The issue of STUFF

As is probably clear from my previous posts I have ongoing issues with STUFF.

On the one hand, there’s a lot of great stuff out there and I’m not one for Spartan living or endless sacrifice.

On the other hand, often too much time and money get spent not only obtaining “stuff” but cleaning and maintaining it and after awhile even “good stuff’ can become junk or clutter (or both).

So the question is where and how do we find the balance between enjoying stuff and having stuff overtake our lives?

I leave you with that question and this classic George Carlin clip on STUFF. (contains adult content.) 

Tips to Start Letting Go of Things

Had to share this post (found on another blog) called “How Buying Less Can Set You Free”. You may realize just from the title that this is right up my alley, but what I really love are the 5 tips given in the post on how to start letting go of things.

My favorites from among the 5 tips are “Be grateful” and “Be content”.  Although I might phrase them differently (I prefer “Be Happy” to “Be Content”), these are simple, but often overlooked, ideas for finding greater satisfaction in life.

As covered in the previous post, “Are you shopping to buy happiness?” many purchases are made in the pursuit of Happiness, but if you aren’t already happy then more stuff will just be more stuff.

A few minutes = more product, for less money with less packaging

One of my pet peeves is excess packaging. As you’ve tried to get the excess packaging off of your new purchase, have you ever wondered why there’s so much of it?

Part of the reason is that marketing executives believe that if an item is in a larger package it will stand out better against  other products and that we, the consumer, will feel that the item is of higher value.

So when I’m shopping I try to avoid buying items that have excess packaging. The interesting thing is that often, there are comparable items with less packaging at a better price.

For example, recently when purchasing an over the counter allergy medicine I took an extra few minutes to do some price-comparison:

One package was priced around $2 but on closer look it only offered five tablets – the box it came in was small, but way bigger than needed for 5 tablets – the size was supposedly justified by the individual wrapping (blister pack).

For about $4 there was a similar box that offered about 12 tablets.

For about $7 there was a small box with a little jar inside  that offered 60 tablets.

Now this would have been even better, if the jar was just wrapped and not in a box, but still a few minutes of comparison between the lowest priced item (which is what many people will grab without thinking) and the $7 item got me 12 times the product for less than 4 times the price (and without all the little blister packs)

Found: Another Like-minded Blogger

Had to share this article from Yahoo Finance on Jeff Yeager, the Green Cheapskate.

Many of the points that Yeager makes in this article are exactly what I had in mind when I first started thinking about Better Living Better World. So often we get stuck in a process of always looking for more and always looking to increase our standard of living. Instead, Yeager encourages people to downsize their lifestyle. (After awhile, more stuff is just more stuff). I love Yeager’s suggestion of having a waiting period before buying something (Wouldn’t we all have a little less clutter, if we’d waited a week before buying?)

(Huge thank you to my fantastic husband who found this article and realized it was perfect for this blog.)

There’s no such thing as Cheap Food

Even since I started on this post, there has been yet another news report of tainted beef. There are many issues with our food production systems, which jeopardize sustainability.

The issue isn’t limited to land. Recently I had the opportunity to watch “Where is the Catch” a short film on the over-fishing of the Pacific. We tend to think, as the saying goes, that “there are plenty of fish in the sea,” but this is no longer the case.

Imagine this, a hunter goes off to hunt a deer but in the process of hunting the deer, the hunter kills all the other animals for miles around and then leaves taking only the deer. If this were a common practice, we would be outraged. This is the analogy used by the film’s presenter for what is occurring in our oceans every day.

After the film someone asked “What can we do?” the presenter responded “Don’t eat 99 cent fish tacos..or at least, only have them once in awhile”  To that I would add 99 cent burgers and other “cheap” food.

Of course, cheap food isn’t really cheap at all. It seems that way because it’s only a buck or two out of our pockets, but not only are we passing the cost off to future generations, we’re paying it ourselves in obesity and other illnesses. 

Today is National Start Walking Day.

Today is National Start Walking Day.

I’ve had the hardest time getting into and staying on a regular exercise program. I’d had the best of intentions for getting back onto a regular program this week – but life happens (rather often in fact).

But I love walking, so with or without a regular exercise program, I try to get some walking in each day. Of course it helps tremendously to both live and work in very walkable environments.

So I decided to research walkability and found that Walkable Neighborhoods are Worth More http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/010357.html.

 That's a great example of the Better Living Better World concept – that is, when we walk to nearby amenities we are improving our health while:

·      Developing connections with our neighbors (plus any friends or family that join us on our walks)

·      Reducing fuel and auto maintenance costs

·      We avoid adding to current pollution and traffic problems

So if you live or work in a walkable environment, take advantage of it an take at least a few minutes, invite a friend and head out for a walk. 

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

If you aren’t already, I hope you’ll tune into ABC on Friday nights and watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. I’m certain that I would have already posted info about this show if it weren’t for having messed up - I thought the first episode would air this past Saturday - actually the 2nd episode aired this past Friday.

Fortunately, full episodes are available on the ABC website (http://abc.go.com/watch/clip/jamie-olivers-food-revolution/SH012305440000) and I’m now caught up on the episodes I missed and eagerly waiting for next Friday’s episode.

I knew from the commercials for the show and this TED video that the show would be about changing our eating habits. But what I didn’t expect and have found to be both refreshing and engrossing is all the difficulties and resistance he would encounter (and that the show is actually allowing us to see that).

Typical ‘makeover’ shows put everything into a neat package. We’re shown the “Before” then the experts swoop in, solve the problems and then we’re shown the “After” – Happily ever or not.

This is not that show.

I am glad.

I think you will be too.

I hope you’ll watch the third episode this Friday and share your thoughts in the comments of this post.

Are You Shopping to Buy Happiness?

It’s often been said that those that say Money can’t buy Happiness don’t know where to shop. Are you shopping to buy happiness? It’s helpful to keep in mind that shopping, and the items purchased, brings pleasure, not Happiness. Perhaps you’ve sometimes confused the two, or perhaps you’ve developed a habit of substituting pleasure for happiness.

For most of us, money itself will not bring lasting happiness – but a lack of money can be a source of ongoing stress and unhappiness, while a sense of financial control eases the mind and enriches life in more than just material ways.

Depending on your circumstances, financial control may seem unobtainable, either because your debts are overwhelming or you doubt your money management skills. In these circumstances, we may be even more tempted to indulge in the temporary pleasure of buying what we want and putting it on credit. (My grandmother would often justify expensive purchases by saying ‘what difference does it make? I’ll never have any money anyway.”)

So if financial control seems impossible, decide instead to be just a little bit smarter about money. The next time you’re tempted to make an impulse purchase on your credit card, think:

· Am I substituting temporary pleasure at the expense of future well-being?

· Can I be just a little smarter about money right now?

· Can I put this on my wish list and get it later by playing the Money Game.

Photo courtesy of: www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=4307&picture=girl-shopping

World Water Day – A Special Post

Today I’m writing a special post in honor of World Water Day. I’ve posted previously about making the switch to water and using a reusable bottle. Today, I want to (very briefly) emphasize the importance of water which is something we often undervalue and take for granted.  For more on why water is important I hope you’ll check out Why Water is Important, which is a short video available here on National Geographic.

Then to learn more on the waste created by the bottled water industry, I hope you’ll check out The Story of Bottled Water.

We Wanted Everything, Now What Do We Do With It?

As I write this I’m procrastinating (again) because I need to be cleaning my house.

But being faced with multiple areas of clutter has triggered thoughts that I had to share (plus it’s a great delay tactic). 


“Stuff” has a big impact on how we live – although not all stuff is clutter (though all clutter is stuff).

So for now let’s focus on clutter:

Clutter can be stressful (Trust me. Seriously.)

Clutter wastes time – how often do you lose time looking for something you can’t find, plus there’s more time lost when you’re finally sorting through the clutter.

Clutter hits your wallet – ever have to buy something that you knew you had but couldn’t find? Ever been late with a payment because you couldn’t find the bill? Or maybe you wanted to return something but couldn’t find the receipt?

Sometimes we think that the answer is more space – but clutter tends to expand to fill space (like work tends to expand to fill time).  The flip side of that concept is that we can control or even prevent clutter by setting a space limitation.

For example, if you buy a new book and your bookcase is full then one or more of the old books has to go. The same concept can be applied to many other things, such as clothes that have filled the closet space or overflowing children’s toys.

Do you have a clutter problem or a great way to keep clutter from taking over? Have you ever moved to a larger space due to clutter? Post your comments and let us know.


Next time: Are You Shopping for Happiness?

Photo courtesy of www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=3957&picture=cook-books

An Appetite for..Less?

As mentioned in my last post, our appetites and tastes have been trained and can be retrained. Today I want to share more info on how to do that.

First, give yourself the chance to adjust. Remind yourself frequently that your tastes and habits are not fixed; they were learned and can be traded for better habits.

Do it gradually and be patient, but consistent, about the change you want to make. If you always add salt to your food, start by adding less than you normally would. Over time your taste will adjust and you’ll find you “need” less salt than you used to. Eventually you may find yourself kicking the salt habit completely. The same holds true for other habits like sugar, whole fat dairy products and especially portion sizes.

Most of us are used to portion sizes that are significantly larger than we need. Gradually cutting portion sizes is an easier and often more successful way of reducing weight and improving health and energy.

Other ways to reduce portion sizes:

¶ Don’t wait until you’re hungry to eat. We overeat and make poor decisions when we’re hungry; have a light snack or smaller, sensible meal before hunger gets the best of you.

¶ Eat until you’re satisfied, not stuffed. It takes awhile for our brain to register that we’re full, so it’s easy to miss the full signal and continue eating (which is why we often feel fuller than we realized, about 15-20 minutes after we stopped eating). Use these tips to deal with the delay in recognizing that you’re full:

¶ Split a restaurant entree with a friend. You may want to each start with a salad but share the entrée. Generally, the bill will be lighter and so will the meal.

¶ Have a glass of water or piece of fruit about 20-30 minutes before the meal.

¶ Eat the high-fiber, low-calorie items first.

¶ Eat slower. Put utensils down between bites or take a short break about halfway through the meal.

Health, Money and Environmentalism in one 2-Part Tip

1. Make the switch to Water.

If you're drinking sodas and other beverages throughout the day, you're serving up a double whammy to your system because 1) you're not getting the water that your body needs and 2) the beverages you're drinking probably have more chemicals, calories, or caffeine than you realize.

You might feel that you could never give up your favorite beverages for water. I can understand that. I wasn't always big on water myself. Now I drink it all the time. People often don't realize that our tastes and appetites have been trained and they can be retrained. (More on that in another post.) For now, just try to keep in mind that if you don't like water it's because you don't drink it often enough. Drink it as often as you can and build the water habit.

2. Use a Refillable Bottle

No real magic here, just about any kind of refillable bottle that you're comfortable drinking from will do. Tap water will also do, but if you prefer filtered water and don't already have a water filtering system now could be a good time to consider investing in one. In a pinch, you can even buy the bottled water at the supermarket by the gallon or larger. Even if you have to do that, you'll still be saving money and reducing waste. (Remember to play the Money Game and each time you fill the bottle, put what you’d normally spend toward your wish list goal.)

Photo courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net .

Play the Money "Game" And Don't Let Money You Save Go MIA!

When you buy an item that’s on sale, what happens to the money that you saved?

You’ve saved– in the sense of spending less, but you didn’t save the money in the sense of putting it away.

I want to challenge you to start changing that! In this blog I will provide you with ideas for saving money (spending less) but it will be up to you to actually take that money and direct it to a specific purpose.

What purpose?

Well that’s up to you. A long term plan is important.. but for now, think of some short term goals, something you’ve wanted (a material object, or an experience such as movie, meal or a trip to a local attraction) as long as it’s fairly inexpensive and it’s something you want.

This can also help in getting control of your spending. Next time, instead of buying on impulse, add the item to your short term goal list instead. Then as you save money, direct that money toward that item on your list. You can do this by keeping an envelope and putting cash there until you’ve reached your goal or by tracking the money on paper. Just be sure to follow through with your chosen short term goal and that you actually use money that you’ve saved (not a credit card).

Helping the Environment By Helping YOU!

Do you feel you have to sacrifice too much to live in an earth-friendly way? Welcome to the site that helps the environment by focusing on helping YOU!

How?

By showing you ways to save money and be healthier and happier.

Why?

Because how we’re living isn’t good for the environment or for us.

Consider a typical scenario of moving further from work to buy a larger home where property costs are lower. At first you are excited about your new home, but soon the longer commute takes a toll, and the larger home takes longer to clean and costs more to heat and cool. Even worse, the commute and increased expenses are just a few factors that have negatively impacted family life.


Because (Gasp!) not everyone cares about the environment.

While environmental concerns have gone mainstream, not everyone is equally concerned or motivated to change. There are a lot of people who may never recycle - can we instead get many of them to use a refillable bottle? Will it matter that they’re doing it to save money instead of doing it for the environment? Of course not.

So whether you are concerned about the environment or not, welcome to Better Living Better World, the green living site for everyone, even non-environmentalists.

Guestbook

Please sign in..

This area is for feedback about this site and general comments you'd like to share.