Our family feeds 10 people breakfast, 6 people lunch, and 9-11 people dinner fairly regularly [this includes 2 men and 3-4 teen boys]. And then there is pizza night. I've been reverse-budgeting (that is, analyzing my grocery receipts) in an effort to find equilibrium since our move. I'm a part of a community garden now, so I hope that will bring us a bountiful harvest- and that I will figure out how to preserve it for use during the winter and spring. I pray we don't waste anything. Yeah, mostly I pray that these people will be filled and full of health from nutrition without wasting anything- food or money.
Typically I don't use coupons. Very rarely. The bugaboo -in my view anyway- is that coupons tend to make one buy something they wouldn't have wanted prior to seeing the coupon. Coupons are marketing. That's why they exist. To make you think you need something. So I have to be very careful, and set for myself a policy- do not use a coupon for something you would not have bought if you didn't have the coupon.
I have a lifestyle commitment-- I don't get in my car and drive without carefully considering the cost. My man has a dashboard computer that will even tell me what each trip in the car costs, like a Taxi's meter. The cost is more than directly to my pocketbook- there is a cost in our unjust world to every person less fortunate than I, when I use resources haphazardly. Using coupons would require me to spend more of my resources- resources that are nonrenewable (time) and that affect other people (fuel/smog/traffic congestion).
Another lifestyle commitment is sustainability. I want recycled plastic garbage sacks- which I would not use at all if the city didn't require it. I limit use of garbage sacks to one/week by recycling and composting and being careful. I want recycled TP and would prefer to get a bidet attachment on the toilet and use personal washable cloths. I will not buy or use shampoo or conditioner that contain SLS, alcohols or waxes (dimethicone, for example). I prefer hand made soaps but don't like to make them. ;) I hate those plastic deodorant containers- they aren't coded for recycling and like shampoo bottles seem like an excessive amount of plastic running through our hands. Baking soda can replace deodorant, shampoo, bathroom cleaner. Plain white vinegar can replace conditioner, laundry softener, floor cleaner, and more.
I'm a pretty picky consumer. I'll buy a pair of shoes that are made in the U.S.A. that cost $80 rather than something from Payless, when I can. Besides, the shoes from Payless and Target get worn out faster than more quality shoes. And I don't have the time or energy to buy shoes as often as they wear them out, so I prefer to find quality shoes that will last longer. Seriously, I bought my 9yo son and 14yo sons shoes from Target in April- and the 14yo's soles have already come apart and the 9yo's soles have just nearly worn through already. In 4 weeks. 14yo had a pair from Payless last fall that lasted less than 6 weeks. So it's just not worth it. I'm looking at some Keen's that are on clearance on Amazon.com right now.
3 comments:
Amy - I with you on a lot of this. The coupon craze leaves me feeling guilty about spending my weekly $$...BUT - I only buy what we use, and 99% of that stuff is real food. :)
Off to look at those Keens now...:) You do get what you pay for and will reap what we sow.
Coupons are marketing: you're exactly right. A good reminder! I use them occasionally, if it's a product I regularly buy.
There is a paragraph or two in a Terry Pratchett novel about shoes - about how 'rich' people spend $100 (in the novel, $100 is about 2 weeks' salary), while 'poor' people can only afford $10 shoes. But the 'poor' people end up having to replace those shoes once or twice a year, while the 'rich' people can keep their shoes for 20+ years, thus keeping the poor people poorer and the rich people richer...I often think about this when I buy clothes - it's better to save up and buy something that's going to last for ages than go to H&M and buy a bagful of stuff that's going to fall apart after a couple of months.
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