The Basics

After watching the documentary "The Story of Stuff" for my on-line Economics class last semester, Tyler and I got to talking. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! (http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/) We had bought into the American consumer culture hook, line, and sinker. Our family was certainly obsessed with having more of the latest and greatest stuff- I am a self-diagnosed shopaholic. I cannot resist a good sale or clearance rack! But what effect was this way of life having on our children, our bank account, and the world? So we decided to make a drastic change in direction for our family in 2012. 


<que drum roll for dramatic effect> 


NO NEW STUFF IN 2012!!!


Okay, okay...it's really not as dramatic as I made that sound. We agreed to buy only used items or make/refurbish things we need for the year. Goodwill, the Habitat for Humanity Store, Half Price Books, and the used movie store are becoming our new best friends! Major turn of events for a girl who used to itch like crazy at the mere thought of going in a Goodwill, much less wearing things bought there. Of course, there are a few exceptions: shoes, socks, and skivvies. All things too icky to contemplate wearing used. Please God, don't let our coffee maker die during this project!!! 


I know what you're thinking... What about food? TP? Kitty litter? Holiday gifts? All questions we asked ourselves already. We're city folks who are no where near self-sufficient, we obviously need to buy some things. So, we decided they must be purchased from local vendors as much as possible, or from a store that gives back to our local community or is fair trade. The food thing is our toughest challenge right now, as it's winter in Wisconsin and the farmer's market is closed. Whatever we buy must have minimal recyclable packaging and be environmentally friendly. Which means cutting most of the meat from our diet, giving up convenience products, and no Amazon shopping either- not even used. <sob> Have you ever tried to find toilet paper made from post-consumer recycled products, btw? Not an easy task. Still haven't found any, but I will not quit the search. 


Recently we also heard that a lot of products Americans buy and use are created/harvested with child and slave labor. Things like clothing, produce, sugar cane, coal, etc. We agreed nothing we buy can be tied to that. There is no list of specific brand named products from child/slave labor I could find out there, but the research I did showed most of it occurs in Bangladesh and Argentina. So, nothing can come from those countries. One website actually had a survey you could take to find out how many slaves your household had, based on the products you own. Our family had 76...the average house had 24. That will change this year; next time I take that survey the number will be 0.