Choosing Your Life

We have grown literally afraid to be poor. We despise anyone who elects to be poor in order to simplify and save his inner life. If he does not join the general scramble and pant with the money-making street, we deem him spiritless and lacking in ambition.

~William James

Collaborative Consumption & The Power of The Internet

One of the ways I've been able to fit into a 625 square foot apartment comfortably with a child is by owning less stuff. But, sometimes, I still need that stuff. Enter the idea of collaborative consumption. Instead of everyone on the block each owning a lawnmower we own one in common and take turns sharing. It isn't as convenient as having your own everything, but, with the right sharers it can be pretty easy and save you thousands of dollars a year.

Here are some places that can help you get started on your free/cheap/barter journey:

ThredUp - Instead of buying new or saving your old clothes for your next baby try this website. You can swap clothes and toys with other moms online avoiding the need to store unused stuff in your house.

BabyPlays - This is a toy rental service similar to Netflix. For a monthly fee you can rent toys and return them when your kids get tired of playing with them. Great way to avoid having a bunch of outgrown toys laying around.

Kid-to-Kid - Find a children's consignment store in your area. I love this particular chain because the quality is pretty consistent no matter where you go.

PaperbackSwap - I've been a member of this website, and its sister site SwapaDVD, for years and I love it. Great way to get rid of books or movies you don't like and don't anticipate using again.

Hulu - This is by far my favorite website to watch free TV and movies online. My kid loves old cartoons from the 80's, they've got plenty of full series available there, and I love cheesy sci-fi -- which they've got in abundance. They also have a Hulu+ subscription service which offers access to some popular TV shows and movies that aren't streaming for free.

Freecycle - If you haven't heard of this you're missing out bigtime. Have something you want to get rid of but don't think you can sell? Try Freecycle, there's sure to be someone looking to turn your trash into their treasure.

Project Gutenberg - I'm slowly switching over to ebooks and this website is one of my favorites for downloading free literature. You can read them on your smartphone, tablet, ebook reader, laptop, desktop or iPod.

Skype - The best thing ever for free video calls around the world. Great for folks (like me) who live hundreds of miles away from the grandparents.

Zipcar - This is the nationwide carsharing service run by Hertz, but if you're looking for something a little less corporate just google "carsharing" and your city and to find out who's got what.

The Sharehood - A great website for connecting with people in your neighborhood who are also interested in sharing stuff.

BarterQuest - Got something (a skill or an item) to share and you know what -- not how much $ -- you want in exchange? Check out this website for peer to peer bartering opportunities.

Peer to Peer Lending - I love this idea. For when you need cash, but don't want to deal with a nameless faceless banking institution. Put a borrower profile up on one of these sites and make a connection with someone who wants to help. Zopa, Lending Club, and Prosper.

If you have any more resources please leave them in the comments.

Namaste,
Ani

Finding the Right Friends

Friends do not live in harmony, merely, as some say, but in melody.

~Henry David Thoreau

I made a new friend last month.

A single mom, like me. Who unschools her kids, like I do. Who only serves healthy organic meals, me too. Who went against to grain and her family to create the life she wanted for her and her kids, me too. She herself is the child of a mestizo dad and a black American mom, same here.

It is so refreshing to sit and talk with someone who agrees with me. Who wants the same things out of life as I do. Who is just like me in so many ways.

We take our kids to the park, on walks and to the movies. We do bubbles and picnics and sidewalk chalk. We read books, practice writing and play pretend, all together.

No arguing.

No convincing.

No defensiveness.

When you're not doing things the 'normal' way it can be hard to socialize at times, maybe your kid is the only one who doesn't eat hotdogs or doesn't have a TV at home. Finding people who agree with you can validate your life choices and give you some easy companionship with a like minded soul.

It's nice.


Namaste,
Ani

Taking a Break From Consumerism: April 10th

Here is my "Taking a Break From Consumerism" update for this week.

$1.75 Bus Fare
$18.77 Food Costs

I didn't realize until last night that I really hadn't spent much last week. We took the bus home from the park on Thursday & had a 'pizza party' Saturday night with a few friends.

If you're participating feel free to post your week one results in the comments section, or link up to your blog post with you results.

Namaste,
Ani

Taking a Break From Consumerism

I noticed today that we rarely buy things that aren't consumable. By that I mean things like food, personal care & cleaning supplies.


I didn't do it on purpose. After getting rid of my television my purchasing habits changed dramatically, probably because we're exposed to less advertising.


I've learned that many of the things I used to buy regularly, cool toys or new household items, just aren't necessary and only tend to create clutter.


I'm committed to only buying things we consume and/or run out of for the month of April. I'd love for you to join me.


Namaste,
Ani

Carfree Living & Groceries

Spring is finally here & we've made it through our first winter completely carfree. Being a SAHM living a a very walkable (sidewalks), bike-able (bike lanes) & transit (bus/lightrail) friendly area made it pretty easy. In fact, the only time I really noticed not having a car was when we needed to stock up on heavy groceries.

This is how we managed:

Use a cart/stroller --- I have a double stroller (that I use for walks to the park when babysitting), I just load it up with canned goods, flour & oil and go on my merry way. I've also seen neighbors with bike trailers (the kind that kids ride in) use them for towing heavy loads.

Use a delivery service --- Some of the local grocery stores still offer delivery service (Lowes Foods in Charlotte does) and I've also used a weekly produce delivery service (Absolute Organics in Charlotte).

Go several times a week --- We're vegan and our diet is mostly fresh organic produce, which means we travel to the store/farmers market every few days to stock up. The load is light and I usually just carry a re-usable grocery bag.

Rent/borrow a car for a monthly stock up of staples --- I also have friends who drive, so if I need to transport large amounts of flour, beans, or canned foods I ask one of them to take me. You can also rent a car for the day (and get any other errands done) or look into a car sharing service. I'd like to organize one in Charlotte, so please conact me if you're interested.

You can also purchase items from websites like drugstore.com (where I get all of my soap, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.) or netgrocer.com.


Namaste,
Ani

Why I Will Never Let Go of Books

I love to read. Growing up I spent nearly all of my spare time curled up in the corner of my bed with a good book. My parents were also avid readers and the walls of our house were lined with bookshelves. Something about books just makes a house feel like a home to me.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”

 ~William Morris

Though not strictly utilitarian, books are both useful & beautiful to me. Thats's the reason I'll never let them go.


Namaste,
Ani

Why We Simplified Our Eating Habits

Who hasn't gone to the back of a prepackaged food item to check the ingredients only to be confronted by something that looks like this.

That, my friends, is a package of plain bread crumbs.

I don't know about you, but when I bake bread this is what I put into it:

-- Water

-- Sugar

-- Salt

-- Vinegar

-- Vegetable oil

-- Flour

-- Yeast

Those additional hard to identify and even harder to pronounce ingredients inspired me to simplify our eating habits. In a big way.

We dropped the meat, fish & chicken and moved to a mostly organic whole food diet. I feel much better about what I'm feeding myself and my son.

Here are a few reasons you may want to simplify your eating habits as well:

1. It's better for your health -- A diet rich in vegetables, beans and grains is great for your health. You end up eating more vegetables to feel full and reap the benefits of naturally present nutrients & fibers that are often processed out of convenience food. Ever notice how the oldest people in the world tend to be farmers or fishers? Most likely their diets, rich in fresh unprocessed foods, contribute greatly to their longevity
2. It's better for the environment -- Eating locally farmed fresh food decreases the amount of fuel used for transport and avoids driving up prices in food producing areas in a way that may negatively affect the local environment.
3. It's cheaper -- Buying flour, cornmeal, sugar, oil, beans and vegetables and preparing them yourself is way cheaper than buying convenience foods or meat. Try buying foods with less than three ingredients for a week and see how much money you save!
4. It just tastes better -- I love freshly prepared foods. Vegetables that are still crisp, not canned and soggy, and freshly baked bread. Quality ingredients produce a quality product. After eating 'clean' for a few weeks I was able to really enjoy the natural flavors in food and as a result I enjoy eating more than ever.
5. It's an enjoyable family bonding experience -- I love to get in the kitchen and cook with my son. He runs and gets his apron and his stool and is always eager to help out. He asks questions about what is going into his meal & why. Plus, any time your kids spend with you, learning from you, is time that they aren't spending being influenced by the media, in ways you may or may not approve of.