Could Oprah come calling?

I was just reading my favorite green tip site, Ideal Bite, (I know I mention them a lot…if you haven’t signed up for their free newsletter, what are you waiting for?), and what do you know, Oprah is looking for guests who are taking small steps to combat global warming. Hello, producers up in Chicago…check me out! I’m just a station-wagon-drivin’, kid-totin’, professional organizin’ mom down in Chapel Hill trying to do my part by stopping shopping and simplifying life a bit.

I can’t get too far ahead of myself, but what would I do if they called? What if they invited me to be on the show? Would I have to buy a new outfit? Pay to get my eyebrows waxed? Finally shed these five pounds so I could look hot on TV? Maybe Nate would take pity on me and work his magic in our master bathroom or oh-so-70’s kitchen? I can picture it now…an eco-friendly home makeover for the Kersh family!

Surely they won’t call…but a girl can dream, right?

It’s Back, It’s “Better?”, It’s Baby Alive

For those who read my earlier post about Not So Amazing Amanda, you’ll be surprised (and horrified) to see me mention another piece of crap doll on my to-buy list. However, the “must have” toy for my five year old this Christmas just happens to be Baby Alive. If you grew up in the 70’s, as I did, you may recall Baby Alive I, the first ever “eat and shit” doll. Well, Baby Alive II is back and “better?” than ever, with new food packets to make her poop into her more-expensive-than-real pampers.

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but the over-priced ($89.99 retail!), sure-to-end-up-in-the-garbage-can-doll caused me a bit of anxiety this morning. I was in WalMart, purchasing, of all things, REAL DIAPERS for my REAL BABY, and I decided to take a detour through the toy department. When I got to the doll aisle, I noticed that there were a few Baby Alive accessories, but no dolls! I panicked, realizing that Baby Alive could be one of those “it” toys that is hard to come by, requiring me to stand in line at 5am, elbowing strangers and throwing punches over something that says “uh-oh, I made a stinky.” For a few brief moments I let my mind run wild with thoughts of how much I would be willing to fork over for one of these dolls on eBay if my daughter has to have it. Fortunately, Internet stores appear to be well stocked.

You tell me, must I purchase this doll for my daughter? Didn’t she take anything away from the Amazing Amanda Fiasco of ‘05? If Baby Alive tops her Dear Santa list, what’s a good mom to do? I’ve tried to push her in other directions (“Hey, what about a nice Scooter? Or maybe some computer software?”)…to no avail. Baby Alive keeps coming back for more. If my child really wants to change poopy diapers, she can have at it with her own “Real Live” brother who lives in our house and continues to avoid the potty. That’s the kind of Baby Alive I’m talking about!

Another reason not to shop

Heads up women…in addition to being paid less than men, we shop more, meaning in the long run, we’ll have even less money! Jean Chatzky includes an excerpt from her book Make Money, Not Excuses in this week’s Time Magazine. She claims that women have a million excuses for not saving money, and not a thing to wear…which is why we don’t save and therefore have less money down the road. She quotes that the average single woman spent $1069 on clothing and services in 2005; while single men spent $832.

If this doesn’t make you want to put down that new pair of pants and run, then I don’t know what will…Imagine that, rather than splurging and purchasing $89 worth of clothes every two weeks, you invested that money and earned, on average, an 8% return. After 20 years, that money could grow to $150,284!

We all need something nice to make us feel good about ourselves from time to time. But unless it makes you feel fantastic, you truly love it and need it, you might walk away from it for a minute and just think about what you could do with $150,000 one day…

Chin up

WARNING: Lack of shopping may bring about periods of low self-esteem and self-doubt. Side effects may include feelings of isolation, feeling sorry for oneself, and general whiney-ness. Symptoms are known to diminish after receipt of public affirmations via blog comments and email.

Thanks, readers, for the pick-me-up in my Inbox. I feel better already. Despite the fact that I swore from the beginning that I was doing this for our own benefit, the blog helps keep me honest and I’m pleased to know that others are inspired by our measly attempts to live with less. I’ll try to stay a bit more positive and remember that I brought this on myself!

Am I a social outcast?

When we first started our consumer-free experiment WAY back in July, I felt pretty cool. People enjoyed hearing about it and I was often met with comments like “Wow, that’s so great, we should really do that!” People were reading my blog, I was feeling the love, and the challenge to stay away from shopping was fresh and fun–kind of like going on a big diet and watching the weight just fall off, and everyone around you says “damn, girl, you look hot.”

No one seems to think this shopping-free gig is so cool anymore (I’m more often met with looks of “you’re crazy” or “why would you do that?” these days), including me. I’m a bit bored with myself and my blog, and the thought of buying something to boost my spirits seems pretty appealing. It’s Christmas, for goodness sake–I want to hit the mall, get my credit card smokin’, buy stuff that I just want because I want it.

If the world tells us that we are what we buy, then who am I as I approach Christmas, the ultimate season for buying and giving, and I’m buying nothing?

Black Friday Avoidance

I love a bargain as much as the next gal (and perhaps even more so), but I’ve never, ever lined up at 5 am outside of Wal-Mart, Sears, Circuit City, or any other store on the day after Thanksgiving to take advantage of a sale. Even if I had been buying this year, I would not have dragged my turkey-dressing-cranberry sauce-stuffed self to any mall to fight the crowds. Will someone please explain to me what is so fun about circling a crowded parking lot for 2 hours in order to stand elbow to elbow with strangers–all for just 20%-50% off? And if you do enjoy this consumer ritual, do you actually buy stuff you need or do you just get caught up in the frenzy and purchase everything within arms reach?

Dating back at least five years, Adbusters has advertised Buy Nothing Day (the day after Thanksgiving) and encouraged people NOT to shop on that day. They also now encourage a Buy Nothing Christmas, urging people to get creative, make their gifts, and get rid of the stress and debt associated with holiday shopping. I think the idea of purchasing NOTHING for Christmas is still a bit hardcore for mainstream Americans. Even this consumer-free mom is itching for Santa to visit the kids. But it does seem that a little momentum is gathering–I’m finding more and more web sites offering tips and ideas for laying off gifts, slowing down the pace, and enjoying a simpler holiday season.

As for me, I elected to spend Black Friday 2006 taking a nice, long walk with my sister-in-law, Nunally, who was visiting from Charleston, stuffing myself with a third helping of Turkey Sausage Gumbo, and then embarrassing myself on the ice skating rink with my daughter this afternoon.

Total time spent enjoying family today=12 hours (excluding the 20 minutes spent wrestling with tantrum throwing 2 year old)
Total $$ output=$17 at the ice rink
Total time spent with annoying strangers stalking me in the parking lot or elbowing me in line=0
Number of shopping days left til Christmas=31!

Consumer-free at two great art shows: A survival guide

I managed to survive the temptation of both Piedmont Craftsmen AND the Winston-Salem Whimsical Women show without buying a thing. I can only thank uncomfortable shoes on Friday night for keeping me in my seat rather than browsing and buying. At the risk of sounding sappy, I received much more joy hearing the positive feedback for my sister’s artwork than I possibly could have received from buying something for myself.

And my dear grad-school friend, Kirsten, kept me company all day Saturday at Whimsical Women. It was much more fulfilling to sit and catch up with an old friend, downing no fewer than five cups of coffee and discussing the joys and frustrations of motherhood, than to purchase funky artwork that I loved, but truly didn’t need.

Now, if I can just utilize these same survival tips as we cruise into Christmas shopping season…

If you enjoy receiving junk mail, read no further

But if you’re like me and are just a little sick of the credit card offers, the catalogs, the time share invitations, and, oh yeah, more credit card offers, then check out this fantastic resource called Greendimes (their tagline is “Our Planet–Do you Give a Dime?”). For just $.10 a day (only $3/month!), Greendimes will get you off of mailing lists, stop junk mail from flooding your mailbox, AND plant a tree every single month just for you! That’s 12 trees a year, planted FOR YOU in India, Haiti or Senegal where a tree does more than reforest–it helps local people stay productive on their land and preserves their livelihood. You’ve got to feel good about that!

This might be the coolest eco-friendly resource I’ve found to date (thank you very much IdealBite for the tip!). Terrapass, I love you, too, but I just can’t pass up on the chance to save a tree and plant a tree–I’ll be giving Greendimes memberships to all of my friends and family this year for Christmas.

Happy “America Recycles Day”

On November 15th we celebrate America Recycles Day (hopefully this holiday is being marketed via email rather than a direct mail campaign!). In addition to cans, bottles, and newspapers, with a little extra effort you can now recycle practically anything from wine corks to cell phones, Tyvek envelopes to car batteries. Interestingly enough, the number of jobs in the recycling industry now tops those in the automotive industry. Hey Federal Government…there’s an idea for turning our manufacturing economy around AND reducing guilt!

Fess up…are you still wearing a fanny pack?

Carter and I have started a hilarious yet equally depressing competition called “My Outfit is Older than Yours.” He won hands down last night when he donned an entire ensemble from 1997–including a flannel shirt (grunge look, anyone?) and Doc Martens. I do still own and regularly wear three pairs of pants from the 90’s (most days I can get over the fact that they’re not completely in style and just thank God I fit in them!) and, truth be told, I’ll go to my grave wearing “chunky” shoes because I firmly believe that thick soled shoes make your ankles look slimmer. The rest of my 90’s attire–denim overalls, combat boots and baby doll dresses–are long gone.

What’s the oldest piece of clothing you own and still wear?