Pretty much I'm just really sick of giving my husband's hard-earned money away carelessly, for crap stuff that falls apart in a week. I'm tired of giving money to corporations and megastores and people who don't share my values and, in doing so, perpetuating all that I think is wrong with the world. You hear the phrase "voting with dollars" a lot lately, and when you really think about it, it's exactly what we're doing. Even if you don't think so, every penny you spend is a choice, a vote of support. But what if before every purchase--even the tiny ones that seem not worth paying attention to--you asked yourself a bunch of questions about why you're doing it, is there someone else who I could give this money to instead and still get exactly what I want?
That sounds like it could tedious fast, and then you'd never buy anything just out of sheer dread of having to think so damned much about it. But then wouldn't that be great? To stop buying stuff without thinking? I mean really, you might end up with extra cash or something. What if all the money I mindless blow at Starbucks went into a savings account instead? Holy crap, I could go to Paris. Would I enjoy a trip to Paris more than a frickin latte every day? Yeah, I'll stew over that one and get back to you later.
So as it is now, I'm a total consumer whore, totally materialistic, constantly wanting stuff, constantly broke. I'll give myself a little credit, though, and say that in the past few years I've started thinking more about where I'm tossing money, and I've started caring a whole lot more about quality than quantity, and I'm willing to pay more for something well-made that will last. I've pretty much banned plastic in my house, except for things like, I don't know, hair clips and laundry baskets and pens. This is actually no small feat considering the fact that I have two small children. I really hate plastic. I never wanted my house to look like a daycare, and it doesn't. I'm totally proud of that. Instead, I buy the kids wood toys and I knit them things, and it all works out nicely.
Seriously, what if instead of buying the cheaper crap version of something, and then replacing it 5 times every time it breaks or falls apart, what if you just sprung for the more expensive higher quality version of the thing instead and then never had to think about it again? Or this way, we have a tendency to go out to nasty chain restaurants once in a while, have a mediocre meal, not enjoy it all that much. What if instead of doing that, we went out ONE time to some really good place that used better ingredients and didn't have a drive-thru window, and actually enjoyed the meal and felt good about spending the money?
There are so many reasons this sounds like a good idea, but honestly I just really want to feel good about where I'm spending money. Jake works hard for every penny of it, and I owe it to him to be conscious in spending it. I want to feel like every dime I spend is contributing toward making the world a better place, instead of just adding to the problem. I do realize that the best thing would be to not spend money at all, but right now I really needed stoppers for my kitchen sink drains, and while going without them would make life interesting, I don't see the point. I also intend to, you know, buy Christmas and birthday presents for people I care about. So, not spending money is not something I'm striving for, but thinking more about it is what I'm after.
As of now, I would say my goals for this blog are as follows:
*ask myself lots of questions before making any purchase (more on WHAT questions later)
*avoid giving my money chains and mega corporations
*find retailers/individuals who sell what I want/need and who also share my values (to be defined shortly)
*use our hard-earned money to the best possible advantage, both to our family and to society/planet
*bring only high-quality things into my home
*shed light on the operating practices and values of various companies--those I support and those I don't
*plan better, make more, think more, need less
*record packaging and shipping materials used by companies I buy from, then send them feedback as to better alternatives
*save money for our family's security, and travel
*prove you don't have to go to wal-mart for everything. Or anything. Ever.
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