The following is a reprint of a previously published post. However, Dave Wann (the author of this book) sent me an extra copy to share with The Non-Consumer Advocate community. So enjoy this bonus opportunity to win a great book!
I was running errands over in Northeast Portland yesterday. Dropping off kid stuff at the consignment shop, hanging out with my friend Sasha, loading up on gourmet goodies at The Grocery Outlet, (I had a coupon!) and meeting up with my step-mother for a cup of tea. I had a few minutes to kill, so I decided to pop into The Title Wave bookstore, which sells old library books. (I had a $5 voucher, which was burning a white hot hole in my pocket.)
I decided to buy a couple of books to use as giveaways for the blog. I quickly found copies of Dave Wann’s Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a a Sustainable Lifestyle as well as Vicky Robin and Joe Dominguez’s Your Money or Your Life.
Long time readers will recall that Simple Prosperity was used for The Non-Consumer Advocate book club last year. A great idea that proved beyond my time/energy constraints. (Seriously, I cringe with shame whenever I think about how I dropped the ball on this one.) However, I’m still a great fan of this book and now have a genuine sent-by-the-author book to use as a giveaway!
To enter to win your own personal copy of Simple Prosperity, enter your name and one change you’ve made in your quest for simple prosperity in the comments section below. The winner will be randomly chosen Monday, August 16th at midnight PST. U.S. residents only, please enter only one time.
Good luck!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”
{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }
Hope this one counts – I started going to every (free) elementary school auction I was invited to. There are things there I really can use, or can give as a gift (for example, I gave a dear friend who has 4 kids and no dental insurance a certificate for a child’s exam, cleaning, sealants, and 2 x-rays. I got it for $25.) If you are conscious of what you are spending, you can get some good deals, meet families in your community, and have a relatively cheap date night. And you know the money is going to a good cause.
I stopped buying paper napkins and stocked up on cloth napkins.
I would love to win this book!
I recently bought some inexpensive clothes drying racks so that I can air dry my laundry, even when the weather outside doesn’t cooperate.
I have stopped going shopping whenever I’m bored! I now stay home and read, knit, or do chores around the house. I’m spending far less money on things we didn’t need anyway, and my house is far less cluttered and easier to keep clean 🙂
I am saving seeds. It is an interesting and mindful chore. Not only do I get next year’s veggies for free, I get free meditation!
I did not realize so many plants are biennial, which thus requires a little more planning.
I do my best to prevent food waste. Food waste …… wastes a lot of time and money. Also I have a small garden with peppers and tomatoes.
I have been making presents for birthdays, baby gifts etc. Usually using old clothes that I can repurpose into something fun.
I made the decision to change my life for the better, and started my blog to keep my focused and on track. I cant wait for my new journey!
I reuse foil, have switched to cloth napkins, have repurposed old towels into wash and dish cloths…Thanks for the chance to win.
As my plastic food storage containers (gladware, etc) bit the dust, I started using glass containers.
I search for clothes that match a general color scheme- for me it is mostly black. I have a very small closet but I can mix and match for endless options, and invest in quality because I only need a few items.
Two things: nagged my husband until he set up my clothesline – I LOVE line drying my clothes! I’m in Seattle, so I have to take advantage of the sun while it lasts. 🙂
The other thing we’re really working hard on is minimizing food waste. Tonight we were all hungry and tired and *almost* went out for pizza. Instead, we dug out all the leftovers from the week and had an awesome leftover buffet of homemade goodies. 🙂
One big step I’ve taken in crafting a more sustainable lifestyle is not watching TV. Not exposing myself to the constant “buy me’s” has greatly lessened my desire to buy and shopping withdrawals. More cash in my pocket and less anxiety!
I’m not sure if this entirely counts, but I have started to list the blessings that I have in my life each day. It has been the best and easiest way to feel prosperous.
I make my own skin and hair care products from natural ingredients.
We have been working very hard on minimizing food waste here at home. I make sure to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day or use it for the next day’s diner.
I have been working hard at buying only what we need for food prep to also help reduce food waste. The result has been less in the pantry but better quality meals!!
I subscribe to a number of “coupon matching” blogs for stores within walking or short driving distance of my work and home
We quit buying DVDs and CDs. We have a minimum Netfilx subscription which allows us to watch tons of movies and television shows “instantly” as well ad receive one DVD at a time in the mail. We borrow Cds from the library.
We ride our bike instead of using the car for errands that are within a certain radius. Love it! No traffic hassels and the opportunity to interact with the neighborhood rather than bypass it.
After years of being considered the simple-living, recycling, frugal, composting, environmentally eccentric mom, I’m starting to see some positive results on the part of the rest of the family’s efforts to reduce consumption, conserve and recycle. The other day, my youngest daughter called me breathlessly excited (from a strip mall, unfortunately) to report that she spotted a man with a T-shirt that sported my favorite saying (originating, I believe, from YOU, Katy) “Wear it out, use it up, make it do, or do without”. “Mom”, she said, “There ARE others just like you!” (as if we were space aliens).
Hubby (once known as Diamond Jim because of his obscenely wasteful spending habits) proudly reported the other day that now, before purchasing something, he asks himself whether it’s a purchase based on a “need, or a want”. That is HUGE progress!!
Judy,
The phrase “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” is an old Yankee maxim. It spoke to me, but I didn’t make it up.
And by the way, I TOTALLY need that T-shirt! Not want, need.
-Katy
I have been trying to purchase deliberately, especially with my 2-year-olds stuff. With an infant also it has been hard but I’ve been getting any “new” clothes or baby accessories at the consignment stores. I’m also quickly bringing clothes he has outgrown to that same shop. It gets clutter out of my house and also reducing my bill when I need to get something for him!
I now line dry year round and I live in Massachusetts. Occasionlly in Jan and Feb. I might have to finish a few things inside.
I learned to say no, and not feel guilty about it.
Getting ready for a big move to a tinier, unknown destination, I put probably 50 things in a pile today to give away at the curb. Not much action out there today and it will go away tomorrow! My bike stays, my few loved belongings stay; I’m still thinking over my large beadboard cupboard which I could sell in my booth? That’s a hard one. I also took a farm table to the booth because I have another one here. I love minimizing what I want to keep. Funny though. Everything I keep is already an antique. So yes, I’d love the book; and then I’ll share it.
I keep a bucket in the bathroom and save the water from going down the drain while the shower is ” warming” up. I use it to water my garden and house hold plants. They love it and I rarely ever need “new” water to keep them happy and healthy!
Trying to carpool as much as I can and have at least one car-free day a week.
I’ve been shopping at thrift stores and Goodwill whenever possible, and have become even more fanatic about recycling. I’ve also been thinking about what *really* makes me happy, and making more time for that rather than just running through the treadmill of daily life. My blog is part of that effort, as well. And continued uncluttering, which seems to be chore that is never done.
I use cloth diapers, which keeps my baby’s butt happy, and all those diapers out of a land-fill (and dollars in my pocket!)
I only use microfiber for cleaning cloths and even have a microfiber mop-I can wash after each use and it’s more earth friendly than the disposable options. Bonus: it does a better job too!
I’m making most of our staples (yogurt, bread, jam, etc.). I was a little shocked when I figured out how much our families rampant yogurt habit was costing us, not to mention the environmental cost of all that packaging. Plus it tastes better and no weird additives.
I’m trying to find a carpool buddy for work.
I downsized my belongings by 85% over one calendar year. It’s so nice to have an intimate awareness of every single thing I own now. I appreciate my belongings so much more than I did before.
The list is long: hang my laundry to dry, cloth napkins, cloth rags for cleaning, buying second hand clothes, batch errands when I drive, shop at local fruit market that caters to restaurants (best deal in town for produce), cook, cook and more cooking.
I hope this counts!
Small changes, less paper products, less eating out, less shopping, reusing plastic wrappers – and I find the more that I make small changes the easier it is to make changes and the easier for others in the house to change.
I stopped buying a new book every week…..and fell in love with my local library!! It has saved me money and brought something great into my life…the library!
I would love to win this book. This summer I intentionally did NOT schedule any kid activities other than gymnastics (it goes year round) and boy scout camp. That was it for 4 kids. Boy was it nice to live so simply.
This may sound weird but I stopped buying my children clothes. We have a few people that give us hand me downs. Their closets were filled to overflowing…bursting at the seams! I stopped buying clothing and we get enough nice clothes through hand me downs to get them through to the next size. This has saved me from countless times of folding clothing, piling everywhere, multiple washings when the piles fall and you can’t tell what was clean….I could go on and on.
elkmeese at yahoo dot com
We’ve finally gotten out of the habit of eating out — even lunches!!
I have started riding my bike to where I pick up my rideshare van. My car finally had one too many breakdowns and I got rid of it. A friend has offered to give me rides in her car, but I’ve make it a point that I will ride my bike at least three times a week.
This might sound silly, but we’ve invested in our house. Not simply the structure itself, but making our inside surroundings pleasing. We’ve painted in colors we like. We’ve bought art home from local art fairs. We’ve purchased cozy, attractive furniture. We have a small storage ottoman full of board games, which my husband and I love to pull out and play together. The more we enjoy being at home, the more time we spend together as a family.
I have stopped buying paper towels! I even gave the holder to the Thrift Store. We are buying whatever school supplies we can at garage sales (pencils and pens especially) and utilizing the sale items I bought last year at the end of the season for school supplies this year. It has saved us substantial amounts of money and time. I feel justified!
Last year I lost a job and truly had to cut back. This year, I accepted a job with lower pay so spending still must be limited. I’d love to go all organic, but I’m using baking soda and vinegar for more and more cleaners–even as shampoo and conditioner. We grew our own tomatoes this year, my dh has been making all of our bread, and we’ve found a very cheap source for hormone-free eggs and milk.
I buy nearly all my clothes at thrift shops, and I still get lots of compliments. It takes more time to scout things out, but I save big bucks.
I taught myself how to can & preserve. I was really nervous about it at first, but now it’s the best therapy ever, and I love sharing with friends and family. There’s nothing better than picking berries & making your own preserves, or growing your own tomatos and then canning your own sauces & salsas. The library is full of books on the subject, too! Thrift stores & garage sales are good places to score jars & rings. I’m hooked.
I was just wondering if a winner had been picked? I really enjoyed reading through everyone’s comments too – there were some great ideas!