Compacting… I made it thru the second month. I am not pure. I bought something. Guilt was big. It was not a necessity but something to allow me to use my cell phone safely. I can rationalize gifts much easier.
After I wrote that … something came in the mail that I bought and forgot. Something flashy and stupid… something that cost only a little but it was a dumb purchase. I was not going to use it. I was going to hide it in my shame and just put it away. No… I put it on and there it is… the reminder of why I need to compact, to reduce my dependency on needless stuff. There are starving children and I need to be making my resources count!
So recycling is good. Sending things to the Goodwill is a no-brainer. But what about taking the time to find the right person to use my cast-offs. It is ever so much more satisfying to know that the stereo that I enjoyed for 19 years, is now being used by someone who really wanted it. Will he keep it very long? Probably not. But hopefully he will find someone who would have some joy in it. I like the challenge of matching up the items I am done with – with a person who could really use it.
Books are hard. We needed a book for my Sunday night class. It was something like $16. But on Amazon you can buy used books. I was able to snag it for about $8.23 including shipping. SO I saved $7. Not a big deal. BUT I SAVED $7!!!!! With Amazon I found the book quickly and saw the availability of used copies. It was delivered in about 7 days.
The other part of this compacting journey is not to just stop wanting or not to just stop buying but to really change my desires. And to change the type of things I could buy easily without thought. If I really need something, I want to think about it and see if there are other options to get this need filled.
Buying locally is something that supports my local suppliers. It may cost a little more but it puts those profits right back into my local community. When Freddies gets my money, their profits are added up in some corporate office back east. I am not sure that Freddies puts much back into the local community. My good friends and I have signed up with a local farmer for a CSA (community supported agriculture). The one we chose is
http://www.sungoldfarm.com/_wsn/page3.html
Look at this listing of fruits, veggies and herbs. It makes me anxious for summer. We get 18 weeks of fresh vegetables delivered to a close by spot or we have the option of picking our produce up right from the farm!
JUNE - Strawberries, cherries, basil, potatoes, fava beans, green beans, wax beans, roma beans, beets, cut flowers, lettuce, pea pods, kohlrabi, carrots, parsley, chives
JULY - Cherries, cucumbers, basil, slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, green beans, wax beans, roma beans, sweet onions, sweet corn, blueberries, peaches, beets, carrots, summer squash, cut flowers, lettuce, blackberries, eggplant, sweet and hot peppers, dill
AUGUST - Slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cabbage, eggplant, basil, fennel, sweet corn, potatoes, sweet onions, summer squash, cantaloupe, sweet and hot peppers, green beans, wax beans, roma beans, beets, carrots, tomatillas, cut flowers, dill
SEPTEMBER - Sweet and hot peppers, cabbage, eggplant, summer squash, slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green beans, wax beans, roma beans, sweet corn, sweet onions, basil, fennel, potatoes, cantaloupe, beets, carrots, heirloom apples, pears, cut flowers, garlic, leeks, cucumbers
OCTOBER - Potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beets, sweet and hot peppers, sweet onions, winter squash, heirloom apples, pears, pumpkins, ornamental corn, gourds, cut flowers, leeks, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli
If you are interested in a CSA near you go to the following website and put in your zip code and you will find local farmers hoping to sell subscriptions to their coming crops. It has to be a win-win for everyone.
http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
DKU
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