Clothing Goal

About a year, maybe a year and a half ago I made a decision that I wouldn't purchase brand new clothes for myself. Used ones were ok. Oh, and undergarments were ok to buy new. I'm not that crazy.

I decided to do this as a way of making myself more conscious of reduce/reuse/recycle. I liked the idea of not giving in to the American consumerism also.

How'd I do? Pretty well. As far as I can remember I only bought 1 shirt that was new. But, I bought a ton of stuff that was used. Sure, I get pretty much all my clothes at Salvation Army. I especially love hitting the sale 5 items for $5.

Now, other people made purchases for me. Birthday and Christmas gifts. And also a few gift cards that I may have used for clothes. That doesn't really count. (My goal. My rules.)

I'm thinking about trying a new challenge. I will not buy ANY clothing items for myself. Nothing new. Nothing used. For 1 year.

Again, undergarments are exempt from this. Also, I will except hand-me-downs that people give me and also gifts of newly purchased clothes and will even use gift cards to purchase clothes. (My goal. My rules.)

My hope is that I will pare down what I own. I don't have as many clothes as the 'normal' American, but I still have a lot! I'm also hoping that I will wear the things that I love. And maybe learn to mix and match things up a little differently.

So, I'll keep you posted on how it works out! It's already tough. The one pair of pants that I have that are perfect for fall and spring are fraying in the legs. Not a pretty sight on a 35 year old overweight mom. So, I'm already having to think creatively. And, I need a new white t-shirt. Hoping my mom grabs me one of those in the next few weeks. I have no problem cheating!

Recap of '08

Remember the goals that I set for 2008? Neither did I until I looked back in my archives. Here they are and how I did.

1. Minimize childrens books - I cleared out a bunch. Pretty much all that I could. Although, I think I can purge some of Maggie's little board books. I'll get on that.

2. Take the kids to the public library once a week. Totally failed. I did take Maggie about once a week for story time. Never really checked out books though. Mainly movies. Still need to work on this goal.

3. Have a date night with Jamie once a month. Totally failed. I was shocked when I looked back in my archives at how little we actually went out together. I'm really going to work on this one again this year.

4. Pray before I react to the kids. I think I will always be working on this one! I'm a bit more patient with them on days that I begin with prayer. If I wake up before everyone and do a little Bible study lesson and pray alone my whole day goes smoother than when I don't. Thanks Lord for that wonderful blessing!

5. Bring down my grocery bill. I succeed sometimes and failed sometimes. I will continue to work on this. It's definitely getting easier and easier the more I work at it.

6. Dress more feminine. I'm giving up on this one. I've never really defined it so I was never sure what that goal really meant. I'll just keep dressing the way that I normally do. Well, I might try wearing lip gloss everyday. Who knows.

7. Paint and redo the downstairs bathroom. So did NOT happen. It's still this horrible bright mint green and I detest it. Maybe it will get down this year.

8. New dishes. Yippy! A goal that I actually met! Jamie's aunt had a set of all white dishes that she had from Jamie's grandma. No one else in the family wanted them. They are perfect for me! I got rid of all my other dishes. Brought out my flag style dishes and even redecorated the kitchen in my old american flag stuff. Looks nice.

9. Clear out plastic storage containers. I met this goal as well. My cupboard is less cluttered. Although, I think this will be one of those ongoing kind of goals. That stuff seems to breed all on it's own.

10. Recycle cereal boxes. Another goal met. I take my pile every few weeks or so to the recycling center since our curbside doesn't pick it up.

Whew. I had some great goals. Unfortunately not all of them were met. But, I'm pretty pleased with myself. Now on to a new year!

Downsizing

Ok, here's my pop strategy that I've been mulling over the past couple of days. Brace yourself, I'm going to honest with you all. Be nice to me :)

I like the bubbles of pop. I think I like the caffeine. I don't grab one because I'm feeling low on caffeine. It's really for the sugary taste (fake sugar in my case) and bubbly feel. It's usually the first thing I grab if I'm thirsty, hungry, or hot. I'm picky about my pop. Not really the brand, but the flavor. Vanilla is my favorite. I have to drink it from a can. I don't like pop that is even slightly stale. Most of the time I don't finish the can because it's gotten too warm or has lost it's bubbles.

Each week I buy a 12 pack of diet pop. This costs between 3-4 dollars. I consume all of this and sometimes more a week. So, about 3-4 cans a day. Which brings the rough total to $24 per month. We recycle the cans regularly. I tried recycling the box but there is not a place around here that takes box board that is specially treated to go in the fridge. (Actually, I'm going to call around at our other centers nearby and see if it's different.)

Since I don't think it would be a sure thing to just quit cold turkey I'll start small. I'll buy a 2 liter. They cost about $1. It's very cost effective for the amount, and it's only one thing and it it recyclable. Only buy this on Friday's and when it runs out, it runs out. I probably won't drink it all because I hate flat pop. Cost per month about $5.

Next, I'm going to have tea time each day. Making sure I don't become an addict to caffeine. I'll aim for drinking probably 2 cups a day, morning and late afternoon. Maybe even be so frugal to using the same tea bag. I'll have to test that one out. Tea is great in compost, so I'll hook up with my mother-in-law and get that going. The box it comes in is recyclable. The plastic outside, I'll have to check on that.

I just bought two boxes of tea today at $1.59 each. They each have 20 bags in them. I'd love to switch to loose tea eventually. It's very cost effective and very low in waste. Plus? They have those awesome tea pots that I've always wanted. So, even if I had 3 per day (not re-using them) it would cost $7.20 a month.

That's a big cost difference! Oh, and of course, a better health choice :)

#10 Recycling

Well, my board box recycling isn't going quite as well as I had hoped. I started saving all of our boxes. I went to the recycling center this week and read the sign on the dumpster very carefully. I didn't want to make a mistake :) It specifically said that they can not recycle boxes that can be refrigerated. Apparently they are sealed with a special coating = chemical that can not be recycled. Boxes like pop can boxes, yogurt boxes, or healthy choice frozen meals. Poop! That was half of my load.

So, now before I buy something I'm actually paying attention to how it's packaged to see how much of it is recyclable. Duh... it all comes down to convenience foods. Fresh food has the least amount of wasted materials. Fruits and veggies.

That'll be a huge challenge for next year, not this time around.

But, I am starting to rethink my pop addiction. Yes, I know I have a problem. Well, I don't call it a problem. I like it and that's that. But, I think I may come up with a better plan that is safer for my body and the environment. More on that later.