The Things I Do for Free

Well, I'm really not allowed to spend money this month.  So far, it's been gas, groceries and a few pizzas from the Pizza Peel because I was too tired to cook dinner last night.  So that means only 1 thing: a super-easy-super-free Spring Break for the kiddos.

One simple way of being consumerism-free this week has been the child-care exchange.  A good friend of ours keeps our kids while we go to small group and we keep hers during school hours when he's on break. It is amazing that no money has to change hands and we simply get to meet one another's needs where they are.  The thought alone that she would keep my 2 wild ones, for no pay, during breakdown time is phenomenal.

Another way is the activities we have chosen.  Feeling a need to guard myself from a house full of restless toddler/preschoolers, I checked my favorite site, Charlotte on the Cheap to see what all was going on this week.  We found that:

On Tuesday, Ben and Jerry's was hosting a "Free Scoop Day" 12pm-8pm.  And yes, we did arrive at 11:45am, eager for our share.  The kids were stoked and so was I.  I even met a mother who told me her 2 sons were only allowed 1 hour there and at 12:20 when we left, were on scoop #5.  I kid you not.  But, in the spirit of things, we moved on after having only what we needed.  (And we all really really need some ice cream from time to time).

We also spent the earlier part of the morning dying eggs.  As opposed to another PAS egg dye kit, we chose to use what we had: water, vinegar and food coloring (which we only use on super special occasions!). 

EGG DYE:

1 cup white/apple cider vinegar (we buy white in bulk and use for cleaning and other projects)

1 1/2 teaspoon (or more) food coloring

1 1/2 cup hot water

 The eggs we dyed came from our chickens and numbered 17 total!  We had no need to rush to Food Lion and grab some eggs and a dye kit that greeted us as we entered the door.  Instead, we learned a lesson in resourcefulness (though the resourcefulness of dying food for decoration is debatable) and utilized what we already had in abundance.  And, I dare say, they turned out beautifully.

And now, let's talk about all you see in this picture.  The eggs are sitting atop paper strips from an encyclopedia picked up at Free Store Charlotte, which was obviously free.  The chairs are also from the Free Store last year and cost $2 each.  I vowed not to buy dining room chairs unless they were  under $5/each.  I painted them finally and there they are.  The table cloth (bed sheet) and 2 blue mason jars came from Value Village, totaling $5, and the glass dish was given to me by my mother, because she has a tendency to remind me of my need as a woman for such dainty things.

On Wednesday, we found an Easter Egg hunt at the Harris YMCA which also was free to both members and non members.  The kids enjoyed a picnic lunch ( complete with dumpstered grapes and handmade cloth napkins from Olive O Home ) and some fun time running around.

Please don't get me wrong: This is not a "look what I can do" as much as it is "Look what we all can do".  In our preschool handbook last year, there was a page that said that as a family, get in the habit of going places without spending money and not letting each outing be contingent on what you would purchase.  That honestly took me a while to get my head around.  BUT... it can be done.  It should be done.  Maybe today or tomorrow, reconsider one thing or outing you think you need.  Odds are, you'll be excited about what other creative solutions you can come up with!  

Anti-Consumerism April: Round 2: FIGHT!

This is it.  Year 2 of Anti-Consumerism April.  I'm still trying to wrap my head around what this should look like for me.  Last year, I said I could buy nothing new.  This year, I'm saying nothing at all.  From now until the end of the month.  No new shoes, clothes, craft stuffs... nothin'.  And let's be clear: last year I was not successful.  So, I'm pullin' myself up by my bootstraps and am making it happen.

One way I "celebrated" today, just to ring it all in, was making my second and third batches of homemade cleaning supplies.  That's one way to be mindful.  (I wanted to say "one way to stick it to the man" but decided to be a tad bit more positive, and to let this be about personal mindfulness, and not all the negativity that I want so badly to fight).  I've been hoping that, instead of being so ANTI this-or-that, I would be PRO-something, so as to send some more positive energy out.  Kind of like the concept of instead of being "anti-war, be pro-peace".

So, here are a few EASY recipes you can use to try to consume less corporate products and things that are down-right bad for you and the earth.

Laundry Powder:
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
1 Bar Soap, finely grated

Mix all three ingredients and viola! Use 1 tablespoon/load.  It should last about 48 loads.

Now the funny thing, is that to make this, I had to use *gasp* corporate products.  But the beauty of it is that I am able to use far less.  A box of borax will yield up to 10-12 laundry mixes, and the washing soda up to 10.

Dishwasher Powder:
1 Cup Borax
1 Cup Washing Soda
1 Cup Kosher Salt

Mix all three ingredients and, again, viola!  Use 1 tablespoon/load and it will yield about 48 loads.

Part of the cool thing about this is that you can make really neat hostess gifts (for those of you, like my mother, who feel this sort of thing necessary), wedding shower gifts or any other type of gift.  Whip it all up, throw it in a mason jar (which you can very easily find 2nd hand), put some ribbon and fabric on it and you have created a thoughtful and mindful gift.

I made both of these with my kids today and put the finished product in reusable containers.  Don't get me wrong: I'm not necessarily trying to be "green" or any of the other things that go along with this type of behavior.  What I am trying to do, however, is rethink my buying habits and what my buying habits teach my kids.  It feels really good to be truly involved in my daily experience, as opposed to buying in to what a commercial tells me I need to buy and what needs to go with what I just bought and where to buy it again.

This month, I hope to think through my buying habits with food, gas, items for my children and home, and anything else I find myself pulling out my 6 square inches of plastic for on a daily basis.  If you've got any ideas, let me know.  In the words of some show my kids watch on PBS "The more you know, the more you grow."