Aspiring Raw Foodie

I struck gold at the Salvation Army yesterday. Being more involved with raw foods lately, I've been wondering how "uncooks" get their foods perfectly sliced and grated. I came across this great 6-in-1 tool yesterday and snapped it up. I'm not usually a kitchen gadget kind of girl, but this will really save me time preparing yummy raw food meals.



I also made a delicious key-lime pie yesterday. It's raw, so that means dairy-free, sweetened only with raw honey, and full of good and healthy ingredients. Oh, and it tastes fantastic, too--rich, creamy sweet and delicious! If you're interested in raw foods but feel overwhelmed, I'd highly recommend "Raw Food Made Easy," by Jennifer Cornbleet. It's really basic and she give some great information and simple recipes. Plus, it's where the pie recipe came from, so you can make your very own!

A good reminder

Frugal Smugal

There was a time in my life when being frugal was a laughing matter. I used to babysit in my younger years, only to buy clothes, jewelry and makeup. I was a well-dressed teen and early 20-something with a very skinny bank account.

After reading the eye opening book, "Your Money or Your Life," I slowly changed my spendy ways and became something I thought I never would be.

A saver.

But slowly over time, spendthriftiness drifted back into my life. "It's so much easier to buy X," I would tell myself. "I'll never find another deal like this!"

And while my current budget doesn't allow for many extraneous purchases, that doesn't cut down on the "wants". It doesn't help to live in a culture which equates financial purchases with success.

Do you have family members or friends who seem to "have it all"? Trips all over the globe, in ground swimming pools and Jacuzzis, the latest model cars, new golf clubs and a clothes budget that would feed your family for a year? Spending time with these people can leave you with a feeling that whatever you have, isn't enough. Even if just that morning you were feeling oh-so grateful for your dishwasher and closet full of clothes, an afternoon spent with the Jones family can leave you feeling empty. "If only I had that," you muse. "Then I'd really be happy."

The truth is, if we got that we'd find something new to want within 24 hours. And let's remember that many of the things we see others enjoying are often things that they don't even own, but are purchased on credit. Who wants a big, fat credit card bill or bank loan hanging over their head?

One of my favorite places to visit when I'm in need of a little dose of financial reality, is The Simple Dollar. I've linked to one page in particular (Frugality) which has a great bunch of articles on the topic.

Now, enjoy your day and all the things that money can't buy: Love, family, peace, friendship, sunshine, green grass, laughter, health . . .

One plus in a downturned economy

I know the economy is bad. I know that a lot of really, really hard times have fallen on people who don't deserve it. A lot of people are losing their jobs. Some are losing their homes. And everyone I know is wishing and hoping that the economy will turn around soon. As a freelance copywriter and journalist, I'm wishing it too.

But there are a few upsides to the situation. One is that more and more people are staying home. Vacations closer to home, less meals out, more entertaining in the backyard. "Why is that a good thing?" you might ask. One, it means that less gas is being used which is good for the environment. Two, community is important and when people stay home more, they are able to become more a part of their community. This "stay at home" trend also reminds me of the time when my parents were young--a time when families spent more time together and weren't running off in 12 different directions every night of the week.

There is also a growing trend in bartering for goods among friends and family, rather than buying things outright. In the latest edition of Mary Jane's Farm (a great magazine) there is a short article on this topic. This is really good news for the environment! Trading goods means that less new things will end up in the landfill.

If you're interested in bartering or trading goods, check out Craigslist, Freecycle, Swap Tree, Swap Thing, and other bartering sites (try a search under Google for more ideas). Or try setting up an informal bartering/swapping system in your own family or community. It's amazing the great things that you can find for yourself and find new homes for if you get a little creative. If you're into travel, you might want to check out Home Exchange, where you can swap houses with someone in another area of the country or the world. A home exchange, whether here in the US or abroad, will make a very memorable summer vacation.

Alternative Gift Giving

Ahhh, spring. Time for enjoying all the beautiful green-ness around us, smelling the roses, and shopping for the 18 celebrations coming up.

Weddings. Baby and bridal showers. Graduations. Is there no end to the parties and festivities this time of year? And in times when more and more of us are watching every penny, all these celebrations and life-changing events can cause a pretty heavy toll on the ol' wallet.

So what's a kind hearted, generous person supposed to do?

First, don't panic. There are LOADS of great gifts available for every occasion, sometimes in the least likely of places. Check yard sales, Goodwill, craig's list, freecycle, the Salvation Army, and your own gift closet (more about this one later) for some great presents. You'd be surprised how many new and still in the package items you'll find in these places.

Are you crafty? Like to bake? Enjoy cleaning (just checking to make sure you're still awake!). Why not offer up your services as your gift? I can tell you honestly that having babysitting help, home cooked meals, and a clean house when I got home from the hospital after having my son last month were the best gifts I received.

If you are the person being honored with a celebration, why not give it a green spin? Check out the Alternative Gift Registry--it's a very cool, very green alternative to a traditional gift registry.

Most of all, be creative. I bet you can think of a gazillion things to make, bake, or buy (frugally) that will make the gift recipient very happy.

Cheap versus Responsible

As a self-professed cheapskate, I sometimes struggle to find a balance between being budget-friendly and being a responsible consumer.

I think this is an issue for a lot of people, and here's why.

Everyone likes to get a good deal. That's why coupons, sales and discounts are so popular. Stores realize this and offer things like frequent buyer programs, loyalty bonuses for customers and free gifts or discounts to keep consumers coming back.

I used to be the queen of discount shopping--if there was a good deal to be had, I could find it. I used coupons for groceries and only shopped at the double coupon places. I could find cute clothes and accessories at discount places and always had new outfits to wear because they were so CHEAP!

But several years ago, after starting to try to live more simply and frugally, I realized that buying things that are inexpensive isn't always the way to go. Cheap clothes wear out fast and more importantly I learned WHY they are so cheap in the first place (does the term 'slave labor' ring any bells?). Coupons that I had used weren't useful for me anymore once we started to shop for organic and local foods more, and traditional foods less. And all those sales on beauty products and accessories didn't do me much good, as I tried not to buy a lot of things I didn't really need, just for a "pick me up".

Still, even though I've heard other tightwads explain how it makes much more sense to buy really good quality clothes and not replace them for years, I couldn't get on that bandwagon either because:

A) I'm too cheap to spend the money on really good quality stuff and
B) My tastes change way too frequently to invest in things--I get bored often and want something new and different to spark my creativity.

So what's a tightwad to do?

My solution has pretty much been this: Shop at thrift or resale stores. You can find great quality merchandise at these places without breaking your budget. AND it's the ultimate form of recycling. I will often bring bags of clothes to the resale or thrift shop, and then do a little browsing while I'm there. Find a Goodwill in your area and check it out even if you're convinced you don't like used stuff. The one closest to me has TONS of brand new items, everything from nice bed sheet sets to new towels and cleaning products.

This doesn't solve all my problems of course. There are still things like fair trade chocolate to consider which is especially hard around holidays like Easter and Christmas. Still, I'm hopeful. It looks like Cadbury, the makers of the infamous Cadbury Creme Eggs (one of my favorites!) will be changing to Fair Trade.

What do You Worship?

Sometimes I spend more time worrying and wondering and fretting than I should. I have a very hard time letting things "just be".

I just read a great passage this morning from Weekly Wisdom. I'll share it here:

"Everyone worships. Some people worship money, possessions, popularity, prosperity, or other people. They may not sing worship songs to their bank account, but by the way they live they worship (i.e. give value to) their money."

Amen to that.

It made me stop and realize how often I worship things. A constant mental struggle with money and bills is a form of worship. So is forever wondering what others think of you. Checking your bank account or 401K several times a day could be considered worship. Spending large chunks of time focusing on things like food, sex, alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes are all forms of worship.

I think the way people look at religion can be worship in itself. I made the artwork above several years ago because I feel like many Christians get caught up in the "act" of worship. But to me, God is not about statues and stained glass and pretty Sunday clothes and candles and money. And the fact that so many of us have let these things become the focus of our religious experience is scary.

Let's remember where worship belongs, and where it doesn't.

Thursday ramblings

I love old stuff. Case in point, these wonderful, candy colored Pyrex bowls that I scored at a tag sale some years ago. I use them ALL THE TIME! In fact, I have other bowls languishing in my cupboards that I should probably get rid of. I don't though just in case, (horror of horrors!) these bowls should break someday. Then where would I be?

Our society is such a throw-away place these days. Buy it cheap, use it for awhile and then pitch it when it breaks. Part of the problem is the junky, crappy stuff we're buying. Another part of the problem is being too lazy to research ways in which an item can be fixed. (Remember my laundry basket? Still going strong!). Sometimes people don't have the skills they might need to fix things. I darn mine and my husband's socks. When I told him to put his holey socks (the clean ones!) in my mending basket, he laughed. He didn't believe I knew how to darn. In fact, he didn't even think that "darn" was a verb. And let me tell you, that my mother-in-law is not one to waste things. Surely she must darn socks? I'll have to ask her sometime. But some people don't know how to darn, or fix a laundry basket or repair a toaster oven. Some of us are just too lazy or unmotivated to learn these type of skills. And some, like me, are sure we would burn our houses down if we tried to repair a toaster or any other electrical gadget.

Still, all this waste gets on my nerves. This is one of the reasons I hate big box, cheap-crap stores. It's not so much that I feel they are taking over small towns and wiping out mom and pop type establishments (though in many areas, they are), I just don't like what they stand for. It's like the mentality of the shoppers in those stupid commercials for The Christmas Tree Shop. You see these women, carts piled high with loads of stuff I'm sure they didn't go into the store intending to buy. Betty, says to her friend: "Marge, did you see this chop-o-matic? It's ONLY $5.00!!!!" Marge: "Wow! $5.00? Let me get 10!" Marge's hands furiously snatch up chop-o-matics and throw them into her groaning shopping basket. Betty: "But Marge, you don't even cook!" Marge: "Who cares! At that price I can't afford to pass them up!"

"Who cares?" seems to be the mentality of a lot of shoppers these days. "Who cares that the people who made these jeans only got paid $.17. I got them for only $19.99. Now that's a bargain!" And, "Who cares that this junky little stroller/microwave/toy is going to break in 10 days, I'll just toss it out and get a new one."

And I'm certainly not saying it's all the fault of the consumer. Many companies now make things that will break quickly so that customers will keep coming back for more. A lot of times it's faster, cheaper, and easier to toss something out than to have it fixed because it costs less and is a whole lot more convenient to get a new gizmo than try to have a broken one fixed.

Grrrr, makes my blood boil.

If you, too hate waste, try this experiment. The next time something breaks and you are going to have it replaced, try to find out how it might be fixed. The next time you're about to buy a new piece of clothes, see if you can't find something just as cute at your local thrift store. The next time you really, really need something for your house, kid, dog, guinea pig, see if you can't find another alternative to brand spanking new. Could you borrow it? Barter for it? Repair something that would make do?

Creative thrift--hopefully the wave of the future.

Love the Planet? Recycle.

It's very easy to get caught up sometimes in the "big picture" behind the environment and global warming. It's easy say, to blame people who drive gas guzzlers and live in McMansions (even though there are only two people in the family), or to blame the huge corporations that spew toxic chemicals into the air and water near them. The people who don't recycle. The organizations which make junky products that break and end up in the trash sooner than later.

But blaming never gets one very far.

Instead, let's focus on what we can do--each and every one of us. I've compiled a teeny list below, taken from a recent article in Real Simple magazine. For a comprehensive list, follow this link. The articles are called "How to Recycle Anything", and are written by Natalie Ermann Russell. She did a great job on them and offers a huge array of recycling tidbits.

• Sneakers: Nike offers a "Reuse a Shoe" program where they make courts for kids to play on. If shoes are still in good condition, consider donating to your local thrift shop.
• Packing peanuts: With the holiday season upon us, we'll more than likely end up with some boxes filled with the puffy peanuts. These can be brought to UPS or Mail Boxes, Etc. stores for re-use.
• Recreational equipment: Bring to Play it Again Sports, drop off at a local thrift shop, or offer it up on Craigslist or Freecycle.

And lastly, think about pre-cycling. Pre-cycling is trying to buy things with the absolute lowest amount of waste possible. Think bulk food bins at the grocery store, going without plastic carrier bags that we all get far too many of, and trying to buy things in their most natural, plastic free form.

Patriotic Spending?

After September 11th, President Bush encouraged us to spend to show our patriotism. In the wake of the recent financial disaster on Wall Street, we are again encouraged by the media to get out there and stimulate the economy.

As someone who is trying hard to cut back, make do, and do without, I find this advice worrisome. Am I being a "bad American" because I'm not spending? Is it wrong to try to live more by the standards our grandparents had then the throw-away standards that are so popular today?

Absolutely not, says Dr. Juliet Schor, an economist and professor at Boston College. Read the whole article here.

Whew. I feel better.

Tightwaddery Gets a Bad Name

Frugal Frannie, Tightwad, Cheapskate, Penny Pincher. Most of these labels bring up feelings of unease. Who wants to be called one of those less than flattering names?

But what if tightwaddery was looked at in a positive light? Back in the day, people who managed their money well and were frugal were considered "good with their money", "careful" and "responsible". In today's society though, being careful with your money is more likely to get you laughed at than respected.

Enter the Tightwad Gazette. This book, and the ones that follow it, are written by the frugality queen, Amy Dacyczyn (pronounced "decision"). I have read them in the past but recently picked up a copy at a local used book store. I read it in three days and enjoyed it (again) immensely. Okay, some of the ideas are a little off the wall like the many uses of old juice can lids. But there are many, many good ideas that can save you money, and in many cases, time. I like how the book is organized. Someone said that it's formatted almost like a blog, broken down into small pieces. I think that's a great comparison.

Another thing I LOVE about the book is the fact (reminder) that many things we do to save money are also great for the environment. In fact, the author talks about these overlapping circles--living in a frugal manner is also good for the earth the majority (I think she says 90%?) of the time. And it's true~think about it. Drying clothes on the line instead of in the dryer--saves money and the environment. Making food from scratch--saves money and the environment (no wasteful paper wrappers and Styrofoam containers), even more so if you are eating local and/or organic foods. You get the idea.

Another important tip? This is actually the theme of the book, in my opinion. Prioritizing. For the author and her husband the priority was to have a big family and live in a big house in a rural area. They knew what they wanted and were able to make saving the money for this type of lifestyle a priority. They could have said that this is what they really wanted, but then blown money right and left on tropical vacations, evenings at the theater, dinners at expensive restaurants, etc., but because that wasn't their priority, they chose to pinch pennies and go after their dream. I think that without priorities, it would be very hard, maybe impossible, to stick with being frugal. You need the goal to spur you on to action.

I also came across this article on The Simple Dollar in which the web site owner interviews Mrs. Dacyczyn--it's a good one and I'd highly recommend it, especially if you are already a Tightwad fan.

What's Christmas all About?

Hard to believe (though easier for me as we now have snow on the ground!) but Christmas will be here soon. I thought it was the perfect time, now in October, to start thinking about what that means for me and my family. Last year, we talked my husband's family into exchanging names--one person to buy for rather than five. It worked surprisingly well and we had a fun time with it. This year, my family (there are 13 of us) is doing a Yankee Swap. So, that's 9 less adults to buy for. We're still buying presents for the three kids.

What will I do with all that extra time and money? Well, I definitely want to participate in Samaritan's Purse, Operation Christmas Child again. I think that was the most fun purchasing I did last holiday season. For those of you not familiar with the program, you fill a shoebox up with toys, non-melty candies or gum, and personal hygiene items like toothbrushes, etc., and drop the box off at a collection location near you. The boxes are combined at a central location and shipped around the world to children in need, who otherwise wouldn't have anything given to them. The organization asks for a $7 donation to help pay for the shipping and you choose the age group/sex of the child who you are buying for and label your box accordingly. It's so much fun to do and to imagine the child's face when they open their present.

Something else I want to do is sit down and decide what the most meaningful parts of the holiday season are for me. I want to do something in nature--decorate a tree in the middle of the woods with popcorn and cranberries and homemade edible bird feeders for the animals. I want to spend more time enjoying the sights and sounds and smells of the holiday. I want to make Christmas meaningful again, not just a slew of activities to get through until I collapse in the new year. And of course, I want to spend time focusing on the original, true meaning of Christmas for me, the birth of Jesus. Last year was the first in a very long time that I created an Advent wreath. Lighting the candles at each meal and reading a scripture verse was calming. I am considering no tree this year and very minimal, mostly natural decorations.

For a long time I thought, "Well, others will be disappointed if I don't do X, or if I don't volunteer with Y." But I have the entire rest of the year to volunteer my time for causes I believe in, it doesn't have to be just a one month/week/or day thing in December. And I'm sorry if I insult someone by not displaying the holiday decorations or ornaments they gave us--though in reality they've probably forgotten they ever even gave it in the first place!

So, here's my advice for you this season. First, read all you can about alternative/pared down holidays in books like the Tightwad Gazette, Unplug the Christmas Machine, and the One
Hundred Dollar Holiday.

And take some time now, before the rush begins, to determine what you do and don't like about the holidays. If you love giving gifts and can't imagine paring down, could you give gifts that have less of an impact on the earth and it's inhabitants? What about some consumable gifts like fair trade coffee and chocolates, or sweat shop free clothes or accessories? Want to spend more time in nature or creating new family traditions? Start talking to other family member now, don't wait until a week or two before Christmas. For many, many people the holidays are the most depressing time of the year. What could we do to help those who might be feeling down? Animal shelters struggle to pay their fuel bills as winter closes in. Can we help with that? Food shelves typically are bombarded (wonderfully) with food this one time of the year. Could we make a donation for future purchases when people aren't giving so much? Could we "adopt" a local family or elderly person and pledge to leave a box of food anonymously for them each month for the rest of the year?

Christmas is about giving: Giving hope, peace, warmth, food, love. It's not just about giving material gifts.

Simple Living

Today I'm craving a little simplicity. Just a good, old-fashioned tea time with a slice of spice cake and a mug of something hot.

Sometimes it feels like living simply is an unattainable goal. I have been paring down, giving away, packing up things in the house on and off for the past couple of months. Now we are getting ready to do some room re-arranging and I feel that familiar sense of anxiousness and dread coming. Where will I put everything? Why can't our house be better organized? Why did the builder put that room there? And didn't he think we might like a closet here?

I love my house and I'm grateful for it, don't get me wrong. But sometimes it feels like a huge jigsaw puzzle to me. I have two file cabinets stashed in the closet of the exercise room, along with all our board games. The dining room closet has a big bureau in it, packed with candles and candle holders, gift wrap, and presents for upcoming holidays. The storage container stuffed under our bed has some of my old artwork in it; stuff I can't bear to throw away but don't want out on display.

No matter how well I think I de-clutter, there's always more.

Sometimes I think that this is the reason that vacations are so stress-free. You have a small bag of belongings. . . and that's it! No myriad of shoes to organize, no dozen family photo albums to find a new place for, no videos and DVDs to try to keep straight in the cabinet. Hopefully I will remember all of this the next time I'm at the store or at an online shop and see something that is just-so-great-I-have-to-have-it.

But unfortunately today there is no cake or hot mug of anything waiting for me. Just a large room with many windows which will, if all goes as planned, hold our dining room furniture, my home office, and craft/art supplies in a somewhat tidy manner by the end of this evening.

Wish me luck.

Government Clean Up

I wish someone would bail me out of my financial woes. I came across this article while perusing the web this morning. Now, honestly I try not to get involved in political matters. Politics makes my blood boil for the most part, and since GWB took office it's gotten nearly impossible for me to follow along and not feel like I'm going to have a seizure or a stroke. So mostly I try to avoid all things in Washington. I don't read newspapers. I don't watch the news. I try my best to avoid anything but the bare minimum about the upcoming elections. (This is all rather ironic since I make my living writing and providing information to the general public via regional and national publications!).

But this whole Wall Street bail out is one of the most ridiculous things I've heard of recently. In fact, if it wasn't so absurd it might be funny.

But it's hard to see the funny side while the government is debating bailing out these extremely large financial firms on OUR tax dollars. Our national deficit is out of control. The government says that they are trying to avoid a more detrimental economy. I guess I can't see how spending $700 billion dollars helps our economy, especially when we are already so far in debt.

My parents taught me very well when I was young that money doesn't grow on trees. But apparently the United States government, with GWB leading the way, thinks that in middle class America, it does.

One thing this whole mess is reminding me, is how important it is to have my own debt paid off. In addition to the money not growing on trees thing, my parents also drilled into my head how important it is to owe no one. Own your cars, pay off your mortgage, don't carry credit card debt if you can help it. And make sure you give back--God will take care of the rest.

Amen.

"That really gets my goat!" my mother would say. This is something that really "gets" me. Waste and the apparent disinterest on the lack of most Americans in making a difference for the environment. 'Scuse me while I hop up on my soapbox for a minute. . .

I understand that some people just don't care about nature. They maybe hate trees due to an unfortunate incident when they were small, or fear grass because of it's pointy-ness--I'm grasping here. So it sort of makes sense that they wouldn't give a hoot about nature or the environment. But what about the rest of us? Those who adore spending time hiking and gardening and playing in the dirt. The farmers who work the soil, the mothers that like bringing their children to the park and playing a game of pickup softball, the men who love extreme Frisbee and mountain biking? How does such a disconnect happen between us (humans) and the natural world? What allows us to shut off the voices that tell us that dumping chemicals into our gardens and rivers, and driving huge, gas-guzzling SUVs because they're "in"? How do we decide as a society that it doesn't matter if people in other countries don't have enough resources, as long as we Americans have all we need?

To me the lack of interest in, and worry over, the environment ties into our whole consumer culture. I like to call this the Christmas Tree Shop mentality. Have you ever seen commercials for this store? If not, consider yourself lucky. The commercials generally show women parading around the store, snatching things of the shelves and immediately turning them this way and that to find the price tag. "Oh, look Marge. Isn't this a cute potholder? And it's only $.99! I'm getting five!" Plunk, plunk, plunk as Alice throws handfuls of potholders, which she may or may not ever use into her hugely full, towering cart of crap.

But it's worse in real life as I would guess that 90% of the items in this store aren't necessary to daily living. This is not to say that I never shop there. Occasionally, I have found nice books, cards, or gift wrap for presents. And once in awhile I do pick something up there because it's inexpensive, like tea light candles or flower bulbs. But I can't help but notice that mentality more and more--not just in this one store either. It's like shopping and having more than everyone else has become some sort of national disease. And where are we putting all this stuff? Sometimes we store it in little extra "closets" a.k.a. storage units that we pay for each month. Sometimes we fill our houses with it to the point where it's not even comfortable getting around. But eventually most of it, nearly all I would guess, ends up in the landfill.

I guess I just wonder how we, as Americans, have turned from a country of do-it-yourselfers into a culture of wasters. I wonder what our grandparents would think, or the founding fathers of this country, if they saw where we are now. We're ruining the environment to make things "better" for ourselves. We've stopped questioning government policies that allow the total annihilation of once perfectly natural environments. We are addicted to oil and shopping, and having more, more, more. And all of this at our own expense, or at the expense or other people who we share the planet with who are less fortunate than ourselves.

I'm re-reading a wonderful book right now, called "Serve God, Save the Planet". It is in the Green Lending Library to be borrowed (or will be in a few days). It is written by J. Matthew Sleeth, M.D., a man who once "had it all". He worked as a bigwig doctor and had a huge house, a flashy sports car and everything else that the so-called American Dream tells us successful people have. He and his family, however, changed their ways after they realized how out of line their choices were compared to their values. Sleeth shares in his book how important that realization was to him.

"After I became a Christian, I went through a process of examining my life. It was filled with sin and hypocrisy. . . At the time, I considered myself an enlightened environmentalist. The United States uses more resources than any other country in history, and my crude audit showed that my family used slightly more energy than the average American household. Despite our modest recycling, carpooling, and electricity conservation efforts, we were living an unsustainable lifestyle. We were going about living our life as if we were the center of the universe, and there was no tomorrow to protect." --J. Matthew Sleeth, M.D. Serve God, Save the Planet

I am certainly not saying that I'm immune to the gimmees, that I never waste gas on unnecessary trips, that I always think first of other people and the environment when I'm shopping. But I do try, and I think it's important that we all try, to be more conscious of our choices. How does buying sweatshop made goods affect people? How does buying conventional versus organic products affect our planet and the workers who farm the fields their grown in? How does my deciding I need a big SUV for my safety affect the person whom I collide with and who is hurt in their modest sized or small car? How does adding chemical fertilizer to my garden affect my neighbor's children who's well is located near my yard?

Just being conscious is the difference. Can't sell your SUV? Maybe you could use it less or use public transportation more. Don't have the money to buy all organic foods? What about at least avoiding the foods with the highest amount of pesticides in them? Can't afford all sweat-shop free clothes? Try used. This saves money and resources as you're keeping one more thing out of the landfill.

The Joneses

The term "keeping up with the Joneses" is certainly not new, but have you ever thought about the "other Joneses"?

We think of the Joneses as people who are better off than ourselves. They have cooler cars, a bigger pool (or a pool anyway!), they take fabulous trips and wear the trendiest clothes. Their houses l0ok ready for magazine photo shoots. All the time. And they're always on the move, shopping, improving things at their house, planning for their next world-wide adventure.

Often though, in our jealous peeks over the fence, we don't see the whole picture. We don't see the stress that the Joneses marriage suffers when another fight about money erupts. We don't see how neglected their kids feel when Mom and Dad shove toys at them to make up for the overtime they work to buy all that expensive crap.

But what about the other Joneses? These Joneses have much less than us, but for some reason we never think to compare ourselves to them. In the book "How Much is Enough?" by Arthur Simon, I found a passage that really sank in this morning.

"Which Joneses are we trying to keep up with? Almost always the Joneses who are ahead of us. Perhaps we should stay behind those Joneses and compare ourselves with the Joneses who lack food, clothing, and medical care."

Simon goes on to explain our desire for things that others have. This is a natural in children, the author explains, and seems to follow most of us right into adulthood.

"A child does not expect an ice cream bar for lunch. But if a sibling gets one, then having an ice cream bar suddenly seems not just desirable but a dire necessity. A child does not instinctively long for a particular brand or style of sneakers, but if "everyone" in his class starts wearing them and commenting on those who don't, lack of those sneakers will make him feel deprived and inferior. Kids want what other kids have. In this respect, they are strikingly like adults."

Hmmm, kids want what other kids have. This is true for us "big kids", too. Throw in a multi-million (billion?) dollar marketing industry showing us what "everyone" else has, little suggestions that we need to "treat" ourselves to something special, and it's easy to see how not only keeping up with, but surpassing the Joneses becomes our goal in life.

But life is so much more than things. I remember when I was small breaking some jars that my mother told me not to touch. I stood their crying, feeling terrible that I disobeyed and that they'd broken. She wiped up my tears and held me. "They're only things," she said. "They can be replaced."

That is a message we should all learn. All these possessions are just things that can be replaced. Relationships, helping, loving, caring, teaching, learning, compassion--those mean more than any physical object, and they can never be broken or taken away.

Free to buy a lot of crap we don't need

I would like to get this made into a bumper sticker. Stuff is starting to consume us. We want it. We "need" it. We feel it's our God-given right to have it. We're Americans damn it, and we're free to buy what we want.

The problem is, we aren't. Being able to do something doesn't make it right. Buying every little thing our heart desires isn't helping anyone. Not even ourselves.

I was out for my morning walk when I noticed a large dumpster behind our town office building. It was not one of the regular sized dumpsters, but a big, fat, jumbo-sized one. It was filled to overflowing with stuff. Scattered all around it was more stuff. Cabinets, a chair, a stereo, an electric fireplace, tables, and more. Take a wild guess where it was all headed. If you guessed "the local landfill" you're right!

I came home and called the town office who put me in touch with the guy in charge. Long story short: There is a dumpster this full or even more full every year after the annual Fireman's Auction on Memorial Day. My suggestions of having a "free sale" or people to come pick up useable items was met with a look of disinterest and a "yeah, whatever."

One of the men there preparing to take the furniture to the landfill commiserated with me. "Some of it could be recycled. Or there might be people in the area without much money who could use it."

Yeah.

But here's another thought. There might be crazy people like me who actually LIKE used things! There is a whole mentality here in my little county that "only poor people" would want "used" stuff.

If you are as fed up with America's obsession with stuff as I am, you have to watch Annie Leonard's free online video, "The Story of Stuff". This 20 minutes just might change your life. If nothing else it will give you a broader picture of where stuff comes from and where it ends up.