Dec 16, 2010 | Ideas, No retail shopping, Thrift store |
I’ve been asked a lot, “…what are you getting your kids for Christmas if you can’t shop?” Here’s the answer you’ve all been waiting for. I can shop, it just has to be pre-owned things, so here’s the plan. Half Price...
Dec 15, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print, Save $
I ran across two interesting things this week, one posted on my Facebook page and the other in a Yahoo! Groups post on Compact. These sites, xmaswithoutchina.com and the Marie Claire Yahoo! Shopping post, when combined together, portray a picture of our consumeristic...
Dec 13, 2010 | Dumpster diving, No retail shopping, Save $ |
I’m speaking tonight at Preston Trail Community Church, in the Financial Peace University class, about the “no retail” shopping challenge. I didn’t start this to save money, but it did turn out to be a nice benefit. Here’s a recap of...
Dec 12, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print
Is 200 a milestone in the challenge? No, it’s just a nice, round, even number. I remember my mom pumping gas into the car when I was little and she always rounded it up to a full dollar amount, even if that meant topping it off to the point it overflowed. I...
Dec 11, 2010 | Dumpster diving, No retail shopping, Salvaged, Thrift store |
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wk0vwmq26JQ This video was created for a school project by a student at the Clarion University of Pennsylvania for a Physics of Energy and the Environment class. It’s a wonderful video on the how-to’s of dumpster diving...
Dec 11, 2010 | No retail shopping, Save $ |
Yet another trip to Target. This time it was for my son. Here’s the somewhat funny, yet disturbing story… I was presented with a ziplock baggie full of Barbie doll parts this past week. Normally, this would be okay, as someone might be giving me these...
Dec 10, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print |
Oprah always has her list of favorite things at Christmas time and gives them away to her viewers or audience. A lot of this feels like advertising, although she has a few things to say about each of these and why she likes them. Unfortunately that doesn’t...
Dec 9, 2010 | No retail shopping, Salvaged |
At work this week, someone dropped and broke our cordless drill. Accidents happen, and we had to buy a new drill. Right after that, the tape measure wouldn’t retract back into the case. So what do you do with these things? Possible repurpose? Luckily I work...
Dec 5, 2010 | No retail shopping, Recycle |
We’re at a restaurant and Joe comes back from the restroom, running toward the table, carrying a paper toilet seat cover. He holds it up and says, “Mom, can you believe this?! They have paper thing to put on the toilet seats. How wasteful is...
Dec 4, 2010 | No retail shopping, Recycle, Thrift store |
Let me just say, before you read my list of things I don’t get, that there’s a purpose behind this list. That purpose is something I say regularly. Just think about what you’re buying and what you’re doing. Your actions make a difference....
Nov 30, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print, Save $ |
*Blog post subject to change without notice. Other terms and conditions apply. Not responsible from broken windshields. What’s with all the fine print these days? Are lawyers really that bored? Or are companies that scared? Does anyone actually read this...
Nov 27, 2010 | No retail shopping, Save $ |
Any other day of the year, no retailer would allow you to walk around their store with a camera around your neck, they would stop you and make you put it away. On black friday, that’s not the case. With the busyness and chaos of the thousands of shoppers,...
Nov 26, 2010 | No retail shopping, Save $ |
I did it. I got up and went out at 4am to shoot the black friday craziness. Yes, that might make me crazy, but it was a blast people watching! I didn’t buy a thing, I just walked around the stores. I have lots of video, but no time to edit, as I have to work...
Nov 24, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print, Recycle, Salvaged |
I had to shop yesterday for work, and I know now why I don’t shop. Getting new stuff can be good, but the shopping process just isn’t fun. I had to go to Home Depot, which is basically a toy store for me. If I was shopping, that would be in my top 5....
Nov 22, 2010 | No retail shopping, Save $ |
With my halfway point coming soon, and in efforts to do something fun and creative, I wanted to test out a couple of ideas I had. As I was playing around, my dining room table completely covered with junk, a friend called me to see if I had a specific camera lens....
Nov 20, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print, Save $ |
I heard something interesting on the radio yesterday morning. It was on KRLD news talk radio, and I’ve looked for it online, but I couldn’t find it. I did find something similar, but the radio version must have been the recap. Basically, they were...
Nov 18, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print, Save $
I decided to take my 14 year old car in to be repaired, as it’s been 5 years since I’ve had any major work done to it. Of course, I do keep up with the oil changes and regular maintenance items. My car is old, and runs wonderfully well. It’s an...
Nov 17, 2010 | Ideas, No retail shopping, Recycle
My video is finally done and available! Click here to watch it. :) This stop motion video project was created for a contest that AT&T is doing through zooppa.com. Here’s the concept, as posted on AT&T’s site. The AT&T Simplify Your Life video contest is...
Nov 15, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print |
My initial answer to that question would be no, but not anymore, after seeing what happened to my friend yesterday. I’m sure this question had never crossed her mind, nor did she ever think she would have to move in a matter of hours. I got the 911 text...
Nov 13, 2010 | Dumpster diving, Ideas, No retail shopping, Recycle, Salvaged, Thrift store |
Okay, so it’s not an olympic sport… yet. I do however, find this black friday business very interesting. The idea for this blog post started with an article I found in a local magazine, called Black Friday: Survival Tips. Please understand, if you...
Nov 12, 2010 | No retail shopping, Salvaged |
I wish, just some of the time, that I could turn off my brain. It’s full of active monkeys, as one of my friends said. Another says I have crossed-wire mentality, that’s why I can be creative and artistic, but at the other end of the spectrum, do...
Nov 10, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print |
I promised my kids a movie and a trip to Game Stop yesterday. They had their own money to spend on games and I paid for the movie. Interesting lessons learned: New release days. Yesterday was the release date for the Call of Duty: Black Ops game. I had no idea...
Nov 9, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print |
Today, I am showcasing something Amy bought for me. Now I don’t encourage buying anything from a retail store, but I have to say, this little guy is funny and I think he might be my new mascot for trash society. !!??!?!??? Seriously? I can understand one tag,...
Nov 8, 2010 | No retail shopping, Read the fine print, Recycle |
I love the concept of freecycle.org, however, I have the worst luck actually getting anything. I’ve responded to emails the second they hit my inbox, and the stuff seems to be gone. It’s like calling into a radio station to be the 63rd caller. Do they...
Nov 7, 2010 | No retail shopping, Recycle |
I stumbled upon this photo while doing some research on recycling. A design student created it, a plastic chair form and you stuff it with recycled, or in the case, reused stuff(ing). According to the info given, he got a poor grade because the stuff(ing) would...
