as i drove home yesterday, thinking about the article in the nyt -the year without toilet paper- that stephanie led to, and hearing more about how we are "consumed with consumption". i thought about cindy's post again. how can i simplify? and i was reminded of a little something i carry with me in my wallet. i found it late last year, while perusing a constant source of inspiration and encouragement - The Center for a New American Dream - some holiday inspiration in the column "Living Green Below Your Means".
"The Thrifty Wallet Buddy" was my stocking stuffer of choice this past holiday. and i really feel that it has made me a more conscientious consumer. not perfect by a long shot. i can't imagine life right now without {unbleached, recycled} toilet paper. but certainly more thoughtful! i want to share it with you too, if you don't know it already. you can download it here.
it wraps your card in "questions to ask before buying" including:
"Can I borrow one, find one used, or make one instead of buying new?"
"Will it serve more than one purpose?"
"Can I recycle or compost it when I'm done with it?"
{i do believe some of these questions will be looked at more closely in posts next week...)
happy friday!
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17 comments:
WOWWOWOWOWOWOW, I haven't seen the wallet buddy before but it is absolutely perfect.
Thanks for sharing, I'll definitely be passing this one along.
I think this is nifty. It really can make you stop and ask yourself a question. Just one. Borrow instead of buy! How about the Tool Lending Library in Berkeley. You don't need to buy a chainsaw, check it out from the library.
This sort of thing makes you think about the marketing they're shoving down people's throats.
"What's in your wallet?"
"Don't stop living in the red!"
"For everything else, there's Mastercard!"
You have power in your dollar. The only red you should live in is that stellar red you painted your dollar. For everything else there is another way.
Tracy thanks for the tip, I've never heard of this but it sounds like something I'll be giving to friends with credit cards.
I only have my debit card to get cash out the wall, and I have found the perfect solution to that too, melt your card!
I did it by accident, so now it won't fit in a hole in the wall, though at a checkout they can still key in the details, but the looks they give mean you don't make purchases unless they are necessary :0)
I printed mine out and am enjoying its little reminders - "buy used" is one in particular that keeps popping out and is so easy to accommodate. Thanks Tracy!
You KNOW how useful the Wallet Buddy has been for me. It really helped me get my finances back in order and be much more vigilant about how I spend. Unfortunatly it didn't help this week when I had to blow $350 on my poor cat (he's fine now and can pee again, no toilet paper necessary!) and $450 on orthotics because I have bunions (good lord, it's true). But things like this fall under necessities in my books, and I'm trying every so hard to stick to what I actually need. Re-reading Affluenze for inspiration.
fantastic tracy,
i have this nagging voice in my head that asks me "do i really need this?" almost every time i'm in a store. notice how i say "almost." this would reinforce it for me.
Hey this is great, I'll too take it in use.
To the single spark - things like that are really necessities and need no bad concience, ok :)
I LOVE it! Thanks for sharing. Now i just need ink in my printer to be able to print it out and i've been holding out on having my cartridge refilled.
Oh sorry I left the wrong url!
Such a good reminder. Thank you! I have been telling myself this a lot lately. And not letting clerk's looks get to me when I don't want their plastic bags for checkout, or when I want to use my own ceramic coffee cup at the cafe. These little things add up!
Tracy, I'm so excited about the wallet buddy pdf. Thanks for sharing and for posting -- and for that matter thanks to all of the Sew Green posters. I'm already getting so much out of reading here.
i've been thinking about those nyt people too, and i have to say that if i had spent years ordering in coffee and danishes i'd be due some sort of wicked toilet-paperless pennance.
this is fantastic... such good questions to ask before buying, and a great idea to have the physical reminder there (i need a way to attach it to paypal :) )
thanks for sharing on the wallet buddy what a neat item. i forwarded it to several friends.
- rider
www.sustainableisgood.com
!!! love the wallet buddy.
link has changed to http://www.newdream.org/walletbuddy.pdf
gram is a question at least I have many dirty things in my wallet
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