To expand on the 'ReUseIt' Challenge posed by Jill.. okay she talked about what SHE was doing.. I made it a CHALLENGE.. bc that's what I do. Blame my dad!
So we laid out the exception of running shoes and Jill mentioned something about undies... because REALLY you have to draw the line. I wanted to expand some more on the rules. I would love for people to jump in.. post on your blogs. Even if you commit to a day to day commitment or a month commitment. A week. Whatever you can handle. You never know who you might inspire or how it might unfold in your life. Link back here and let me know if you do your own post!
The RULES
Things you CAN buy new:
- running shoes
- underwear
- Personal care items: toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, shampoo, conditioner, um, LADY things (though I highly recommend the diva cup. I can't remember the last time I bought tampons)
- household items: laundry detergent, dish soap, dish washer detergent. I would recommend finding some earth friendly products in this category.
Such as:
- Shaklee - I use Shaklee cleaning products exlusively in my house. My mom is a distributor and she turned me on to the stuff. I think MY favorite thing is that ONE bottle of cleaner can do so many things AND lasts forever because it is concentrated and you mix it depending on what exactly you are doing. Windows vs counters, Floors, clothing... etc. One bottle to refill another means LESS bottles in the landfill. This makes me giddy! My second favorite part is that it is ALL unscented!
- food... obviously
- Bike Tires/tubes: We ride bikes... these things are important!
- Helmets: and any other thing that requires newness for the safety element. Should I happen to crash my bike again this year (knock on wood) I WILL buy a new helmet to protect my noggin'. Or should my kids outgrow theirs. A new helmet is non-negotiable!
So that's it. I'm happy to report that I was able to find some used gloves for my son the other day!!!! :) There is a store called Once Upon a Child here. It's national. Look it up and see if you have one in your town. What a fantastic idea. So many children's items are perfectly good when their time has expired in your life, but someone else is looking for. I know the Goodwill won't take a lot of children's items. Which I understand, but is quite unfortunate!
So, can you do this? For one day? One week? One month? What can YOU do! Look forward to some more posts to motivate you in the direction of seriously contemplating your purchases. The environment is in trouble no matter how much we try to ignore it. It's a big problem. While it is bigger than you and I... it needs to be solved and it STARTS with you and I!
I'm starting #therubbishdiet tomorrow, which is an eight week challenge. I'll be posting about it but I suspect it may be a lot like yours in getting me to think before buying. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMy sister-in-law got so much stuff from Once Upon A Child... many of the items had tags still on them. With her twins growing like weeds, it was the way to go. And she gave back by selling some of her stuff back! :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to hear all about this. And I kind of want to hear about the Diva Cup. Kind of. They contacted me a while ago to try it out and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Ugh... email me.
TOTALLY love this idea and have been implementing the idea in my life over the past couple years and have done quite well.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to "join" the challenge, but know it will be a week to week thing. Given that I'm knew to the tri world and making lots of changes lately I know I'm inevitably going to spend money...an aqua rack for my bike, tri shorts (I have the running bit covered!) Not to mention my garmin is on the fritz. (WTH!)Things like that.
As for D, well he likes to shop more than me. I'm going to tell him about this...alas, he makes his own decisions.
BUT, I'm going to use this challenge as a reminder to think twice before just buying things flippantly. I sometimes wish I lived in a larger city and had access to more resale shops. I have A Goodwill and Platos closet when it comes to resale. Nothing else.
I've tried making my own cleaning products and haven't had fantastic luck with them. They don't do as well. Never heard of Shaklee. Interesting. I've seen Ms. Meyers but tend to use 7th Generation most of the time...or Method.
I want a Diva Cup! Been eyeing one for awhile now. Bit confused on what size to get though. So much to spend to make a mistake. But definitely on my wishlist.
HOLY CRAP. Dude, you have to clue me into the "diva cup". I am scared. :) Maybe we need to be roommates again - too many of your good tips didn't rub off on me.
ReplyDelete:)
xo.
God do I have to do a whole post on the diva cup. Seriously ladies.. have you never heard of this thing? I LOVE IT1
ReplyDeletehttp://www.divacup.com/