Merry Christmas and on to 2011

It’s hard to believe it, but Christmas is over. In the blink of an eye, done.

This year, we went easy on the gifts, the planning, and the hoopdela. Which made Christmas morning quilt-free. We didn’t over spend, over buy or over indulge. We  bought a few gifts, had lots of fun with family on Christmas day, and napped a bunch. (Well, I napped, anyway. And watched a lot of TV.)

But I didn’t set foot in a Walmart even once.

Oh, I was tempted, believe me. There were a few times I wanted something and I knew Walmart would have it.

For example, I bought a lovely bottle of brandy, just for kicks, and wanted some brandy snifters. I couldn’t find them anywhere I had normally been shopping. Namely Target. I tried Big Lots and the grocery, both of which had a lovely selection of glassware for the holidays. I was sure that the mall stores had glassware, but I’d been to Eastview once and wasn’t at all interested in fighting the traffic to go back.

But Walmart? They’re open 24 hours a day. No traffic at 10 PM, right?

In the end, I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and found a very lovely set off four brandy snifters for $20. And I felt pretty good about that purchase.

So here I am with less than a week to go in 2010, and now that Christmas is behind me I can start thinking about the new year and my plan for adventure.

The big question: if I’m going to live like I believe what Jesus taught is actually true, what should that life look like?

31 days without Walmart – holiday spending up over last year and that’s a good thing?

The results are in, and according to comScore.com, holiday spending in the first 35 days of the November-December 2010 shopping season is up over 2009.

I have to wonder when we think that it’s a good thing that we’re spending more money on stuff we don’t need when unemployment is so high, foreclosures are commonplace, and poverty is rampant around the world.

We live in a consumer driven, disposable society. We buy, we use, we throw away, we buy more, we use more, we throw away more. And we celebrate the whole cycle.

Perhaps the most disturbing statistic this year is that retail sales increased 28% over 2009 on Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Day? Aren’t we supposed to be gathered with family on Thanksgiving Day, giving thanks for health, family, freedom, and all of the other wonderful things we’ve been blessed with over the year? Instead, stores opened and shoppers headed to the mall to pick up bargains. Bargains for which I’m sure they were thankful.

But it’s not the same thing.

31 days without Walmart – Day 10 and I cheat a little

I confess. I went to Big Lots to get tins to ship cookies.

Forgive me consumers, for I have sinned. I went to a StuffMart.

Not Walmart, but just as bad: Target. And OK, Big Lots.

As you know, last week, I went to  Big Lots to get tablecloths for my husband’s family Christmas party, saving at least $7 on a disposable item. But I’m trying to avoid discount stores at all costs, in the interests of going 31 days without a StuffMart.

But yesterday I went to Big Lots to get Christmas tins to ship cookies and other edible treats. I knew they had them cheap; I didn’t even look at the labels, but yup, they’re made in China. I didn’t even think about it. I needed something I knew they had inexpensively, so I went there. I was on autopilot.

Today, I’ve been on a quest to find something to keep the chicken waterer from freezing. I started at Country Max but couldn’t afford a heater ($52) and the heated dog water bowl is too deep. So I thought I’d try Beyond Hardware, the local hardware store. Which just happens to be in the Target plaza.

I figured if Target had a heated dog water bowl it might be cheaper than the hardware store. I confess, it was tempting to go check out the discount clothing racks. And I had to shield my eyes as I went by my biggest temptation: the book section.

I did make two purchases: a bottle of Aveeno fragrance free body wash and a box of Feline Pine cat litter that was on sale. Things I need at prices that saved me little money.

I feel a little guilty; normally, I’d get the Aveeno at Walmart (same price) and the litter at Wegmans (a dollar or two more since what I got at Target was on sale). So I’m avoiding Walmart and going to Target instead? Kind of defeats the purpose of the experiment. And I’m not out of either of those items. I didn’t need to buy them.

But I am proud of myself for not getting distracted by shiny stuff. No clearance racks of clothing I don’t need, no books to add to the huge pile next to my bed.

In the end, I didn’t find anything that I could use to keep the water from freezing in the henhouse. I have a 250 watt heat lamp in there already; I just lowered it closer to the metal waterer and am crossing my fingers that the stupid chickens don’t think I just gave them a new swing.

As for the Big Lots tins: I bought more than I needed, because I didn’t want to have to go back. Hopefully, I can return what I don’t use.

So I spent $0 on what I needed, and about $15 at Target on two things I will need eventually. And about $25 on a bunch of tins to ship goodies for gifts.

Of course, I haven’t even begun to Christmas shop yet. Make a list, make a list, make a list …

Author Kelsey Timmerman shares some thoughts on how to be an engaged consumer

If there’s one person who can shed some light on the idea of being an engaged consumer, it’s my writing pal Kelsey Timmerman.

I met Kelsey at a writers’s conference a few years ago when he was working on his book, “Where Am I Wearing?” Actually, he was talking a lot about his underwear. That’s because he traveled around the world to find out where his clothes were made, from China to Cambodia and right up the Thruway from here to Perry, NY.

Since Kelsey has actually visited the manufacturing plants where some of our clothes are made and spent time with the workers - and not on pre-approved trips; he just showed up and talked to people to get real stories – I asked him to share some thoughts on how to be an engaged consumer.

First, he suggest that we don’t buy without thinking. “I think we should be engaged consumers and not mindlessly buy things on a whim,” Kelsey explains. (That’s part of my reason for avoiding Walmart for 31 day; I spend too much money on stuff I don’t need because I get distracted by shiny stuff.) ”We should let our morals and values help guide our purchasing decisions.” That doesn’t mean always buying “Made in the USA”, but if that’s your committment then you should do your best to try and stick to it.

As for buying foreign products?

31 days without Walmart – Buying a new camera

Two sparrows in my backyard, taken with my new Nikon P100.

A few months ago, my little pocket point and shoot camera started to act a little wonky, and then last month simply died.

I’m no professional photographer, but I use my camera a lot, snapping pictures of the dogs or other things to accompany my blog posts. And I’d also been a little more creative with my shots, but the camera I had didn’t give me much leeway in photo quality.

So I needed a new camera, and in November I started shopping around. I knew I wanted a step up from the pocket point and shoot, but I couldn’t afford a digital SLR. I had no idea what was available but I saw a sale at Rowe Photo, so that’s where I went.

I’ve purchased my last two pocket point and shoot cameras at Walmart and Target. But when I was a kid, my dad, who was a photography buff, always went to Rowe to get his camera supplies, from developing chemicals to Kodak film in the bright yellow box.

(In Rochester, you bought Kodak and kept your neighbors’ jobs safe. Nowadays, it doesn’t matter. Everything’s been shipped overseas and Kodak isn’t the local pride it once was. Sigh.)

31 days without Walmart – Giving good gifts

Yesterday was my husband’s annual family Christmas party, and I took part in the Secret Santa gift exchange.

This is my husband's Aunt Kathy. I picked her name in the Secret Santa gift exchange.

Because of my “31 days without Walmart” project, I needed to get a gift somewhere other than the StuffMart. As I wrote last week, it would have been easier and more convenient (and certainly less tempting) to just do everything at Walmart, but in the end, also less special.

I picked my husband’s Aunt Kathy and went to Mostly Clay on Schoen Place in Pittsford for a gift. I love this store, owned by Margie LaTourette. Years ago, I used to own a tea shop in the space below hers and we’ve remained friends ever since.

For Aunt Kathy, I picked out a piece of pottery from Sommerville Pottery. It’s officially called a ‘brie baker’, but it’s a round, rimmed plate that can be used to serving hors d’oeuvres or as a small tart or pie pan. Very functional, very pretty, and locally made.

When Aunt Kathy opened her gift and saw “Mostly Clay” stamped on the box, she asked if there was something actually in there from Mostly Clay or if I just resused a box. When I told her that indeed there was a gift from the store in there, she got excited.

Apparently, she loves that store! And she explained later that she used to have a dish much like the one I gave her. But it broke and she’s missed it every since.

I got Aunt Kathy a 'brie baker', essentially a pottery dish that can be used for lots of things, made by Sommerville Pottery on Keuka Lake, NY.

She seemed genuinely pleased with the gift, which made me happy.

Sure, I could have gone to Walmart and gotten a scarf or gloves or something else in the price range. And I’m sure she would have loved it. But instead, I got something with a personal touch, got to see my friend and support her business, and really think about the gift I gave.

To learn more:

• Visit Mostly Clay online
• Visit Sommerville Pottery online
• Read all of the “31 Days Without Walmart” posts

Where did your breakfast come from?

My breakfast sandwich. Do you know where your breakfast came from?

I was just thinking about my food and where it came from. For breakfast this morning, I had a toasted mini pita with ham and cheese and an egg.

Mini whole wheat pita- from Father Sam’s bakery, Buffalo, NY,. Ingredients: whole wheat flour, enriched unbleached flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin, mononitrate [vitamin B1], riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid), water, sugar, salt, yeast, l-cysteine, calcium sulfate, fumaric acid, calcium propionate added to retard spoilage.

Ham - Wegmans Ham Off The Bone. The only thing I know about is what’s on the Wegmans’ website: “The best ham sandwich. Fresh, naturally delicious double-smoked ham is smoked 10-12 hours using real wood chips. Made with natural juices with no water, binders, fillers or sweeteners added. Natural juices. Fully cooked. Off-the-bone. 97% Fat free. U.S. Inspected and passed by Department of Agriculture.” The pig could have been farmed in Guatemala for all I know.

Egg – From my backyard. I don’t know which chicken laid it. But I know what all of the chickens have eaten and that the egg was laid within the last few days.

Cheese – Kerrygold Dubliner Vintage Irish Cheddar.  I love this cheese, made from milk from small farmers in Ireland. For all I know “small” could mean leprechauns milking leprecows. Not that I would care. They’ve ruined me to all other cheddars. But you’ve got to try the Vintage; it’s harder than the other two types, much like a Parmesan in texture.

Butter, in which I fried my egg - Organic Valley. I’m a firm believer that the closer to real food you can get, the better. So I don’t use margarine, and whenever possible only organic butter or butter from grass-fed cows. I promise, you’ll notice the difference. More expensive? Absolutely. But I use less so I eat less, so it’s healthier all the way around.

The cheese  may seem to violates my normal “made in America” food policy, but it doesn’t. Dubliner is a company that pays attention to the quality of its product, unlike most things made in China. So don’t feel guilty about enjoying some imported from Ireland.

31 days without Walmart – Day 2, and I’m already tempted

Oooo! I could add an amusement park to my Christmas village!

It’s day 2 of my 31 Days Without Walmart and the first time that my commitment  to the project was tested.

I had a list of errands to run today; here’s what I needed to do:

• Go to the credit union to deposit darling husband’s paycheck
• Purchase a gift for a family member for Saturday’s family Christmas party Secret Santa
• Purchase tablecloths for the lodge tables for the party
• Get ingredients for a dish to pass for the party
• Get Christmas cellophane bags for something darling husband needs for Saturday’s party
• Get milk.
• Find a Kodak kiosk to print out photos for a game for the party.

Normally, this is a perfect Walmart errand list. I could get groceries, a gift, use the Kodak photo kiosk and do it all in one stop. Plus, the credit union is right up the road from Walmart.

But ah, this is 31 Days Without Walmart, remember?

Damn.

Meet Rev. Billy and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir

What better way to kick off the holidays – and 31 days without Walmart – than with a look at Rev. Billy and The Church of Life After Shopping.

Featured in the documentary “What Would Jesus Buy”, Rev. Billy and his theatrical troupe, The Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, travel the country with their message: Be warned, the Shopocalyse is upon us.

In the video above, for example, Rev. Billy Talen and his choir invade a Disney store in an attempt to encourage shoppers to consider where those products were made. It’s something they’ve done all over America, from malls to Walmart headquarters in Bensonville, AK, often getting arrested or at least escorted off the premises.

It’s part comedy, part theatre, part activism, and whole lot of common sense built around the idea that consumerism is killing America.

While the religious aspect of the theater troupe is a bit tongue in cheek – Rev. Billy prays to The Great Unknown, for example, and he’s branched out to perform”unmarriages” of straight couples in support of gay marriage - his point about consumerism is exactly what Americans need to hear. “What was Christmas before shopping started,” Rev. Billy asks in the documentary. “Christmas is the birth of a child that we  believe will grow up to teach us peace.”

Giving gifts isn’t about buying gifts, and the notion that we they have to spend ourselves into debt at Christmas not only misses the point, it destroys it.

If you knew, for example, that the t-shirt you bought at Walmart was made using child slave labor in a Third World country, would you still wrap it up in pretty paper and proudly display it under the Christmas tree? Would Jesus want you to keep up with fashion trends at the expense of someone else’s life?

In the documentary “What Would Jesus Buy,” choir director James says, “We say ‘stop shopping’ just to get your attention. Certainly nobody can stop shopping. But you can have a conscience about your shopping, think about how it affects other people, just explore the options, that’s all we ask.”

Just something to think about when you head out to do some Christmas shopping.

You can learn more about Rev. Billy and The Church of Life After Shopping on their website.

31 days without Walmart – the mission; care to join me?

Today is the day I kick off my “31 days without Walmart”, and to be honest, I wouldn’t be going to Walmart today anyway. Or anywhere else for that matter. I have strep throat, and I’m contagious until I’ve been on my antibiotics for 24 hours. “Don’t go anywhere,” my doctor said. “You’ll spread this around.”

Okey dokey. You don’t have to twist my arm to get me to stay home in pajamas. So while I sit here nursing my hot tea and Advil, it’s a good time to recap the mission of this project.

First and foremost, I want to emphasize again this is not a Walmart-bashing month. Walmart is just my go-to StuffMart, so cutting it out for a month will make the most difference to me. If you’re going to join me, you can cut out any StuffMart you want.

Here are the goals:

1) To pay more attention to the products we buy. On the advice of my allergist, a few years ago I cut out all artificial colors and flavors, along with preservatives like BHA, BHT, TBHQ, Sodium Benzoate from my food in attempt to get rid of some itchy skin problems. What I learned reading labels is that there is a lot of artificial crap in the food we eat. And reading other product labels? Man, I buy a lot of stuff made in China. Do you know how workers are treated in China? I didn’t, until I started investigating.

2) Support local businesses whenever possible. The goal this month is to spend my money at businesses that are locally-based or owned. (Thankfully, Wegmans counts!)

3) Buy locally produced products if possible. Given the choice between a squash grown in Groveland, NY or in Mexico, I’ll go for the one in Groveland, NY even if it’s more expensive. Either that, or I skip it all together. I won’t know where a lot of products come from, but the goal is to at least ask.

Before I make any purchase, I need to consider at least one the above goals. The end goal is to be a more educated consumer, and by eliminating Walmart as a shopping option, I’m forced to think before I spend – or eat, get dressed, wrap a gift. You get the picture.

Care to join me?

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