Happy No New Stuff Year - The support thread for those flying in the face of consumerism!

[WewishyouaBUMPERLICIOUS]

My husband and I have set ourselves a challenge of not buying any new stuff for 6 months. Obvious exceptions are food, cleaning products and toiletries. Also outside of the rules are items that it would be detrimental to buy second hand for my 6mo baby, i.e. cot mattress, dummies etc.

I posted about this a couple of months ago, and have also noticed some posts on the style and beauty threads proposing the same thing. So this is the thread for those who want to join this challenge in some way, whether it be just buying no new clothes, buying nothing new at all, buying nothing at all, buying only second hand etc. Our motivation are different, for some it will be saving money (me), for others it may be flying in the face of rampant consumerism (me) and for others is may be trying to mitigate their impact upon the environment and in protest against the poorly treated workers producing the dirt cheap goods we come to expect today (also me!).

This thread could be invaluable support, with links to various recycling websites, tips on altering your clothes to liven up your wardrobe, advice to stop yourself frittering money on non-fat lattes and a pain au chocolate each day on the way to work and support to tell you "no you don't need a new lipstick - here's how to make your own!"

So come one come all: I dare you to set yourself this challenge and not buy anything new for as long as possible!

Message withdrawn

sling porn

button porn

pruni

you could knit with them

if I had lots and lots of nice beads, I think I'd actually bung them in kilner jars and just use them as decoration until inspirations struck, tbh

I do actually do that with yarn, and needles (well they cost enough, am needle harlot)

and also, I suspect, will be doing it with buttons...

Message withdrawn

I bought a diet book this week . Justified it by thinking about all the cakes and pies I won't be buying from now on .

I have been reading all the posts on car angst and I really think you are beating yourselves up needlessly. Particularly since this country seems to be singularly rubbish at setting up any kind of sensible school bus system. As a (half-) American, I'm not much for touting that country's superiority (I did choose to live in the U.K. after all!) but the school bus system is one thing they've got right over there.

If your situation demands using the car then do it, and find other ways of being frugal, economically or environmentally. Out here in the sticks I have a car (sort of, I don't know, my car situation is very complicated and is either more or less sustainable than being a normal car-owning citizen) but last night, for example I had pork for dinner that had travelled about 1 1/2 food miles from my sil's house (via the abbatoir!)-- not something I could ever claim when I lived in London, but then there I cycled to work.

I'm also uncomfortable with the way that women, and particularly mums seem to have to shoulder a disproportionate burden in the environmental arena. Like, whenever cars are mentioned, it's always the London mums on the school run in their Chelsea tractors who are trotted out. No-one ever considers those women's husbands, who are most likely commuting to the city every day in sports cars.

Of course we should all try to do our bit, but realistically, mums on school runs are a drop in the environmental bucket, compared to industry, transport and freight.

Hey, I was just banging on at DH yesterday, saying he MUST lobby his (huge) company to get them to send busses out in the mornings to pick up the employees (there are 11,000 of them in our city, and they all drive to work!!!). And he said yes, the company might do it because they will get carbon rebates or some such. So He is going to write a letter.

It is madness isn't it, that these very simple, cheap things aren't happening.

feck me they should do that at dp's work, really. They are one of the biggest employers locally, it must be something like that. Also they are one of about 3 civil service buildings on site-include all of the workers at all of them and the numbers are HUGE.

They DO have a subsidised bus scheme, but see below re 3 hour commute .

The commute has actually got much, much worse. We bought where we are now to be near the bus route, and at that point dp could do it in 1.5 hours a day, which we thought ok to avoid having to have a car. And he got to read and so forth on the bus.

But 3 hours is just bloody STUPID. We really are being forced into buying a car by crappy public transport. The routes are even THERE, its daft things like not having enough buses at busy times.

(oh and also having 3 kids...I mean, I do feel it was our choice, at least kind of, to have 3 kids, and that that ISN'T a very environmentlaly responsible thing to do...)

So stacey? how d'ya do?

But if you raise environmentally responsible kids Filly, think of their influence in the world!

3 hour commute is absolute madness. That can't be good for your family. When is no. 3 due?

soon!

I have about 4 official due dates, the last of them is 6 feb.

Filly i have three as well and justify that by bringing them up to be as eco conscious as possible,if they then lecture persuade others to be as green as possible it all evens out.

plus i love them so much that i can't imagine not having any of them about. four though

my kids are already eco bores, they get VERY irate if someone puts the wrong type of plastic in the wrong bin

unfortuantely, the person doing this is usually me

I went today to our local Supershed, which takes all the stuff from the dump that is saleable and sells it on. I counted 40 ironing boards, over 100 of those squeezy mop things minus the actual mop bit, 30 computer scanners, around 200 round glass microwave trays, 50 books that were all the same and the publisher was obviously going to landfill rather than recycle

Must have been 200 unloved softtoys - now all washed and sealed in plastic bags.

I just felt so sad that people must have thought they wanted/needed these things when they bought them and then just sent them to the tip when the next shiny one was on special. My MIL still has the same mop handle she has always has, and just buys a new mop head. All most of the ironing boards needed was a new cover - but it's probably just cheaper to buy the whole thing again.

Anyway a trip there was enough to put me off buying things for a while.

That Supershed sounds hoobily-groovily (sorry, have been watching the Hoobs with LO). But I agree how annoying it is when people just throw out stuff for no good reason. I'm sure I have done in the past, but now I really try to avoid throwing stuff out other than real, actual rubbish.

Filly! [tenterhooks] Anyway, I see we are now worrying about having too many children! I couldn't believe it a few months ago when some think-tank type announced that it was environmentally irresponsible to have lots of children. Who does he think is going to pay for his pension? Hmm?? (cf mbitg mothers bear brunt of environmental guilt rant below.)

I know what you mean about the dump 20p; what always gets me are all the kitchen and bathroom fittings; one I went to recently literally had a hillock of white porcelain, mostly perfectly usable as far as I could see.

Further to my shoe dilemma, I had a brainwave and thought I'd just see if I could find a foot measurer on ebay and then I could just measure dd's feet myself and buy used shoes for her. Well I found one, but... (For those of you disinclined to click on the link, it went for £80 )

I had another brainwave (I'm just full of them) about the liquid hand soap thing from a while back. A few months ago I went to a Pampered Chef party [hawk, spit] and saw a bottle that you fill with a little bit of liquid soap and water and it produces a foam similar to those kandoo hand soaps and apparently makes it last much longer. I don't have one so can't vouch for it but a couple of the other ladies were raving about them. Though they were probably bribed by the Pampered Chef rep. (Hmm, I just did a quick search on ebay to see if there was one on there and there is absolutely masses of PC stuff, casualties, no doubt, of many a white wine-fuelled chequebook opening, sorely regretted the next morning.)

Feeling really guilty. Have fallen off the non-shopping wagon big-time. DS is having a cooking party and the guests will take home biscuits they have iced themselves instead of party bags (which I never do anyway on principle). But in a moment of weakness today I ordered some aprons and fabric pens for them to decorate at the party too.

I know I should be making the aprons myself out of old sheets. Not exactly overwhemlmed with work at the moment so can't use that as an excuse. Oh dear.

mybabysinthegarden

I bought a very cheap shoe measuring guage from vertbaudet. For summer sandals I find that the 2 velcro strap style fits most kids and it's dead easy to see if you have the right size!

Measuring the length of your dd's foot yourself with a piece of paper and a ruler and then measuring the footbed of the shoe is probably a better guide than the measuring guage and cheaper too - and no need to find a place to store the guage!

Hey can i join please??Only just found this thread as I am off sick with flu so have spent lots of time today on computer as just starting to feel better!
I love the idea of this - for all sorts of reasons. I am going on mat leave prob end-April - expecting 2nd baby in July. DH and I are 'working towards' me not having to go back to work this time, as I am mighty fed up with long commute and stress, and just feeling so, so run down and tired.But this does mean we have to learn to manage on quite a bit less - especially as we moved house last autumn and so mortgage has gone up!
The one major thing we are considering is getting rid of our car. At the mo, I use it for work, DH is happy on the bus or bike when weather good. We are an easy walk away from town centre. And then I use it for things like toddler groups, socialising. In principle, I like the idea of getting rid of it and joining our local car club - the car for this is at the end of our road.It would save us about £200 per month if you factor in insurance etc - not sure of exact car club costs, but maybe would be very roughly around £50 a month if we used it once a week or for longer trips. My big question is what about 'emergency / urgent/ unexpected' situations - for example, when the baby comes!! The mat unit is also at the end of our road (it's a good road!) but I may need to transfer to hosp, or the baby might..we have parents close, but they do tons espec lookinf after dd already and I can't stomach giving up our car and then relying on them loads. Does anyone on here have experience of using a car club with small children? How could it work???
Anyway, huge long post, but that's my/our current challenge. Like the sound of the shoe measuring gauge...
PS I can't knit for toffee...

so jenny, are you bascially hanging onto a car in case of emergencies?

Really daft question but-in an ABSOLUTE emergency, there are emergency services.

In a lower level "need to get to hospital this afternoon" type emergency, there are taxis (and a lot of firms have car seats). But there is also your car club, and your parents.

When is the baby due?

Is there any possibility of taking the car off road for a few months, and seeing how you manage?

I had no car when my first two kids were born, and it was ok really. And I didn't have a car club or anything. It depends on your lifestyle really-mine has changed rather a lot of late, and we do need the car most days.

ps-re the knitting...a challenge.

Oy bumper-how did the knitting go?

Thanks filly
Yes, when you put it like that we would be hanging on to it for emergencies - which is a bit silly. I guess I was fearing comments like 'you got rid of your car just before your second baby came - how irresponsible' - don't know who from though! Certainly the off road thing would be an option...
Knitting would be a challenge!! - I've tried to learn a couple of times and just been useless, but maybe this is the year...
Meal planning! That's something else we're trying to get back into doing..

oh I tried knitting and was just dreadful at it - it took me a year to knit 80% of a tank top for ds, and in the end I sent it to dutchoma to finish for me ...so you don't have to knit to be part of this thread...do you...?

I am making a felt and embroidery picture with name embroidered for my God daughter's Thanksgiving gift in Feb though.