My husband's 30th birthday was just this past Friday and we had a great time celebrating. However, I realized quickly after thinking of what I could get him for his birthday, that whatever I bought him would also have to come under the category of used.
Now most of the time it is not quite acceptable to give someone a used gift. I have always kept the tag attached to the gifts I've given (with the pricetag removed), so that if there was ever a doubt as to if the item was used, it would quickly be dispelled. So buying a used gift, even for my husband seemed a bit odd. I also didn't have much time, so I was a bit nervous that I would end up just buying him junk in place of a real gift. However, after thinking of the possibilities of what I might find, I got excited and headed with Ruth to the local thrift shop.
While we were driving to the shop I thought how it might be nice if I found a nice mug for Ian. He really likes coffee and we have only a few mugs, after selling most of ours prior to our move. I also thought, "wouldn't it be great if they had some sort of dad themed mug that Ruth could give him?" Although I knew that at second hand shops it is normally luck of the draw what you end up with, I still had hope.
As fate would have it, they did have a mug and wouldn't you know it was perfect! The mug was white with colorful lettering that said "world's greatest dad!" I picked it up right away and was really excited to see that it was only 50 cents! I do have to say, it was a bit odd picking up a mug that had originally been bought for another dad. However, it really is true, Ian is a wonderful dad!
Next, I looked at the sport coats. Ian has one that he wears quite frequently at school and has mentioned it would be nice to have a few more. There were some nice looking ones, however they were all X-L and certainly would not do. So, I kept looking around.
I soon came to the game isle and found two things that I thought would be great for Ian. One was an old Monopoly game. The box was a bit haggard, to say the least, but all of the pieces were there and it would still provide a fun night with friends or just the two of us. Then I found a plastic zip-lock bag which held 3 wooden peg games, along with the pegs and a pair of dice. Looking at this zip-lock bag I smiled thinking of Ian playing these games, trying to become the master of these simple, yet difficult to conquer games. One of them, which was shaped like a triangle and reminded me the most of the ones you see at Cracker Barrel, was called Bible I.Q. game and each peg had a bible verse written underneath it. I thought "what a great gadget for an Old Testament professor's desk!"
I also picked up a bundle of colored pencils, held together by by a rubber band, that were in quite good condition. They would be a necessary tool to make Ian's birthday card, since neither could I buy him a card, nor did I have any of my old art supplies (also sold in our move).
I headed to the counter happy with what I had found and sure Ian would enjoy the gifts. The cashier was busy with a lady looking at watches, so I looked around from the counter. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a silver pot on a metal frame. I knew right off the bat it was a fondue pot, something I was sure Ian would love. I walked over to have a better look and was surprised to note that it was also in very good shape. So, without hesitating, I picked it up and added it to my pile.
When everything had been rung up, the lady said "$7.10 is your total." I liked that, but also liked what I had gotten. For me, it was the best of both worlds.
When I got home, I wrapped Ian's gifts with birthday wrapping paper I had at the house and put some in used gift bags left over from Ruth's baby showers. Some of the tissue paper I found was pink, and the two bags I found were green and yellow. I even found yellow ribbon, which added a nice touch.
Ian and I ended up having a great time on his birthday and I think he enjoyed opening his gifts, which were probably more than he had received on his birthday in a long time. Our friends watched Ruth and we had a nice dinner out. Then we came back and enjoyed a very delicious chocolate fondue with bananas and strawberries.
I'd have to say, buying used for my husband's birthday was a success. Now I just have to see how I am going to swing it for two upcoming baby showers and two weddings. :)
Stay tuned.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Why I decided to buy used for a year
I have been asking myself a lot of questions lately regarding why I decided to take on this challenge. However, after thinking and writing some about these questions, I realized that I should first let you know what influenced me to buy used for a year.
Here is a brief synopses of how I came to make this decision.
About a month or two ago, our church held a meeting with the group called ACT Alberta (Action Coalition on human Trafficking in Alberta). It was a very informative meeting, although it was not the first time I had heard about human trafficking and the huge, largely unknown, problem that it is. As most people do, I came away from the evening, wondering where my part was in helping to stop this atrocity. And, while the majority of human trafficking is sexual trafficking, part of it is labor trafficking, something I might very well be contributing to.
That same evening, I was talking to a friend about how difficult it is to buy responsibly, as in fair trade, locally, etc... or just knowing exactly where and how the product was made. There are several reasons why I find this hard, but the biggest reason is, these products don't normally fit into my "thrifty mindset," since they are normally a bit more expensive. I understand why they are more expensive and I can respect that, however, like most people, I want and have come to expect cheap goods.
My friend's response to this, was that she has decided to buy all of her clothing used. Although she is not promoting companies that use ethical practices for the labor and distribution of their products, she is not contributing to practices of unethical companies either. I liked her reasoning and figured this was something I could commit to.
A few weeks later, my mom came for a visit and brought with her some magazines she had bought at the library. They were the library's old magazines and only cost her 10 cents each! My kind of deal and resourceful. Any how, I came across a great article that got me really excited. It was published in the Sept. 2009 issue of Good Housekeeping and is called Our Year without Shopping. It is about a family who decides to "...embark on an experiment: For 12 months we'd refuse to give in to these perpetual wants and purchase only edibles or depletables (things we used up, such as shampoo or gasoline)." This family decided to go almost completely purchaseless, as opposed to my decision to buy used. However, the seeds were being planted and I was getting excited about the possibility of trying it myself.
(Here is the article if you would like to read it) http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/money/budget/stop-shopping?click=main_sr
Along with these two very influential experiences, there were many other conversations, interactions, and readings that led me to finally decide I was going to bite the bullet.
Therefore, I decided to include the links to two blog posts that were influential in my deciding to buy used for a year. They are well written and certainly worth the read.
http://thevegases.blogspot.com/ --- posts Ash Wednesday and A Stirring
http://journeyjournals.blogspot.com/ --- posts Living Simply? and More on Living Simply
So there you have it. A look into what prompted me to buy used for a year.
More to come.
Here is a brief synopses of how I came to make this decision.
About a month or two ago, our church held a meeting with the group called ACT Alberta (Action Coalition on human Trafficking in Alberta). It was a very informative meeting, although it was not the first time I had heard about human trafficking and the huge, largely unknown, problem that it is. As most people do, I came away from the evening, wondering where my part was in helping to stop this atrocity. And, while the majority of human trafficking is sexual trafficking, part of it is labor trafficking, something I might very well be contributing to.
That same evening, I was talking to a friend about how difficult it is to buy responsibly, as in fair trade, locally, etc... or just knowing exactly where and how the product was made. There are several reasons why I find this hard, but the biggest reason is, these products don't normally fit into my "thrifty mindset," since they are normally a bit more expensive. I understand why they are more expensive and I can respect that, however, like most people, I want and have come to expect cheap goods.
My friend's response to this, was that she has decided to buy all of her clothing used. Although she is not promoting companies that use ethical practices for the labor and distribution of their products, she is not contributing to practices of unethical companies either. I liked her reasoning and figured this was something I could commit to.
A few weeks later, my mom came for a visit and brought with her some magazines she had bought at the library. They were the library's old magazines and only cost her 10 cents each! My kind of deal and resourceful. Any how, I came across a great article that got me really excited. It was published in the Sept. 2009 issue of Good Housekeeping and is called Our Year without Shopping. It is about a family who decides to "...embark on an experiment: For 12 months we'd refuse to give in to these perpetual wants and purchase only edibles or depletables (things we used up, such as shampoo or gasoline)." This family decided to go almost completely purchaseless, as opposed to my decision to buy used. However, the seeds were being planted and I was getting excited about the possibility of trying it myself.
(Here is the article if you would like to read it) http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/money/budget/stop-shopping?click=main_sr
Along with these two very influential experiences, there were many other conversations, interactions, and readings that led me to finally decide I was going to bite the bullet.
Therefore, I decided to include the links to two blog posts that were influential in my deciding to buy used for a year. They are well written and certainly worth the read.
http://thevegases.blogspot.com/ --- posts Ash Wednesday and A Stirring
http://journeyjournals.blogspot.com/ --- posts Living Simply? and More on Living Simply
So there you have it. A look into what prompted me to buy used for a year.
More to come.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Start to my "New Beginnings"
As you may have already seen on facebook, I recently posted that I have been thinking about not purchasing anything new for an entire year. I got a great response from people encouraging me to take on this challenge. Someone also suggested that I blog about my experience and others agreed. So, here it is. New Beginnings with Old stuff, a blog about my experience of going the year without "new".
For some basic rules, this is how I intend to live out my commitment for the next year.
As of today, March 30, 2011, I, Sally will try not to buy anything new for one whole calendar year. The purchases that I make have to be used. So, I will probably spend more time this year at Goodwill, at yard sales, or on used-stuff websites. On the flip side of buying used, I hope to make more use of the things that I already have and decrease buying all together. Excluded from the "new" list are any items that will be used up or consumed, such as gas, food, oil for the car, toilet paper, shampoo etc... I have also decided that I may purchase a service needed, such as, car repairs, a babysitter, etc... Although, I will try to make wise and resourceful decisions when buying anything this year, and hopefully always.
* I want to point out that I used the word try in the above paragraph, since I realize life is not always predictable. There may come a time when emergency calls for me to purchase something new for the safety of myself, my family, or someone else. I don't think it would be wise to refrain from such a purchase, just to save my pride. If something does need to be purchased that is new, I will be sure and post my purchase here. I am sure there are things that I have not thought of, but I guess that is where the challenge lies!
I will try to post every week about my progress, what thoughts I am having, and maybe something random here and there. Feel free to post any comments (although I will monitor the comments and will not post any inappropriate ones). I do want to hear from you, even if you disagree with me.
If you'd like to join me in this adventure, you are certainly more than welcome to do so. However, if you would just like to read of my journey, here is the place where you can do just that.
Wish me luck. Here's to New Beginnings with Old Stuff.
For some basic rules, this is how I intend to live out my commitment for the next year.
As of today, March 30, 2011, I, Sally will try not to buy anything new for one whole calendar year. The purchases that I make have to be used. So, I will probably spend more time this year at Goodwill, at yard sales, or on used-stuff websites. On the flip side of buying used, I hope to make more use of the things that I already have and decrease buying all together. Excluded from the "new" list are any items that will be used up or consumed, such as gas, food, oil for the car, toilet paper, shampoo etc... I have also decided that I may purchase a service needed, such as, car repairs, a babysitter, etc... Although, I will try to make wise and resourceful decisions when buying anything this year, and hopefully always.
* I want to point out that I used the word try in the above paragraph, since I realize life is not always predictable. There may come a time when emergency calls for me to purchase something new for the safety of myself, my family, or someone else. I don't think it would be wise to refrain from such a purchase, just to save my pride. If something does need to be purchased that is new, I will be sure and post my purchase here. I am sure there are things that I have not thought of, but I guess that is where the challenge lies!
I will try to post every week about my progress, what thoughts I am having, and maybe something random here and there. Feel free to post any comments (although I will monitor the comments and will not post any inappropriate ones). I do want to hear from you, even if you disagree with me.
If you'd like to join me in this adventure, you are certainly more than welcome to do so. However, if you would just like to read of my journey, here is the place where you can do just that.
Wish me luck. Here's to New Beginnings with Old Stuff.
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