Simple Prosperity — A Winner

Thank you to everyone who entered to win a copy of Dave Wann’s Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle. The randomly chosen winner was My Roman Apartment. I am trying to do a giveaway per week on The Non-Consumer Advocate, so keep checking back in for your chance to win something cool!

I choose the winners randomly because you guys always write up such fantastic comments, and it would be near to impossible to pick the best one. Here’s a selection of entries, but click HERE to read the entirety.

Enjoy!

Katy Wolk-Stanley

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”

My Roman Apartment:

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.

Leanne:

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 

Linden:

I reuse foil, have switched to cloth napkins, have repurposed old towels into wash and dish cloths…Thanks for the chance to win.

KaylaK:

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.

Chessa:

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. 

Dave:

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.

Sandi:

We ride our bikes 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 instead of bypass it.

Judy C:

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!!

*Note: The phrase “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without” is an old Yankee maxim. As much as I would like to take credit for making it up, it’s much older than I am.

Amanda:

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!

Barb @ 1Sentence Diary:

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.