Thursday, November 29, 2007

What this is all about...

We're living Small Box Style over here.
We celebrate thriftiness and handmade...
And it doesn't have much to do with financial resources.

It's a choice.


Our kids are involved in it in every way. We explain our choices to them so they have an understanding of why we live the way we do. Just like I explain why we buy organic food and recycle.

I truly believe this is one of the best gifts we can give them.

Better than any trinket.

We buy almost all of our non food/toiletry items from secondhand sources.
We get all of our fruits and veggies from our local CSA.
We make all of our holiday gifts (which we really try to keep to a minimum).
We buy our grains in bulk from our local Co-op.

When we shop at the thrift store or a yard sale I always explain that we may have kept some of those items from ending up in landfills...or that not finding what we want the instant we want it can be very good for us...or that vintage dishes and furniture are very often of higher quality than anything we would find at Target ...for 3x the price.


I don't approach it purely from a $ angle. I try to paint a bigger picture...make it about social responsibility and lifestyle, not just financial resources.
But, money, and how we view it, is a part of our lifestyle. So we do discuss it.


So far, they love the thrill of the hunt that has become a part of our thrifty life. It's all they've ever known. They are not stressed by money or budget concerns, but genuinely aware of the choice involved with each purchase.

And, for perspective, I was raised in a home of MASS Consuming and no regard for budget or the planet. I was a miserable kid who was totally preoccupied with 'stuff'.

My kids are truly happy and not overly concerned with possessions.

Interesting.

We're living Small Box Style over here.

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