More Humor, from The Onion

LOVE this one, a "news" item in The Onion, at the expense of my hometown, Macon, Georgia. Thanks Mom for passing this along! Warning: bad word ahead.

New Store in Macon, GA

Farewell to George

A month after his death, I highly enjoyed George Carlin's "stuff" routine. He certainly gets to the heart of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLoge6QzcGY

I also found a couple of more companies you can use to get your name off of junk mail lists. One will even pay you a dollar!

www.greendimes.com and
www.41pounds.org (because the average adult reportedly receives about 41 pounds of junk mail each year - all of which consumes energy to be created, printed, shipped and delivered to your home, where most of us promptly dispose of it - what a waste!)

Coasting

I quit my job. After 10 years with the same PR firm, I decided that the demands of raising three children and working (even part-time) was too much. In the spirit of avoiding all "too much" scenarios, I quit. It's been a month, and so far, it's been good to have the time to clean out a closet, a child's room, my file cabinet, the basement. But it also feels like coasting, which eventually will slow to an end.

We've literally been coasting more as well. Taking every opportunity to avoid burning gas, we coast whenever possible, and the other day my husband and I agreed on the best coasting line within our circles of travel. It lasts close to a mile, and if it weren't for this one four-way stop, it would probably go another quarter of a mile. Instead, it ends prematurely, and every time I land at that intersection, I wonder if I could just coast on through and not crash into another car.

So I don't know where my metaphorical coasting will end, but at present the windows are down, my hair is in the breeze, my foot is off the pedal, and it's really, really fun.

Re-USE those SHOES

Whenever I find a place where you can send something to be reused, I'll post it here. Here's one a co-worker sent me: http://www.letmeplay.com/reuseashoe/program - where athletic shoes go when they die. If they're still wearable, do give them to someone who can wear them, but if they're long past even suitable for taking out the trash, here's where they can go for a new life as Nike Grind.

Things I Gave Away Today - Part 2

Today I gave away:
1. Four crystal beer mugs, to my child's preschool for a silent auction basket. I believe they were a wedding gift, and we have never used them. However, they are pretty, and they will look nice in our class basket, and they are, by some standard, worth a little something, so better there than here.

Have I mentioned yet how little problem I have with regifting? If something has intrinsic value, it shouldn't matter if it wasn't directly purchased with the particular recipient in mind. Until we started asking our kids to decline gifts from friends at their birthday parties, we would typically end up with half a dozen things they weren't interested in. What were my options? A) Giving them back, with a "No Thanks!" note? Or B) Accepting the gifts as gifts of time, time that I wouldn't have to spend buying a birthday present for the next kid? I choose B each and every time, my friends. I might actually consider giving gently used toys as gifts, except I do have a social threshold that isn't quite radical enough, even though if you really think about it, why are we so addicited to the shrink-wrap, the cardboard and blasted twist-ties that take years to undo and remove? This stuff makes the item more valuable? Weird.

2. Two pair of ballet shoes and a pair of ballet tights that thankfully, my friend asked for because her daughter is still doing dance and mine is not. I was so glad she asked, because as often as I try to find new homes for things that we no longer need, I am still a highly scatterbrained person and most times do not make the connection.

Nothing acquired today! Hooray!

Things I Gave Away Today

Today, I gave away:
1. Two large pieces of fabric to my friend Teresa, for her grocery-bag-making project (see last post)
2. Six pairs of women's pants to Mobile Loaves & Fishes
3. A bag of kids' clothes and toys to ARC, a group that blessedly comes to my house once every couple of months to separate me from my stuff

However, I did accumulate one small puzzle and two Star Wars pens (Easter baskets). It was a really small puzzle. And it was wooden.

Be Gone, Disposable Bags!

My friend Teresa was tired of storing yards and yards of fabric and also was tired of the dozens of plastic and paper bags that would enter the domain after grocery trips. Hitting two birds with one stone, she now creates grocery totes, and she's put a bunch of them in each of their cars. She's also giving them to friends and family, and has started a blog about it: www.greenbaglady.blogspot.com I can't wait to locate some piles of fabric I have and offload!

The stupified responses I receive when using my resuable bags are comical. "They're free," clerks reassure me, as if I'm under the delusion that I've been charged for these slips of plastic all these years. To be honest, the responses to "No, I don't need a bag," or "Here - I brought my own," have decreased markedly in the last year. In fact, our local grocers Kroger and Whole Foods (and perhaps others) will rebate you 4-5 cents for each bag you bring. It's muy encouraging. But I think the old sentiment is still there when you consider the whol US population. While searching for a washable mug in a client's breakroom a few weeks ago, and very helpful guy pointed at the stack of styrofoam cups. "I was looking for one I wouldn't have to throw away," I explained. "They're free," he promised.

Freegans!

Did you see Oprah today! FREEGANISM! I had heard of it, but now that I'm on a campaign against acquisition and also that my family and I are all doing the Food Stamp Challenge ($1 per meal per person until Easter), it really spoke to me. And I never watch Oprah, so it must have been divine intervention for me to be home in the room with the TV, with the kids momentarily occupied elsewhere and a basket of laundry to fold.

Go here to read the story on Oprah.

The first guest quit her six-figure job when she realized that most of her money went for stuff - stuff that didn't make her happy, anyway. Now she and her husband spend only $10-$20 per week on food - the rest they get free in trash piles outside grocery stores in New York. No wait - it's not even rotting food! She said she got a dozen (well 11, actually) eggs that were not expired because one of them was broken. Fresh fruit and produce, boxes of dried cereal, POUNDS of gourmet coffee beans - all on their way to the landfill. Most of it doesn't even go to the hungry because it's easier for store personnel to throw it out.

Post #9: Birthdays

One reason I haven't posted in a while is because I've been stressing about my son's 9th birthday. It's coming up in a couple of weeks, and I've been spending time (too much time) thinking about it and its details. Finally it's been ironed out - the place, time, theme. Now it's just the doing of it.

Why I'm writing about it is because of one aspect I am most thrilled with: no presents! Well, actually, there will be a few family gifts, because for better or worse we aren't extreme people, but we are asking his friends to not bring gifts. No pile of THINGS to deal with, to store, to return because there were two, to regift and feel guilty about, to be sad about when it breaks prematurely.

Instead, we're asking friends to consider a donation to www.kiva.org - a non profit that facilitates micro-loans to small business people in developing nations. I am fortunate in that most of my son's close friends had already started this trend of donations rather than presents, so it wasn't a hard sell. But he did want to choose the non-profit himself. Through Kiva, people can loan small amounts ($25) of money to people around the world who are trying to make a better life for themselves. They are cafe owners, book sellers, grocers - and they need a little money, like $1000, to make capital improvements, or in one man's case, be able to buy in bulk so he could sell his products for cheaper. They pay it back as they can, and with no interest. My husband has been doing this for a few months, and he gets to see profiles of all the other people who are supporting the same business people that he is supporting. Mom is doing it, too, and she agrees that it's a really fun way of donating. So our 9-year-old will take the money he raises, choose a business or two or three to loan money to, and follow their stories. When they pay it back, he'll reinvest and reinvest, and let the money just keep on helping. Much more fun than a closet full of crap.

Post #8: Catalogs

Daughter here. Mom will readily admit that part of the issue is the obscene amount of catalogs she receives daily that pile up, begging for attention. I typically pause by the recycle container on my way from the mailbox to the house, so that most catalogs never get their sticky feet in the door, and even then I get a build-up. Mom has been at her address for 25 years, and I think every direct mail company in America has her address. A friend sent me this, which I passed on to her. I do not know if she has used it, but I just opted out of the ones I don't like to receive. It's http://www.catalogchoice.org/, and it's non-profit. And EASY. Highly recommended!

POST #7 ChinaMart

My coworkers and I have recently been having a conversation about "muchness". Now, this is coming from the mother of this blogger and I have reached a "certain age". We reached the conclusion that ChinaMart deals in a lot of junk. Everything there is made in China. We want things "Made in USA". But it would cost a lot more you say. So? You would probably have to pay more but then you would buy less and think more about what you are buying like, say, in the good old days! The next time you go out for some shopping therapy look at the label, box, whatever and if it says "Made in China" ask yourself if you really need this thing. I am often in line with people buying tons of Stuff Made in China. PEOPLE! We do not need ALL this Stuff.
FROM CHINA! We can do with LESS made here.
If and when we get this money from OUR government (read here us) I am going to put it in a ROTH IRA because eventually I or my children will have to pay for it and I want it to still be here , not in China. They seem to be doing great us not so much. I agree with her. Why do we have to be constantly spending? Why can't our economy be resting? All the TV ads, all the newspaper ads pushing us to spend, spend, spend. We really need a rest from this. We need to Save.
Now, to my daughter. She came to help me sort out and get rid of some of my Stuff. (so she won't have to do it when I become incapacitated or die) and she really did get me on my way. Donna wrote that it seems insurmountable at times and sometimes an expert is needed. But my daughter is good at getting rid of Stuff. Of the "muchness" that I have accumulated. Her visit didn't last long enough. I still have too much stuff. And I know in my soul that I would feel better if I didn't. At work, we have at least raised our level of awareness of the "muchness" that we are accumulating and what for? A giant garage sale by our children? Wouldn't they be better off with $ that we have accumulated?

Post #6: Hunting and Gathering

There are two ways that stuff accumulates: actively and passively. Active accumulators are collectors, purchasers, people who like to shop and buy and own and amass. Passive accumulators are worried about getting rid of something they might need one day, so they keep it all - just in case. The problem is that the build-up of stuff is its own problem, a problem that is guaranteed. I'd rather regret getting rid of something than to have to live with a dust collector for my whole life.

Post #5: Consumption

The problem with STUFF is that most of it isn't consumable, so it builds up. However, here's an interesting look at how much people consume in food, around the world: http://www.everybodygoto.com/2007/10/12/what-people-eat-around-the-world/

Notice how as the cost goes down, so does the pre-packaged, processed and fast-food content of the diet. As well as the quantity.

Post #4: It's REALLY Not Worth Anything

Ebay is an exceptional tool for quickly assessing value. By searching completed listings, you can easily see if something has sold recently and if so, for what amount. I used to collect Coke bottles. I didn't get very far, because at heart I am not really much of a collector. But I have a 1980 UGA National Champs bottle and a Paul "Bear" Bryant one, and several other miscellaneous ones. I went to Ebay tonight to see what they might be worth - after all, they were of a limited edition, and they are now 28-ish years old. Perfect condition! Like new! Mint! Worthless. You can't even GIVE them away on ebay - I could find nary a completed listing for either one of these beauties that had even sold. How much do we own because we think it might be worth something, either today or someday?

Post #3: Emotions

So after being back home for 5 days with mom, who is admittedly a packrat, I see that our connection with stuff is partly emotional. I went through an old dresser and came across stuff that I know I've had for more than 20 years, but now I can't remember why the stuff was important to me. I remember that I used to have an emotional connection to it (which explains the 20 years); I just don't remember the connection anymore. So it was easy to toss. Letters from my dad, however, I couldn't quite part with.

Emotions don't explain all the addiction to stuff. In my mom's case, a lot of her stuff is here because there's so much stuff already here. It's too big a job to get rid of any of it. So it stays. And it grows. Today alone she received in the mail 6 pages of address labels. She already has about 600. Yet she keeps the new ones. Why? I don't know.

I found a tote bag full of tote bags. And then I found another tote bag full of tote bags. In all, there are about 25 tote bags. Does anyone need that many tote bags?

She has about 15 2008 calendars. Also complimentary of the people who send her address labels. Why can't we recycle those? "I like the pictures," she says. But she doesn't look at them.

Post #2: The Election

I am highly interested in this presidential election, more so than any other presidential election since I turned 18. This is my sixth one. I watch a lot of CNN, listen to a lot of NPR, and check cspan.org with some regularity. A significant amount of Americans are worried about the economy. I'm just getting into this, but surely economies can't always be growing. Don't sometimes they have to be resting? The government has decided to give lots of people some money to go buy some STUFF to prop up the economy. Then what?