Thanks A Bunch

Most of the time it is other people that get in the way of and inhibit living a life with less waste.

BUT there are also the people who encourage you, listen when you are rambling about compost or send you articles they think you’d find interesting.

So in honor of Thanksgiving, I want to thank all those encouragers and listeners in my life.

Thank you to my Mom for being an avid reader, always liking my Facebook posts, and being interested in what I am writing. I will forgive you for brushing it off every time I tell you that I am going to build you a compost bin in your backyard.

Thank you to my Dad who has contributed to a lot of my DIY  projects when I need help or materials.

Thank you to my Aunt MM who replies to my posts with great enthusiasm about how she is making changes or how she has been using cloth napkins for ages! Also for teaching me about haggling and getting a great deal at garage sales. Some of our recent purchases together are below:

Thank you to my friend Julie for calling me the other day to tell me she was going to purchase non-toxic nail polish and for sending me new blog ideas.

Thank you to my friend Britni and her husband Eric for appeasing me on a ski trip by picking up trash and always holding myself accountable.

Thank you to my friend Nina for starting her own compost bin in her backyard.

Thank you to K’s friends who read the blog specifically to make fun of K for composting. You’re still talking about composting and I call that a win!

A huge thank you to all my other friends, family, and readers who have sent me articles, comments on my posts, shared a story with me or told me how much you like reading my blog.

 

Thank You!!!

 

Black Friday, I’ll Pass

I used to like Black Friday.

That was back when the deals were only available at early hours on the Friday after Thanksgiving. That is when you marveled at hearing about someone go to the mall at 4:30 AM. My mom and I would go sometimes, but never for those obnoxiously early doorbusters.

As the years have gone by, Black Friday and the idea of turning Thanksgiving and the surrounding days into a mass over-consumption mess has snowballed out of control. Who needs Black Friday when you can get Black Friday all week or even all month long!? Don’t forget Cyber Monday! And the fact that stores are open on Thanksgiving just so people can continue to consume products they most likely don’t even need!

Of course, that <insert literally any type of purchase here> sounds enticing because it is advertised as 50% off, or buy one and get one free, but do you really need those things, though?

Now that Black Friday has escalated into this “crazy-must-buy-all-of-the-things” extended period of time, I am no longer interested.

So I won’t be doing any shopping come Friday.

I do plan on joining REI in their effort to #OptOutside, then I will come inside and warm up with family and Thanksgiving leftovers. Sounds perfect (and free) to me.