Seeking Simplicity

It's Reusable Bag Month!

2008-01-10T15:15:00.000-08:00

Did you know that simply by using a reusable bag you can cut your ecological footprint? You’ll also begin to make a dent in the waste and pollution that sees 12 million barrels of oil and 14 million trees wasted each year to make plastic and paper bags.

Most plastic bags are made from polyethylene, which is made from crude oil and natural gas, nonrenewable resources. This increases our dependency on foreign suppliers. Additionally, prospecting and drilling for these resources contributes to the destruction of fragile habitats and ecosystems around the world.

This is such a simple step that will really make a difference—just Bring Your Own Bag when you go shopping. You can usually find tons of canvas or other sturdy bags at thrift stores. Who cares if they have some company logos on them! Many stores also give you a few cents off for each cloth bag you use. If you feel like you must buy new bags, you can take the Carbon Conscious Consumer pledge, and you'll also get a 20% discount to use at Reusablebags.com!

The Story of STUFF

2007-12-30T19:08:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about the new year coming up and my compact pledge. I have kept to it for the most part, with the exception of some books that I should not have purchased. I am going to be more diligent in 2008.

For those contemplating doing something similar or are simply interested in where our stuff comes from and where it goes, there is an interesting video that talks about this.

The Story of Stuff

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Its Time to Junk the Junk Mail!

2007-08-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

One of my evil adversaries in the decluttering war is .... PAPER! I cannot believe how much paper comes into my little apartment. Combine that with my total lack of organizational skills and the bad habit of just setting mail down wherever, it becomes quickly overwhelming. So, I am going through the paper, one stack at a time. I've got three boxes next to me:

One for recycling
One for shredding
One for things that need to be filed (of course I need to figure out exactly what needs to be kept and I need a good filing system. PLEASE give me ideas)

I cannot believe how much junk comes in through my mailbox. Sitting here looking at all of this cr*p, I almost feel violated. There are tons of those credit card application things, flyers, catalogs, requests for money from charities, and on and on.

I am determined to shrink the amount of mail that comes into my home. Here are some things that you can do to tame this "paper monster":

Stop junk mail from entering your home in the first place. There are several ways to go about this.

Go to http://www.optoutprescreen.com/ to get off of the credit card lists. This is supposed to be good for five years, at which time you need to renew your decision to "opt out".
Go to https://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailing to get off of mailing lists. It costs $1.00 to remove your name and address from mailing lists and you can sign up online or by mail with their registration page.
Do what I did and sign up with Greendimes.com. They claim to be very effective at cutting out your junk mail by up to 90% and they plant a tree each month in your name. I did an online search before I signed up and didn't see anything that would raise red flags. You can stop the junk mail for up to 8 people living at one address. If you are receiving catalogs that you'd rather not get, there is a place for you to put in the titles and they will stopped as well. This service is $36 for one year but I signed up with them because I like what they are doing and want to support a group like this. EDIT: When I signed up with them, it was $36/year. However, I just got an email yesterday from greendimes telling me that they are issuing a $21.00 refund. The fee is now only $15.00 year.

Sign up for electronic statements
- Go to your bank's website as well as the sites for your credit cards and find out if you can opt out of getting your statements in the mail each month. Most financial institutions now have the capability for customers to access the last several months worth of statements online. You would also be able to print out a particular statement if you needed to.
Keep your shredder handy.
- No matter which method you choose to get off of mailing lists, it will take 2-3 months to really see the decrease in the amount of junk you receive. In the meantime, keeping your shredder (and recycling bin) handy and don't let your junk mail pile up. When you get the mail, open it up, decide if it is something that you need to act on or file. If not, and if there is any personal information on it, quickly shred it and put in the recycling bin anything that does not have to be shred.

I'm sure there are many other things that you can do regarding the clutter and waste that is junk mail. I would really love to hear ideas from other people out there. And I still really need ideas as to a good filing system and a system for dealing with bills. For too long I've had stacks here and there and have, I'm ashamed to admit, paid things late because of this. Please send any ideas my way so that I can improve in this area.

Downshift Your Driving -- Go Car Free One Day a Week

2007-08-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

It takes total carbon dioxide emissions from most countries worldwide combined to equal just vehicle emissions in the United States, and as we consume more and more gas, pressure builds to drill in fragile and conflict-ridden areas. Yet a quarter of the trips Americans make are within walking distance, and each American driver could keep nearly a thousand pounds of carbon dioxide out of the air by taking the Carbon Conscious Consumer pledge to find an alternative to driving only one day each week. With gas prices so high, now is a great time to start reducing our reliance on cars.

Each month from July to December, Carbon Conscious Consumer will highlight a new, simple way each individual can make an impact, plus show the difference each person makes both individually and along with the people they’ve influenced; prizes go to participants who influence the most new pledges.

This August, keep the car in the driveway one day each week. Each gallon of gas that goes unused keeps twenty pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. You can even go one step further and use information you find on c3.newdream.org to improve your gas mileage for the times you do have to drive. Visit the website now to get started.

2007-07-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

How long has it been since you've taken a vacation? I don't mean using your vacation days when your children are sick because your own sick days have been all used up. I mean when have you taken a couple of weeks off to reconnect with your children, your spouse, or even yourself? Do you even have the what-used-to-be-standard 2 or 3 weeks per year of vacation time? Many employees find that they do not even get that benefit anymore. Of those that do, many are afraid to actually use that time...afraid that they will get too far behind at work or even that it will be seen as a sign of weakness and could put their job into jeopardy. Did you know that in Australia and Europe, 4-5 weeks of vacation time per year is mandated by law? Employees in Canada and Japan have 2 weeks by law. In the United States, there is no mandated minimum. It is estimated that in the U.S. vacation time is an average of 4 days per year. Is it any wonder that Americans seem to be chronically stressed?

A few months ago, I wrote about a campaign to return to the dinner table, which was sponsored by a group called Take Back Your Time. They are now attempting to launch a campaign to pass an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act called "The Minimum Leave Protection, Family Bonding and Personal Well-Being Act of 2007". If passed, this would

Protect you from having your vacation cut or eliminated by an employer

Protect you from chronically cancelled vacations

Protect you from losing vacation time when you change jobs. You will always get three weeks after a year at a job.

Protect you against retaliation for taking your vacation time, and end the fear of replacement, demotion, or lost promotions when you take all the time in your company policy.

Provide a pro rata share of the three-week vacation after three months until the one-year mark is reached. For example, after six months, you would get 1.5 weeks off.

If you are interested in helping with their campaign, here are some ways they suggest you get involved:

Sign up to volunteer and be a volunteer coordinator in your community or state by emailing Executive Director Lisa Steubing (lisa@timeday.org) Provide as much information about yourself as you can--why you're interested; what kind of work you do; full contact information; whether you're willing to speak with the press or electronic media;

Send them your stories about the struggle for vacation time. If you are willing to speak to the media. The media thrives on personal stories and they want to be able to offer some. Tell them if you don't get paid vacation or don't feel you can take it all. Tell them if your company is particularly good on this issue--they want to honor those companies that are. If you want to tell your story but don't want your name made public, let them know that too. All of your stories are important!

Provide financial support. They need your time, but they also need money to run this campaign and keep Take Back Your Time afloat. Every dollar matters. They are seeking to raise $15,000 through this appeal. That's less than two dollars from each one of us. Please consider sending $25, $50 or even $100 or more. Also, please consider making a recurring donation, every little bit counts!

Chinese-produced fresh ginger is recalled

2007-07-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning Monday for consumers to avoid eating fresh ginger imported from China.

See link for more information

I'm excited!

2007-07-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

There is something that I've really been wanting to get. But I simply cannot buy new. There is a possibility that I might be able to get it used and hopefully be able to afford it! I will update once I find out for sure.

EDIT: Didn't work out, but that's okay. I know that the things I need will come to us at the right time.

From within

2007-07-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

In the process of simplifying and renewing, perhaps one of the most important aspects is that of purifying our bodies and souls. I am wondering if maybe that is where I went wrong a few months ago. I was so focused on the outer, on getting a clean house, on reducing the amount of "stuff" we have, that I didn't pay attention to what was going on within myself.

This week, I am trying something new. For one week, I am going to eat only those fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that can be eaten raw. With the kids away at camp, this is the perfect time to embark on something like this. Yesterday and today, I have eaten mainly fresh fruit, along with some vegetables in huge green leafy salads. Today I'm feeling a little tired, but otherwise I feel great. My mind seems a littler sharper and I'm feeling more hopeful and optimistic. Definitely not as "down" as I've been for so long now. I have no idea if this is related only to the food I'm eating, but I'm sure that has contributed greatly.

I don't have an inclination to become completely raw, although I think its great for those who do. But for too long now, I've been eating, basically cr*p. Part of it has to do with being in a state of depression and not having the energy to really do anything. Fixing a healthy meal has been so far out of my radar lately its not even funny. But then of course this becomes a cycle because when you eat only cr*p, then you feel like cr*p. So I would like for the vast majority of my food to be raw, fresh fruits, vegetable, nuts and needs, along with things like bean, lentils, vegetable soups, etc. More than anything right now, I am getting rid of anything with artificial flavors colors, high-fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, etc. Through this, I will pretty much stop bringing processed foods into our home, automatically resulting in less trash for me to deal with.

Now I wish I could figure out a way to compost the scraps from all these fruits and veggies. We're in an apartment with no patio, balcony or yard.

Any ideas for me??

Starting over

2007-07-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

Last year I began a journey that proved more difficult than I had imagined. I wanted to step off of the consumerism highway. I wanted to explore new and untraveled paths. I wanted to reduce our footprint on this planet. Alas, my journey was not successful. And now, months later, I look around me and see that I am not happier. If anything, I feel more bogged down, more cluttered, and more stressed than ever.

I am returning to the journey. I am beginning again. I am so tired of being weighed down by "stuff". I am tired of my stuff owing me. I am also returning to compacting.

I thought about starting a brand new blog. A clean slate. No embarrassing failures right in print for all to see.

But then I decided not to do that. You see, I've actually been on the journey all along. I'm not where I'd hoped to be by this time. But I've learned and grown and now it is time to simply keep moving. Return to the goals that I had, maybe form some new ones. Make new friends, learn new things. Relax and continue to grow.

I'm committing myself to blog regularly. That will help to keep me focused on where I am going. I also commit to helping others who are on this journey with me, even if it is only with a supportive note or a helpful tip here and there. I will not look down on those who are moving "too slowly" on this path. Perhaps that is the biggest lesson of all from this time I've been absent from the blog. I am not better or more enlightened than other people. I need help and I need to help others. We're all in this together.

A visit to Cindy's Porch

2006-10-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

How often do we go out and buy something, then later realize that we either don't really need it or already have the same (or similar) item at home?

I've found a great website whose principles totally fit into the Compacting lifestyle. At Cindy's Porch, the three cardinal rules for "rediscovering" your money are:

DO instead of BUY If you can open your mind to how you can DO something, instead of BUY something, you will be opening the door to treasures you never knew existed. You will rediscover the joys of family time, quiet time, nature, your pets, and yourself.
SHOP at home FIRST OK, you have tried to apply the first rule. And you have concluded that you can't simply DO it and will actually have to BUY something. Time for the second rule: SHOP at home FIRST. Take a look in your cupboards, your freezer, your fridge, your cleaning supply stash, the basement, and the garage. I bet you already have whatever it is you want to buy (that's how we all end up with too many candles, ketchup, bottles of shampoo, and extension cords LOL). If you don't have exactly what you need, see if you can substitute. Is it a one time only need? Check and see if you can borrow from a neighbor.
PROCRASTINATE You have made it past Rule 1. Then you applied Rule 2, and no, you cannot shop at home first. You have to go to a store. Time for the third rule: procrastination. You have heard that procrastination is a bad thing right? Wrong! At least not when you are planning on spending money. Procrastination does two things. Either you will find out that you actually didn't need it in the first place, or you will find exactly what you want at exactly the price you are willing to pay.

Cindy has got lots of ideas about how to go about saving money, living simply & frugally, without feeling "deprived". There are lots of seasonal and holiday ideas, as well as the constant reminders to "do instead of buy" and "shop at home first". You can also print out different types of lists, pantry inventory sheets, meal plans, etc.

I highly recommend you take a visit over to Cindy's Porch, have a cup of tea, and get great ideas to incorporate into your life as well.

Just a little whining today...

2006-10-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days...just been going through a difficult time recently. One bright spot though...when you don't have enough money to even pay the electricity bill or buy fresh food, you have no trouble at all sicking to The Compact! :)

Here's looking forward to brighter days!

Life is Good

2006-10-23T05:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I had such a nice day. I dropped the kids off at Sunday school and wasn't sure what to do with my 3 hours I had free. I thought about going to the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, but didn't want to spend the money. Besides, it was a beautiful day. I thought about walking around, looking at the beautiful old houses uptown, but my ankle is still healing and I don't want to push it. So, I ended up at our central park and decided to sit and read. As I parked and walked across the park, I noticed the koi pond. So I stopped and watched the fish for awhile. The only people there were a couple of older gentleman enjoying the morning. I found a bench in the sun and just sat for awhile. There was a slight breeze, the sky was bright blue, some church bells were ringing in the distance.

My mom called and I told her where I was. A little later, she showed up to join me. We sat for a while, talked a little, read a little. When it was time for me to leave and pick up the kids, we both commented on how much we needed this. It has honestly been a long time since I've spent any time in the sunshine, since I've felt the breeze. My days are normally filled with driving and work, so the only fresh air I get is from the car to the apartment, from the car to the office.

This was something very simple, free, and of tremendous value. I left feeling rejuvenated, more alive, and I will now make sure to incorporate a little time to sit or walk in the sunshine every day and just soak it up!

My Ecological Footprint

2006-10-18T21:00:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Jessica for pointing me to Earthday.net's Footprint Quiz.

According to the site, there are 4.5 biologically productive acres for each person on the planet and they offer a quiz to find out what your particular footprint is. I found from the quiz that I am using 7 acres. A large part of that is in the transportation area, which I wrote about earlier. I know that I need to do something about this aspect of our lives....I'm just stuck on what to do at the moment.

So, if everyone lived like me, we would need 1. 5 planets. I suppose my 7 acres is better than the average in the U.S. of 24 acres per person(!!!!), but it is something that I still need improve so I can get down to at least my share of 4.5 acres.

Some of Earth Day's suggestions on how to improve your footprint:

Eat less meat: A plant-based diet generally requires less land, energy, and other resources. Crop-based food requires an average of 0.78 global hectares per ton of food, compared to 2.1 global hectares required to produce one ton of animal-based food. See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information on this topic (and others!).
Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle and reduce the amount that you drive-walk, cycle, carpool, or use public transportation instead.
Avoid purchasing disposable items with lots of packaging. Re-use items when possible, and always recycle items that are recyclable.
Compost kitchen waste: Garbage that is not contaminated with degradable (biological) waste can be more easily recycled and sorted, and doesn't produce methane gases (a significant greenhouse gas contributor) when stored in a landfill.
Plant native and drought-tolerant plants in dry regions to reduce water use.
Be a conscientious consumer—learn about sustainability-friendly products here, courtesy of The Center for a New American Dream. Also, for a teenage perspective on “buying different,” click here.
Visit the GreenMarketplace, an online green shopping center, for all sorts of environmentally friendly products.
Share magazines and catalogs by donating them to hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices or by creating an informal program in which you rotate magazines and catalogs among your neighbors.
Save trees by freeing yourself from junk mail, in three basic steps! Also courtesy of The Center for a New American Dream.
Reuse and recycle packing materials. You can recycle materials like packing “peanuts”—simply call 1-800-828-2214 for the Plastic Loose Fill Council’s “Peanut Hotline” and they’ll tell you the nearest recycling location.
Start a conversation by asking your friends about their social and ecological concerns.
Encourage your friends to visit www.myfootprint.org and make their own lifestyle changes using the Take Action Calculator as a guide.
Recruit some friends to get involved with you in local and global movements for social change. To find an Earth Day event or Earth Day network group in your own area, click here. For a list of other interesting nonprofit organizations that welcome volunteers in your area, try www.care2.com. or www.idealist.org.

The humble, powerful table

2006-10-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

For the longest time, its grieved me that so many families eat dinner on the run. It seems that most people I know do not sit down at the table for dinner as a family, much less for breakfast or lunch. In fact, according to research, only 40% of American families eat together even 2 or 3 times per week! Dinner is something to eat as you drive through somewhere on the way to somewhere else, or else is some convenience food that you warm up at home and then eat in front of the computer or TV or scattered in various rooms. Even before I decided to really simplify my life, this is one thing that was so important to me. Dinner is the time for the family to get together, enjoy good food and good conversation, and just be together.

So imagine how delighted I was to read about just this thing in a book called Morning Sun on a White Piano by Dr. Robin R. Meyers. Here is an excerpt:

For most of human history, people have scattered to make a living, and then huddled around a table to have a life. Through joy and sorrow they sat together--sometimes silently, sometimes with animated voices and boisterous laughter. But the making of a meal and the ritual of the table was the glue that stuck them together. Anyone who wishes to simplify her life, and to make sacramental moments out of ordinary time, cannot possibly ignore the finction of the table as both an anchor and a conduit.

October 24th is Take Back Your Time Day. The theme this year is Let's Get Back to the Table.
Take Back Your Time is an initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families relationships, our communities and our environment.

Some books about taking back your time and the importance of putting family and friends first.

Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family by Al & Tipper Gore
Putting Family First by William Doherty
Work to Live by Joe Robinson
Living Simply with Children by Marie Sherlock

If you need some recipes ideas or other suggestions on how to reincorporate this ancient ritual in your home, the site Together for Dinner provides lots of ideas.

I hope you have a lovely dinner!

"You'd lose your head if it weren't attached"

2006-10-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

I am constantly being told that. I am also constantly losing things. Now, I think that part of it is due simply to the amount of clutter in our apartment. 5 people in a little 2 bedroom apartment, along with a clutter problem, is a recipe for losing things.

But I think my problem is much more than that. Because I also lose things at work and other areas. My problem has more to do with the fact that, for years, I've gone through life on auto-pilot. Days and weeks pass by and seem to be a blur. I get up, do morning stuff, drive the kids to their schools, go to work, do errands, etc. But I don't really do any of it in a mindful, deliberate way. When I cook, I am also thinking about what I need to do the next day or trying to fix or clean something at the same time. When I am carrying something, I get distracted by something else, then set down the item and forget all about it (until I need it and have no idea where I left it). My mind is never on what I'm doing at the moment. I realized this morning that, if this continues, I may one day be an old woman and have absolutely no idea how I spent my life. Sad, huh? So, one of my goals is to live deliberately, to concentrate on what I'm doing, no matter how mundane the task or action. I want to evaluate what I decide to do with my time and then pay attention to how I'm spending that time. I don't want to be on auto-pilot anymore.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I have not lived.” - Henry David Thoroeau in Walden

Well, I may not be able to move to the woods (as much as I'd love to), but I also don't think that is necessary. If we simplify our life, get rid of extraneous junk, and concentrate and that which is truly important and that which brings us joy, and learn to live in the moment, we will be living deliberately. We will be aware of ourselves and our surroundings, we will take note of the texture of the things we touch, the smell of the odors around, the colors of the flowers and creatures we encounter. Then we won't look back and wonder where our life has gone.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” - Thoroeau

The Compact

2006-10-14T08:13:00.000-07:00

If you haven't yet heard of The Compact, you may want to check into it. It was started by a group of people in San Francisco whose aims were:

1) to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of U.S. consumer culture, to resist global corporatism, and to support local businesses, farms, etc. -- a step, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact

2) to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er)

3) to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

The main rules are:

First principle - don't buy new products of any kind (from stores, web sites, etc.)

Second principle - borrow or buy used.

A few exceptions - using the "fair and reasonable person" standard -- i.e., you'll know in your heart when you're rationalizing a violation:

food, drink, and necessary medicine (no elective treatments like Viagra or Botox)
necessary cleaning products, but not equipment (don't go out and buy the Dyson Animal, for example).
socks and underwear (utilitarian--non-couture or ornamental)

Some articles about The Compact:

Some resources to help with compacting:

Freecycle
Craig's List
Cheapcycle
Bookcrossing.com
Paperbackswap.com
Of course, local thrift shops, classified ads, etc

Thank you to Jenny for providing most of the material for this post!

More than enough

2006-10-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

There is very little that we actually need. That kind of sounds funny to me because just a couple of months ago, you could always hear me saying "I need to buy this" or "we need this for the kitchen" or "I need to get the kids some new clothes". I've definitely gone through a change these past few weeks.

So, as of today, I will officially begin the compacting journey. DH and I talked about it and he has agreed to commit himself as well.

Here is what we'll be doing:

Buy only what is truly needed
Buy nothing new, except for health & safety items
Borrow or barter before buying used
Prepare healthy, simple meals at home every day
Will completely eliminate processed foods and white sugar, white flour, etc
Will eat foods in their proper season and buy locally as much as possible
Use only cloth for napkins, "paper" towels, toilet tissue and feminine needs
Get rid of all clutter in our home and keep only what we truly need or find beautiful, always giving away whatever no longer brings us enjoy
Will seek free and simple family activities to bring us enjoyment
Unplug any appliances not in use and eliminate as many appliances as possible.
Learn to grow things like herbs and some vegetables in containers

Exception: I will allow for printing of photos, but only ones I've carefully chosen and have a particular use for. I will allow for limited tickets to events such as festivals or museums.

The Organic Myth?

2006-10-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

Pastoral ideals are getting trampled as organic food goes mass market

Wow! I have been trying to switch over to organic for as much food as I'm able to get. But this article is certainly eye-opening and not at all how I pictured the organic scene.

I suppose that the answer is to buy local, from people you can get to know and trust. But what if you don't find organic produce locally?

This is all so frustrating!

There's got to be a way...

2006-10-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

I read posts and blog entries about people living in a small space and making it beautiful, comfy, cozy. I get inspired, then, when I look at our apartment, I literally start to cry.

We are two adults and three children (13, 11, 8) in a small two bedroom apartment. All the kids are in one room and we are in the other. And all our stuff is just....there. I can't figure out how to make it pretty. I'm in the process of decluttering, which definitely helps, but I still can't figure out cute and functional ways to store the remaining stuff. I have no creativity in this area and its just getting me down. Is it just something you're either born with or you're not (the ability to make some living space into a simple, lovely home)?

There's got to be a way to do this, but I can't seem to figure out how!

Consumerism and traffic

2006-10-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

Today as I drove to pick up the kids from school, I did some thinking in traffic on the freeway. I was completely surrounded by tractor-trailers. They are always there, but usually I only peripherally notice them. Today they had my full attention. I felt the rumble as one would drive past me. I watched the black smoke come out as they drove. I slowed down as one would merge in front of me, then change lanes because I did not want my little car in between two of those big semis.

I was thinking about what those trucks haul. I'm sure a huge majority is just cargo to take to the stuff-marts, waiting for people to show up, buy junk they don't need, take it to their overstuffed homes, then perhaps one day end up at the landfill. What a waste! All the way around! And I have been more than guilty of participating in this cycle. But now, thinking about how nice it would be if everyone could be satisfied with just a little less. If only people would put less importance on their "stuff" and more importance on their relationships and on time to just sit and BE. How sad that those trucks, causing traffic and polluting our air, our hauling stuff that people will have to move around, clean, store, protect, apologize for, argue over. I don't pretend to think that all of it is useless junk, but I'm sure quite a bit of it is. That is really depressing.

The Library is just waaaay too expensive for me!

2006-10-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

Over the summer, I let the kids take out a bunch of books, and I took out quite a few as well. I guess we got lazy about returning them (and keeping them in one spot). So, back in July or August, we gathered up all the books (or so we thought) and returned them. There was one DVD (Great National Parks of America) that we couldn't find. Since I'm a wuss when it comes to talking to people I wrote a letter stating that we had lost it and that I would be more than happy to buy a new one. We dropped the books off and I figured I'd pay the late fee another time. So now that I'm getting into simplicity and more natural living, I decided to pay the fee and check some books out (since I'm trying not to purchase anything that I don't absolutely need).

Boy, was I surprised to see that my fine right now is $264.35!!! I am being charged $70.00 for one DVD that was returned and only costs maybe $20.00 new. And I am being charged $100.00 for the National Parks DVD!!!! Then, there are 3 books which they claim were not returned, but I'm pretty sure were returned with everything else. I wrote to the library to say that I admit its my fault and need to pay the late fees and replacement fee, but that this was excessive and there is no way I can pay it. I was told to contact the Circulation Supervisor, and I felt so embarassed talking to her. Anyway, she said that they will search for the books they still show out. I was transferred to AudioVisual, who told me that I must pay $57.00 for the DVD that I lost ($25.00 to replace it, $10 processing fee, and $22.00 late fee). I am so in tears right now.

Update:
Well, they found one book in the shelves that they had claimed was not returned, but did not find the other two. She put something in the system that stops fines from continuing to accrue and gives me 90 days to find the books. If they are not found, I will have to pay to replace the book, the processing fee, and the late fee. I will scour this place again, but I am so sure they were returned. Anyway, I ended up paying $124.64 for the other late fees and replacement cost of the DVD. I thought about just leaving it and not going back to the library. But, again, since I want to stop buying books, I really want to use the library more frequently (and carefully).

This is what I checked out today, after paying the fine:
Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan

For Packrats Only: How to clean up, clear out and dejunk your life forever by Don Aslett

The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life by Cecile Andrews

The Simple Living Guide: A Sourcebook for Less Stressful, More Joyful Living by Janet Luhrs

So far, I've only read a little of the Simple Living Guide, and it totally speaks to my spirit, to what I've been struggling with and needed to connect to. This book may, at some point, become one that I will end up purchasing for myself. But for now, I will be content with just checking it out from the library (and if I do buy it, it will be purchased used). Now, I need to come up with a system to make sure that library books are never lost and are always returned on time!

Here goes...

2006-10-05T13:23:00.000-07:00

Am I even brave enough to do this?

I'll give this blogging thing a shot.I've been thinking a lot the past few days about 'simplicity'. My mind and soul are craving a more 'simple' existence. I'm so fed up with my years of materialism and consumerism...buying junk I don't need and ending up with a lot of waste and feeling suffocated in my own home.

I am committed to not buying (or aquiring in other means) junk like I've been doing. But right now, I have to figure out what to do with what I've already got. Our apartment has stuff everywhere. And I want a clean, modern looking home, one in which I can feel relaxed, uncluttered, and productive.

Last night I started reading a book about clutter by Don Aslett. I've only read a few pages, but what I read really inspired me and made me realize how much I am a slave to my junk and that it really doesn't bring me any pleasure. I will keep reading and hopefully I'll get up the will do get it out of our apartment (and my mind).