Comments on: Step One – Buy Less Stuff

By: Circle of Stones: Interview with Adrie of Fields and Fire

Circle of Stones: Interview with Adrie of Fields and Fire — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:24:41 +0000

[...] amazing posts on living sustainably Step One – Buy Less Stuff Step Two – Grow Food Step Three – Eat Local Step Four – Eat Less Meat, Eat More [...]

By: adrie

adrie — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:19:43 +0000

Henrietta,
Great point. Junk that’s secondhand is still junk!
I do use bar soap for my hair, and sometimes a vinegar rinse (vinegar diluted with water). It is incredible to me how little is in our bathroom – I get some culture shock every time I walk into someone else’s, lol.
Blessings,
Adrie

By: Henrietta

Henrietta — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:17:44 +0000

Yes! I love this. The lure to buy.. so conniving and insidious, and charity shops lull us into a sense of false virtue. I realised I was consuming so much and feeling very smug because it was second hand. My partner pointed out..’it’s still aload of rubbish and you’re just encouraging more stuff to be thrown away, and consumed new’. Charity shops seem to give us a reason to feel good about throwing stuff out and buying more new things….
Now I just buy what I need, but I am still craving a calm empty plastic free home. Packaging is our main struggle, I think I’ll try your tooth powder…do you use bar soap for your hair too?
Thanks for the inspiration.

By: Fields and Fire » One Small Change February – Goodbye Grocery Store

Fields and Fire » One Small Change February – Goodbye Grocery Store — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:24:13 +0000

[...] in the store. She was becoming obssessed with buying stuff. Ack! You may recall that we are not too keen on stuff. Walking through the grocery store with Ella, she was suddenly aware that everything there could, in [...]

By: adrie

adrie — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:06:51 +0000

Thank you Amanda! Mothering Magazine had a great article years ago on the gift issue – I suggest searching their archives at their website. We’ve just asked people nicely from the start to limit themselves to one gift, and for no plastic. We have, on occasion, returned gifts, or given them away. It can be very hard to do! Keep up the good work!

By: Amanda

Amanda — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:12:22 +0000

Thank you so much for the last few posts! They have been so inspiring and I too did a huge plastic purge and freecycled most of the plastic toys and tableware! I’ve still got a bit to go through, but boy does it feel good!
Any advice on how to tell our families we don’t want a bunch more junk for Christmas this year?!?! Our families are very big into gift giving and when we tried suggesting that we should all go easy and that gifts really weren’t necessary for us it caused a big uproar!

By: adrie

adrie — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:05:05 +0000

Jen,
Rock on! And amen especially for beginning with purging any plastic that’s coming in contact with your food or your mouth, ever. Awesome.

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:53:37 +0000

I love so much about this post I don’t even know where to start. A few thoughts:
I am jealous that you found cashmere at the thrift store, and I am in serious fermentation crock envy. Planning to make a visit to Kay Baker Antiques very, very soon.
I’m feeling good that our dining table, which we’ve used for 10 years or so, is one that my mother used for 20-30 years after getting it handed down from my grandmother.
I love that we have never used daycare either– I know we’ve saved a lot of money, and I’ve been able to model the practice of bringing one’s baby to work for others. I know it wouldn’t work for everyone, but I’m glad it worked for my family.
AMEN to taking control of your basic health care in all the ways you mentioned– this is something I think about a lot and was part of the reason I decided to learn about emergency medicine and become a wilderness first responder (I wrote a blog post a while back about that).
I decided that I’m going to do a serious plastic purge, starting with Lily’s eating utensils, cups, dishes, and bowls, and then moving on to toys. Today I went to Goodwill and bought two little metal cups (one copper, one pewter). All of the plastic tableware was given to us either as hand-me-downs or as a gift, which always seems to make me feel I should keep it and use it, but in this case I think it makes sense to get rid of them.
And a “hear hear” for recommending Your Money or Your Life as well as Radical Simplicity.

By: adrie

adrie — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:49:34 +0000

Heather,
Thank you for this – it’s amazing how similar our lives are! (And also so different, of course.) We were the first among our peers to have a child, also (still are!), and I’m very grateful that it allowed us to choose our own path in many ways. I’m so grateful for the rhythm and connection of our lives, as well.

By: adrie

adrie — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:48:13 +0000

Thanks Louana – those are great tips!