Dear blog, I have not forsaken you

Actually I wrote a very nice post the other day, but then lost the whole thing when I got a "page not found" error. grrrr… anyway, not too much going on except work. I'm working so much that I don't want to wait to do things the ecologically friendly way – I want to just order some new furntiture from overstock.com and have it delivered! I'm trying to resist though.

I have been doing some crafting, at least. I am finally really learning how to knit, and finished my first item, a dishcloth, last week. It's too boring to post here, so I won't. I also made an oven mitt, from the Denyse Schmidt Quilts book, which despite all the mistakes I made (it's a learning process!) was a lot of fun, and now we don't have to use a towel anymore. Here's a pic:

the lining fabric was free from an online friend, the batting used for quilting was also free from friends who were moving and would have just thrown it away, and I think the outer fabrics were purchased at my local fabric store on super sale on remnants before it went out of business. They might be from Joann's though. Of course, I try not to shop at fabric stores anymore. (ongoing challenge!)

The Compact – a summary so far

I’ve bought new :
Denyse Schmidt Quilting book (paid for with a gift certificate)
a hanging sweater thing
2 suits for interviewing
1 shirt for interviewing
knee-high stockings for interviewing
2 pairs of socks (but they had books on them!)
a little bit of new exercise clothing (no way was I buying that used!)
3 new magazine subscriptions (Veg Times, Scaba Diving and Martha)

craft stuff (which is kind of excepted by The Compact)
new bamboo knitting needles
new embroidery hoop
new embroidery needles
new sewing machine needles
sewing patterns
new thread
E6000 glue

and the positive steps I’ve made: (not just for buying, but for reducing my ecological footprint)
- signed up for a CSA (organic and local fruits and veggies!)
- take showers and lower temperatures
- increased the bulk foods I buy and decreased canned and packaged
- increased the time in between shaves to decrease razor use
- buying more organic foods
- serving on the advisory board for an eco-fashion startup
- got a lot of stuff I needed via swaps, bought used, or given to me

Ok, I’ve still got a lot of room for improvement, mostly due to my own laziness, but I am happy with some of the key steps I’ve made. I have definitely been much more aware of how my purchases affect the planet and I am still continuing to improve. As my skills improve (sewing, fixing things, building, etc) I think I will be even more independent from stores. I think my lifestyle is becoming more closely aligned with my values, and that has made me happier.

At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again

I’m reading Walden, and that line from the first paragraph really sums up how I feel having moved back to the US after three years living in a poor developing country. I’m struck by how similar Walden is to Your Money Or Your Life, except YMoYL of course has a nine-step plan for how to live on your very own Walden. Thoreau is so sarcastic though! And his arrogance must have been quite annoying for those around him.

I first read Your Money or Your Life when I was abroad, and living a simple life, but now that I am again “in civilized life”, working too many hours and not spending enough time on what matters most to me, I really see how spot-on the book is about so many things. While I have managed to avoid buying lots of new clothes or spending money on pricey lunches for work, the mere fact that I spend so much time here makes me want to “treat” myself by buying things, or going out to dinner, coffee with friends, etc. And since I don’t have time to go thrifting, but I really need some new furniture, I have the urge to just buy it new, which is going against my semi-commitment of buying nothing new. I do have the attitude, “well I worked 11 hours today so it’s ok if I go out for a nice dinner”, even though the expense of that dinner isn’t in the budget, and I don’t want to trade that many hours of “life energy” for a meal. So I think I need to reread the book, and really follow the steps, calculating how much $1 is worth in terms of life energy, and analyzing my expenses to see if they really fit my values.

I don’t think I’m am enjoying the civilized life so much. I am really going to take steps to go back to a life of simplicity.