kiddos are napping!) and sell them to others via the Internet (which is a helpful invention for this area) and sometimes in specialty shops. Things created by WAH parents (usually Moms, let’s be honest, thus WAHMs) typically are good quality because they’re made by someone who loves what they’re doing and is usually doing it by hand. I’m not necessarily saying that making something by hand is “better” than machine made, but usually there’s more care put into it when it’s made by hand. Buying from these parents supports their family and it gives your family what they want and/or need. A great example is a company called FluffyRumps run by Rhonda (fluffyrumps@q.com). Rhonda makes amazing stuff – diaper soakers, fleece longies to go over cloth diapers, washable fleece tissues (FluffyNoses), and tons of other family-type stuff. Asking her to make Silas’s fleece soakers/longies makes me feel like I’m helping out another Momma and getting what we need (something to cover the diaper at night). WAHM buying supports a non-commericalized economy where people are helping each other out rather than padding the pockets of companies that over-price their materials and shipping, and may not pay their workers the best wage.
If you’re a good WAHM or an amazing WAHM, your products sell and they sell well. You end up hiring helpers to produce your product, do your shipping, etc. At this point I would consider that a SmallCorp, meaning a group of people who create the product and may produce more than a lone WAHM, but still create an awesome product. Rockin’ Green soap (used for cloth diapers or anything else you can think of really) is one example of what I’d think of as a SmallCorp. Buying their soap and products you’re still supporting your local economy and small business, but these guys have gotten bigger than working out of their garage (RnG used to be housed in a small strip storefront miles from my house and now they’re further out of town in a larger space – good for them but sad for me because I can’t go visit as often anymore). But the light of excitement that you see with a WAHM is still there. They’re still fantastic at customer service (which is usually way better with work at home families).
What’s the answer to Cami’s question then? Support. Support your local economy rather than “Global Corp.” Support individuals rather than a company that’s stock supports them more than your purchase does. Find someone around you who can fill a need (and enjoys doing it) and give your business (and money or bartered product) to THEM and not to larger groups who seem to have difficulties managing their money ethically. Yes, sure, farmer’s market, go there. But hey, what about starting a neighborhood garden – you grow X, your neighbor grows Y, and then you exchange? Crazy idea. It may just work.
Overwhelming options don’t make our lives easier; they actually make them harder. We have so many things to choose from now that we feel post-purchase anxiety about whether we chose the “right” item. “Does Dawn really get my dishes cleaner or will I be ok with this no-name brand that I bought because it was cheaper?” In our current way consumerism, we’re making ourselves more anxious and making ourselves feel inadequate because we don’t have the “newest” or “greatest” gadget or product out there. So let’s get back to Cami’s question and expand on it a little bit.
Many stay at home parents have started businesses where they produce what they can (probably when the kiddos are napping!) and sell them to others via the Internet (which is a helpful invention for this area) and sometimes in specialty shops. Things created by WAH parents (usually Moms, let’s be honest, thus WAHMs) typically are good quality because they’re made by someone who loves what they’re doing and is usually doing it by hand. I’m not necessarily saying that making something by hand is “better” than machine made, but usually there’s more care put into it when it’s made by hand. Buying from these parents supports their family and it gives your family what they want and/or need. A great example is a company called FluffyRumps run by Rhonda (fluffyrumps@q.com). Rhonda makes amazing stuff – diaper soakers, fleece longies to go over cloth diapers, washable fleece tissues (FluffyNoses), and tons of other family-type stuff. Asking her to make Silas’s fleece soakers/longies makes me feel like I’m helping out another Momma and getting what we need (something to cover the diaper at night). WAHM buying supports a non-commericalized economy where people are helping each other out rather than padding the pockets of companies that over-price their materials and shipping, and may not pay their workers the best wage.
If you’re a good WAHM or an amazing WAHM, your products sell and they sell well. You end up hiring helpers to produce your product, do your shipping, etc. At this point I would consider that a SmallCorp, meaning a group of people who create the product and may produce more than a lone WAHM, but still create an awesome product. Rockin’ Green soap (used for cloth diapers or anything else you can think of really) is one example of what I’d think of as a SmallCorp. Buying their soap and products you’re still supporting your local economy and small business, but these guys have gotten bigger than working out of their garage (RnG used to be housed in a small strip storefront miles from my house and now they’re further out of town in a larger space – good for them but sad for me because I can’t go visit as often anymore). But the light of excitement that you see with a WAHM is still there. They’re still fantastic at customer service (which is usually way better with work at home families).
What’s the answer to Cami’s question then? Support. Support your local economy rather than “Global Corp.” Support individuals rather than a company that’s stock supports them more than your purchase does. Find someone around you who can fill a need (and enjoys doing it) and give your business (and money or bartered product) to THEM and not to larger groups who seem to have difficulties managing their money ethically. Yes, sure, farmer’s market, go there. But hey, what about starting a neighborhood garden – you grow X, your neighbor grows Y, and then you exchange? Crazy idea. It may just work.
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