I was looking for a creative name for this post, but my brain offered nothing. So, The Friday Post it is. A couple of years ago, I wrote more personal posts on Fridays. They were mostly lists of interesting articles and such that didn’t fit in a full blog post but were potentially relevant to our readers. I am resurrecting this series since I keep thinking of little things I want to share.
(This post contains affiliate links.)
First, life is returning to normal since we said goodbye to our exchange student from Japan. We all fell in love with that kid, and it was hard to send him home. Here is a treasured photo from his visit. He had never swum in a lake before.
Yes, the water was freezing!
Next:
My favorite drain-cleaning tool
***
If you did not read this week’s post about possibly painting our giant front door, I recommend that you take a look. The comments from our readers on that post are educational gold. If you find yourself struggling with the decision of painting vs. staining from a preservationist point of view, their comments may help you move forward with your project.
***
This converted schoolhouse in New Hampshire might be the house of your dreams, and it’s for sale.
For details contact Kathy Beaman at The Beaman Group.
***
Here are three of my favorite Instagram accounts:
- The Victorian Farmhouse – Travis and Stephanie live in an 1892 Victorian Farmhouse in Wisconsin.
- Old Silver Shed – Pure eye candy of Sandra’s home on Cape Cod
- Floret Flower – I dream of growing beautiful flowers and creating stunning bouquets. Instead, I plant perennials in all the wrong places, creating more work for myself year-to-year.
Image Credit: Floret Flower
***
Lastly, are you an NPR listener like I am? Yesterday’s On Point episode was titled The Link Between Online Shopping And Hoarding. (Oh the irony of including an affiliate link in this post!) As a blogger, shopping is a topic continually on my mind. In my writing here, I try to strike a balance between promoting consumerism and helping readers find quality or interesting products. Most of us are not wholly altruistic, after all. In my parenting life, it is my job to help my children understand the difference between wants and needs. It’s a work-in-progress.
Alana Semuels, staff writer for The Atlantic, was one of the special guests. Her article We Are All Accumulating Mountains of Things, was referenced throughout the program. It’s worth a read. Another critical voice in this episode was William Rogers, president and CEO of Goodwill, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin in California. As a devoted thrift shopper and donor, I was very interested in what he had to say–specifically, do they get too many donations, and what happens to the items they do not sell? The short answer is that Goodwill is so much more than a thrift store. Yay!
My favorite thrift store find: It was only $10!
If you are not familiar with On Point, during the show, the host invites callers to voice their opinion about the topic. While the facts don’t lie, people are overspending and overbuying, (drunk shopping, anyone?) several callers brought up excellent counter-points. One commented that online shopping had fine-tuned their shopping process. They are no longer wasting time hitting several stores for one item. Along this same vein, one caller brought up that sending one truck to deliver hundreds of boxes is better for the environment than hundreds of individual cars pumping their emissions into the air for a single shopping trip. Rural residents also called to remind listeners that not everyone can buy what they need right around the corner. You can listen to the entire episode here: On Point
Let’s discuss: Has online shopping increased your consumerism or the opposite? How do you shop on the whole? Online or brick-and-mortar stores? Can online shopping and the Shop Local movement coexist?
10 Comments
Ryan
It is way too easy to buy everything I want online. It is totally convenient and I love that it makes items accessible to a wider audience and that I don’t have to check a bunch of stores looking for something specific. But I have too much stuff and it’s so easy to fill up my Amazon cart with things that I see recommended or that I think, “oh, that would be handy” and then next thing you know I’ve spent another $100. I don’t really need new cake pans or a new moth trap or another pair of shoes.
I’ve been working lately on trying to both clear my home of stuff and reset my internal “needs”. I want to be more free from want because I know there will always be something pretty, or handy, or new and I can’t own all of it. And possessing it will not make my life significantly happier. Maybe for a second but that will wear off. I want to be content with what I have. Granted I also want to finish renovating my kitchen and put in a dishwasher. So after that I want to be content with what I have. 🙂
Stacy
Interestingly enough, one technique for cutting down on buying is to put things that you want in your shopping cart (in the store or online), have fun daydreaming about the items, and then empty your cart. Doing this pretty much cured my impulse buying. I would go to Target, put whatever caught my eye into the cart, and then one-by-one talk myself out of the item and put it back where it belonged.
If you have a chance to listen to the On Point podcast, I think you might like it. April Lane Benson, who is a psychologist who specializes in helping people who are compulsive shoppers and one of the featured guests on the show, suggests asking yourself these six questions before you buy something:
1. Why am I here?
2. How do I feel?
3. Do I need this?
4. What if I wait?
5. Where will I put this?
6. How will I pay for it?
As for your dilemma about wanting to be content but still wanting a dishwasher, I get it. I’m sure many people can relate. In our house, it seems that high-ticket items that we have dreamed about and saved for offer the most long-term happiness. Perhaps that will be the case when you finally get to renovate your kitchen.
Thank you for weighing in on this topic.
Vanessa
Joanna at Jojotastic was just discussing shopping at https://jojotastic.com/2018/08/01/update-2-about-my-no-shopping-challenge (I don’t know if that will work but I tried). There is an emotional component that needs to be addressed if the behavior is to be changed. I personally think that shopping creates a huge burden on the earth, and yet I still do some myself. I have read with interest over the years, all of the writers who mention the Konmari method and “wow isn’t my closet clean now,” but I always wonder if they know their cast-offs end up being another form of pollution that they are responsible for?
Stacy
Wow! She is really struggling, and I appreciate her honesty. Thanks for the link.
I’m with you about the concern of the environmental impact of decluttering. However, my thought is that although I wish people hadn’t gotten themselves in that situation in the first place, if they can keep from repeating their mistakes, the purge of surplus goods is a positive thing. When people get in a cycle of overbuying and purging to assuage the guilt or keep things tidy, the problem is still there, but the consumer isn’t staring at it anymore.
I also urge people to find organizations that will reuse or recycle their second-hand goods. It takes extra time, but it keeps serviceable or toxic items out of the landfills.
I think you and I are kindred spirits, Vanessa.
Vanessa
You mean like Diana Barry and Anne Shirley?! Yup.
My oldest son works at Goodwill and I am so happy with the lessons it provides him, although they may not be the exact lessons I have in mind (you should see his room – it’s filled with little things). He is the guy who helps people unload, then he sorts, tests all the electronics and prices items some days. I do know none of the items are as appealing as when he started a year ago. I also think he can see that there is a problem out there. We have always shopped the thrifts so this job really fit in well with that.
Stacy
I do mean like Diana Barry and Anne Shirley. 😉
Thanks for coming back to post about your son’s job with Goodwill. It is so interesting to read about someone who has first-hand experience working there.
Devyn
I have never drunk shopped my entire life… Ever ?
Although it seems I have won a few eBay auctions after having only a vague memory of bidding. Fortunately, nothing regrettable.
Nor have I ever drunk commented… Ever ?
I have a love/hate relationship with Amazon. We rely upon it more than we should. I love that I can order, and have things delivered in two days that are nearly impossible to obtain locally. At the same time, I feel guilty for the amount of cardboard we put in the recycle bin. But we both treasure the amount of time saved not having to schlepp all over town to find something.
[For the record, I am completely sober at the time of this comment, however I plan to head to the kitchen for a glass of wine as soon as I click the Post Comment button.]
Stacy
Omgosh, Devyn, your comments made me laugh. I have a friend who is always talking about drunk shopping. I think the most hilarious item she ever bought was a Star Wars print dress. She swore she would wear it to work. She works at a large health insurance company not a Think Geek retail store.
It is interesting that you mentioned cardboard. There has been some recent research on that, referenced in the podcast I linked, and it looks like online shopping is not creating more cardboard waste. Everything you buy at the store arrived there in boxes and packaging. The difference is that shoppers at home are responsible for disposing of the box instead of the store. I’m not trying to be your enabler or anything, but I thought it was a point worth considering. 🙂 I cannot cite a more definitive source for this information, but I’ll be keeping my eyes open for current data.
Hope the wine was delicious!
Holly
Amazon for the win! (At least most of the time.) I LOVE finding THE BEST of anything–it’s like a conquest. I want to know I’m using the best product at the right price point (La Mer might work wonders for celebrities’ skin, but at $200 a jar, I’m not buying it! Current research project: best anti-aging skin cream…it’s never too early to start!)
Let’s see. My shopping habits have definitely changed related to the invention of Amazon and my available time. I’ve started spending less and less time shopping in stores, mostly because I don’t want to drive 20-25 minutes each way when I could find something in town or online. Basicaly, if I can’t find it at the co-op or Amazon, I’ve changed my brand.
In terms of materialism/consumerism, I can definitely relate. My love language is gifts and I love ‘stuff.’ I love shoes and bags and stationery, and have more of each than any girl should have. BUT, I actually use just about all of it, and if I don’t use it, I consign or donate it. I like to have the proper tool for the job (whether it’s a fresh sharpie or sunglasses that don’t fall off my face while running), and try to take good care of my things so I don’t have to waste money replacing them. I go through our entire house multiple times a year to weed out items we’re not using. I’d rather bless someone else with it than have it collect dust! Thirteen-year-old wedding dress, anyone??
In fact, I just ordered another pair of Chaco sandals online, after price-shopping to ensure I got the best deal. I *might* have been able to find them locally (i.e. the Galleria Mall or the Northtowns), but I didn’t want to waste my time and gas driving all over and still not find the correct style/size. I’d wanted this particular pair for a couple years (long story–the hubs talked me into a different style when I purchased my first pair, and while I love the ones I got, I regretted not getting the original ones I wanted) and I was recently on TWO trips in which this particular pair would have been a critical footwear choice (ocean kayaking and torrential rains while sightseeing), see ‘right tool for the job,’ above. So, even though I strive for minimalism yet just bought ANOTHER pair of shoes. I’m clearly a work in progress!
Stacy
Now that I know that you get rid of so many things, I have an important question: What size shoes do you wear? 😀
You do like the best of everything, and it is not a bad thing to buy quality. You absolutely take good care of your things too. I guess I struggle a little with the idea that as long as decluttering happens, it’s all good. Just because an item isn’t around anymore doesn’t mean it never happened. Minimalism could be interpreted more than one way, but in my world, it is less stuff overall, not just less stuff all around me.
You have a generous spirit, Holly, and I admire that in you. It is clear that your love language is gifts, and your friends benefit from that. <3