ToT: Secondhand Shopping

Secondhand shopping is such an excellent, ethical choice . . . I love it.

-It reduces environmental impact: fewer materials and less waste (both the product itself and the manufacturing), fewer shipping emissions, saves landfill space, etc.
-It supports local economy.
-It reduces the demand of new production of items and sends a message to manufacturers that more is not always more. Down with consumerism!
-It reduces the demand for items that may have been sourced or manufactured in slave conditions.
-It often supports job creation for small businesses or individuals who may not have many other opportunities. (Goodwill, for example, hires a number of employees with intellectual disabilities.)
-You can find all kinds of crazy stuff you wouldn't find elsewhere.
-You can usually get a good bargain.

ToT: Black Friday, Indeed

Today, I am posting my Together on Tuesday topic RIGHT ON TIME! Barely. Small victories.

Time to share our thoughts on Black Friday. If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, it won't be hard to guess what I have to say.

"Christmas is not only getting too commercial, it's getting too dangerous."

ToT (late again!): State of the Union

I've been pretty distracted this week, mostly with good stuff. We've got some changes coming. AND my baby boy has turned ONE! His birthday was Tuesday, so I took a break. I'll be blogging about that soon . . . my thoughts and feelings keep swirling. I guess that's motherhood.

Last week, though, we were to write about the state of things today. Is the country falling apart? Going to 'hell in a handbasket?' Why?

Whew.

I could say a LOT on this, but I am going to try not to. (Don't laugh.) I think I have a few unique perspectives on this, being a social worker married to an historian--I have a front-row seat to some of the uglier sides of our culture, and a chat with my husband can help me put that in context. So a few thoughts . . .

ToT: Current Events

So . . . today's Together on Tuesday topics is either a wild card or your thoughts on some current events . . . namely, the Aurora, CO shootings and the Chick-fil-A drama around anti-gay marriage comments and contributions. I have a wild card formulating, but it seems kind of shallow to write about clothes--even ethically-sourced clothes--with these subjects on the table. Good grief, the whole point about this blog is how to impact and respond to society in a way that promotes justice, mercy, and humility. Plus, I'm a social worker. People usually do NOT want to hear me speak on this type of topic. I often have a lot to say, and in these cases, much of what I think, feel, and believe has already been said by others elsewhere. So, I am going to tackle both topics with the same principle in mind.

There are real people involved in these issues.

Together on Tuesday: MONEY

Ah, money. I've always found it rather . . . well . . . blah. Money is not interesting to me at all. In high school philosophy, I wrote some obnoxious paper about how we should all revert to the barter system because money was ruining everything. While I've grown up a bit, I am still not just that motivated by money. (Clearly . . . I am a social worker married to an historian. On purpose.) For us, money is simply a tool to help us build the life we want--which is funny, because probably people who like money feel the same way.

So how do we manage it?

First, I must say we are blessed that we have very little financial stress. There is enough compatibility between our income and our lifestyle to allow us the luxury of not obsessing about money. Are we rich? See above . . . NO. But we live below our means and we have enough. I cannot overstate how thankful we are for this. After spending plenty of time with people who have no choice but to spend a LOT of time thinking about acquiring cash and paying bills, this is not to be taken for granted.

Second, it is very important to us that we use our money to live out our values of social justice, care for people and the environment, and simplicity. Unfortunately, in this culture, this is a decidedly not-simple task (hence this entire blog!). Just about everything on the market in the US today is a product of someone else's blood, sweat, and tears. While I used to be an expert bargain shopper/couponer, and I became very efficient, I realized that type of shopping didn't allow me to purchase items I felt good about. So while I don't like to spend a lot of time thinking about money, I have to spend a lot of time thinking about how I spend it if I want to live my values. Sometimes I can pull this off. Other times, I fail miserably (she says with grace for her own shortcomings).

One thing we kind of love around here: our "dumb money:"

At one point, there was an undisclosed amount of money spent by an undisclosed family member each month on an undisclosed vice . . . and while said family member was enjoying his daily coffee and scones, his wife was spending too many lunch breaks at Target. Since we don't fight about money (truly! so thankful!) and didn't intend to start, we instituted "dumb money." It's basically an allowance that we don't have to account for, so even if the other spouse thinks the purchase is dumb, they aren't allowed to say so. We love it.

So while some things are working for us, we could manage our money a LOT better.

We used to have a tight budget, by necessity since one of us was in school for the majority of our marriage. Our income has fluctuated so much that the budget no longer matches . . . and we sure have gotten lax really paying attention to where that money flows. Time for a new one. For years I managed the money, then Ben took over. (We realized it wasn't a great idea for one of us to be completely in the dark about the day-to-day activities like paying bills, etc.) Now we have a hybrid system, where we kind of tag team . . . and while this works most of the time, sometimes it leads to a comedy of errors: "I thought you paid it!" "But I thought YOU paid it!", repeat ad nauseam. (I exaggerate . . . things get paid on time, but it does get a little silly around here.) I have never had any luck with these supposedly helpful financial software/websites, and we have yet to find a management system that works well enough that we really stay on top of it. And while my wonderful husband has put some effort into boring things like investments and retirement account, I am still pretty clueless, and I am pretty sure we could be smarter about some of this stuff. So we are thinking it's time to tighten ship around here. Or so we have been saying for months and months . . . have I mentioned how a baby changes everything?

Said baby makes it even more important that we sharpen our financial situation. I would love to learn some simple, efficient ways to manage budgeting. (Comments welcome!) I would be thrilled if money played an even smaller part in our life . . . we are on a path to simplifying even further, as I am working part time and we are whittling unneeded expenses. This will make space and time for the things that are most important to us . . . which, to me, is the best use of money there is.

Here's hoping that my Together on Tuesdays ladies have some ideas for me . . .check out Nancy, Danielle, Michelle, and Charlotte for more money talk!

Long time, no write

Hi, Friends.

I can't believe how long it's been since I've written!

Why. Hmm . . . .

Sure, a lot has happened. Sure, I've been as busy as ever. Same old reasons we all have when we get behind.

Also, we have some new excitement around our home, with a little Clark expected to arrive in August.

We are feeling so blessed, and so humbled. And I am feeling so tired. :) But other than tired, I am feeling great! No complaints, just gratitude.

With this change, I am finding myself wanting less and less time with a computer on my lap. Between my work and keeping up with various other commitments, there is a LOT of computer time around here. You can't blame me if most nights hanging out with my husband and my kitties is a bit more appealing than hanging out with Blogger! :)

Also, I have been quite challenged in just living with this change in mind. Have you ever searched for fair trade maternity clothes? What about car seats, baby bedding, etc? It's rough out there! I have been looking and looking, and I'll be sharing some about this as the weeks go on. I've found my best bet so far is to go with secondhand and handmade as often as possible, and I am so thankful for generous people in my world who are willing to share. I've been trying to keep it simple, too, avoiding most of the clutter the big box stores seem to think we need.

I've also been thinking more and more about raising a child in a way that helps him be conscious about the world around him. Taking the parent role will be quite different from the professional role, but we're looking forward to it. So more to come on that topic, too.

So, all of this to say, I'm back! Don't be shocked if I write a bit less than when I began, but I hope to share a bit more in the coming months. I've missed you all! :)

Haves and Have Nots

I'm all about responsible use of resources. We don't carry debt in our home (aside from mortgage and student loans, and we're diligent with those). We live below our means. If we couldn't pay cash for it, we do without. I'm grateful we've been able to make these choices.

That said, there are instances where people are stuck with 2 bad choices. Do you go into debt or do without the transportation that gets you to work? Do you go into debt or do without medicine that keeps you going?

This new proposed budget gives me a headache. I really, really value fiscal responsibility. But not as much as I value protecting vulnerable members of our society. What is more important to us, as a society?

How did we get to a place where certain people 'deserve' to be wealthy? The argument I hear over and over again is how hard they work for it. That drives me crazy. Why?

Guess who else works hard? Garbage collectors. Certified Nurses Assistants. Construction workers. Warehouse staff. Servers in restaurants. Maintenance workers. Teachers. People who work 3 icky jobs to cover their bills. While I'm at it, why not add social workers?

So that's why tax breaks for the top echelon of society give me a headache. You can find wealthy people who work harder than many average or low-income people. You can find plenty of low-income people who bust their tails every day while some wealthy people rely on other people's hard work to sit pretty. Comparing someone who was born into a wealthy family and inherited a position at a big firm to someone who was born into nothing, treated with little dignity, and worked her way into a $9.25/hr job at age 18, who do you think works harder?

There are all kinds of stories from all kinds of backgrounds, and they are all worthy of respect. The problem comes when society tells us the story of the wealthy person is more valuable than the story of the hard working single mom, or the lonely widow on a fixed low income.

There is disgusting behavior across the socio-economic spectrum. I often hear people decrying the ugliness of welfare fraud, and I agree. If you don't need food stamps, or if you can get by without pulling a big social security check, it would be nice to save those funds for people who truly need them to survive in this culture. We would save a lot of money that way. BUT, how many people in the top 10% income bracket need the luxuries and excess they can afford?

Maybe these painful cuts to programs like heating assistance for low-income citizens or community action programs for struggling neighborhoods wouldn't hurt so bad if I knew everyone was chipping in to keep our society strong. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to take if I knew we were cutting the fat in our enormous defense fund, or if I knew the only people receiving the assistance that remains were the people who truly needed it.

Maybe the cuts wouldn't be so bad if I saw the best of human behavior, across the socioeconomic spectrum. Maybe people struggling to survive can band together and support each other, although I certainly know that is easier said than done. Maybe people with large incomes who believe in charity over government assistance can fully engage themselves in giving--and not just in charity, but in true social change that unites our society instead of dividing us into haves and have nots. Maybe we can work together across economic lines to build a more just society.

Maybe. But for now, we're stuck with 2 bad choices: an unsustainable budget that tries to care for our struggling citizens, or a slightly more sustainable budget that leaves people even more vulnerable.

Maybe we can find a better way.

Daily Detox: Coffee

This is not one of those caffeine or no-caffeine discussions. That's up to you. My husband and I have debated this endlessly to no avail.

Instead, I suggest switching to Fair Trade, Organic Coffee only.

Bigwig coffee companies, like Nestle, Kraft, and Proctor & Gamble, get to set the prices they pay the farmers. If they are paying farmers disgustingly low prices, farmers don't make enough to pay their workers well or support their families. While farmers in Vietnam are selling for 60% of production costs, or a woman in Tanzania made $15 for a year's crop, I'm sure CEOs of big companies are making plenty. Not to mention the slavery and child labor happening in coffee plantations around the world.

For more information on the plight of coffee workers, check out Everyday Justice or Green America.

With coffee workers receiving 1-6% of what we actually pay for coffee, our cheap coffee has a global impact. Coffee is a luxury; human dignity is not.

I wouldn't work for pennies unless I was desperate. Why should the people who grow my food?

Fair trade isn't perfect, but it seeks to make sure the workers to bring the coffee to our tables are treated well and paid a fair wage for their hard work. Organic coffee is better for the environment and workers, and organic coffee is often shade-grown, which is better for our forests.

It's getting easier to find fair trade, and the the quality is superior to Maxwell House and Folger's. Trader Joe's has a lot of fair trade options, but look carefully--some are fair, some are not. Your typical grocery store is starting to carry some, too. If you don't find them in the coffee aisle, check the natural foods section. Green Mountain and Equal Exchange are among the more popular fair trade companies. There are more, though--look for the fair trade label. Even Starbucks has gotten on the ethical coffee bandwagon. While their products aren't certified, they claim to be sourcing their coffee in ethical ways.

This is a simple way to make the world a better place! When you pay a bit more for a quality cup of Joe, know you are helping a family send their child to school, or keep their farm, or simply eat. I hope someday we don't even have to discuss this, and that all of the products we purchase are sold with human dignity first in mind.

Linus and Lucy

Linus is concerned that Christmas has gone too commercial. Lucy is just glad that Christmas means lots of presents for pretty girls. Argh! I feel like Linus in a Lucy world.

It is so, so hard to find gifts that fit our values, fit our budgets, and delight the people we love. After years of shopping for gifts that make wise use of resources and support human dignity (not slavery), we feel like we have maxed out Global Gifts, Fair Indigo, and the like. We're trying Global Girlfriend. We're trying Uncommon Goods, though I am not convinced these products are produced fairly. When we buy mainstream gifts, we try to buy smart, using Green America's Responsible Shopper. But the sad truth is, there is a limited supply of items that feel good for us to buy and give.

Further, I have never enjoyed giving gifts just to say I have given a gift. I want to give something meaningful, useful, fun, worthwhile. The honest truth is that for most people on my list, they have PLENTY. A feast of more than enough. It is hard to find an item that cuts through the accumulation of stuff to be a meaningful gift.

What to do? We have tried to give gifts of presence, not just presents. Tickets, time together, etc. Sometimes that works better than others. I would love to stick to what a lovely woman I know calls the secondhand, handmade, fairtrade rule, but sometimes I shy away because I'm not sure how it would be received. Or what about contributing to college funds for the busy kids who seem to have everything?

We're still pondering, but we're running out of time! What about you? How do you go about selecting a lovely Christmas gift?

Consumption Check-Up

Remember our consumerism fast? The effects are still lingering. It's pretty enjoyable. I had a couple of rough patches, like really wanting to use the WiFi at a coffee spot downtown but feeling guilty for going in but not buying. I called my husband so he could talk me down, and it worked. I sat in my car and typed. But overall, it was nice to remind ourselves to spend our time and money on things that really matter. We are more mindful of how we shop and how our purchases affect others. And really, we just don't miss shopping.

With Advent starting Sunday, we are planning to celebrate our holiday season intentionally. That means more people, more reflection, more sights, sounds, and smells, more time, and less stuff--and it begins now. You won't see us shopping on Black Friday! Some stores are opening Thursday, for pity's sake. I am all for workers getting holiday pay if they want it, and everyone agrees that jobs are good in this climate, I just feel for the workers sacrificing their rest, sanity, and family time. I know lots of people who love Black Friday shopping and use it as a family ritual, too, and that can be a good thing. I just wonder if it's gotten out of hand . . . people hurt each other, people have even died, just over saving a few dollars to buy something they might have done without. It's just not something we can participate in and still enjoy our day.

So this Friday, we will continue our consumerism fast. We'll rest, exercise, probably work (that's another post for another day--but I'm doing better!), and enjoy each other. Our family ritual is to put the Christmas decorations up, break out our favorite Christmas music, make a big meal, and set the tone for our holiday season.

What about you? How do you celebrate this famed day after Thanksgiving?

My Ongoing Existential Dilemma

On the way back from a lovely night away, Ben and I stopped at an icky outlet mall. We don't love shopping or anything, but we try to use sales and coupons to get some good deals for basics and wardrobe updates a couple times a year. We struggle with knowing where to shop to cause the least harm, and sites like Green America and Chain Store Reaction help us make some choices. (For example, Gap stores, which include Old Navy, Athleta, and Banana Republic, have put significant effort into slavery issues. They are not perfect, but they are responding.)

Almost every time I shop at a typical retail store, I freak out a little bit. Sitting in the parking lot Saturday, with a bag of stuff in my lap, our engine idling with dozens of other vehicles trying to escape the shrine to commerce, I got a sick feeling. The whole process is in stark contrast with what I truly value. All of those people spending all of that time chasing stuff! It makes my stomach hurt. I get the angst. There is a part of me that enjoys the aesthetics of dressing in a way that reflects my style, and part of me finds it restorative to take care of myself in a way that keeps my temple shiny. But most of me couldn't care less!

This inevitably brought us to the Christmas conversation. We love, love, love the people on our gift list, but every last one of them has more than enough stuff! We have tried different approaches in the past: donations in people's honor, gifts that support causes, gifts of time and presence. How can we share Christmas in a way that both honors our loved ones and is consistent with our values of peace and justice?

I think we're going to try some new things this year. It takes some creativity to participate in American holiday culture without elevating stuff and busy-ness above the essence of the holidays. Advent is coming. This year, the Clarks are considering our own version of the Advent Conspiracy and Sojourner's Peace and Justice Christmas--not just a smidge, but full-on. Throughout Advent, I'll be blogging our thoughts, discoveries, experiments, and even failings at celebrating the essence of Christmas, and nothing more. I hope you will join us!

treating the consumption

It's time for a consumerism fast around here.

A few times, for Lent, we've given up consumerism. We combined trips and used our bikes and the bus more. We remembered to conserve water, gas, and electricity. We watched less TV. We cooked at home and composted and recycled any waste. We donated items we don't need and found new uses for old objects. If we didn't need it, we didn't buy it. Period. Material needs are limited to nutritious food and gasoline to go to work and toilet paper and the like. We make a few mindful purchases, buying fair trade, recycled, organic, and local when we can. The rest, as my husband says, is all gonna burn in the end. We already have more than enough. By deflecting attention from keeping up with our consumerist culture, we have been able to turn our attention to what really matters.

Right now, we're adjusting to new schedules and still catching up from our trip. When we're stressed, easy fixes often overtake wiser, more mindful choices. So, like we do during Lent, we're hitting the reset button and returning attention to our core values.

Are we crazy consumers like some people out there? No. But do we use more than we need? Often. We're American, it's to be expected.

It might seem a little off-base that so many of the links and topics on Just Living concern products and shopping. This is supposed to be about living simply and changing the world in small ways! The fact is, we live in a consumerist culture. Most of us shop way too much, and so often, convenience wins the day, at the expense of justice for so many people. What we buy impacts neighborhoods, resources, health, safety, and dignity for so many people. I can't call myself a justice-minded person if I shop blindly. In a consumerist culture, money is king. Companies will listen to our spending more than they listen to our words. I really believe that if our culture shifts into one of gratitude for what we have instead of constant need to upgrade and acquire more, things will start to change.

While our little week of a consumerism fast may be small, it will impact:

-the environment, as we will produce less waste and manufacturing byproducts while consuming fewer resources; this in turn impacts people around the world
-worker's rights, as we avoid purchasing items made on the backs of exploited people
-our bank account, as we eliminate wasteful spending
-our thinking, as we remember to live with less and address inconveniences creatively
-our spirits, as we feel lighter and freer and have more to give to others

So, here we go again! Anyone care to join us? We'd love to hear your ideas.

And Happy Halloween!

Sweat-free Shopping

Clothing is one of those American entitlements. Most of us have a disgusting amount of perfectly fine clothes, yet find reasons every year to buy more because we "need" certain items. I'm guilty of it. Our culture does an excellent job of convincing us we need certain pieces to look complete, put-together, professional--every woman "needs" pumps and a little black dress, for example.

I call BS. Most of my clients get by without any of the stuff many of us think we need. And buying all that junk contributes to waste in landfills, dangerous chemicals in our ground, air, and water, and exploitation of people at home and abroad. I'm sad to say that sweatshops and forced labor are alive and well.

Did you know there are more slaves alive today than there were when slavery was legal? How is this possible? Because demand for cheap crap outpaces demand for human dignity. People are making money off of it--OUR money.

Well, that's just one reason.

Among the super-important things we can do to stop slavery is to stop the demand for slave-produced goods. Clothing is a main culprit. While factories around the world can provide much-needed income for families, they can also destroy lives. We have to pay attention to what we buy. All the activism in the world won't change lives if we then turn around and use our hard-earned money to support the slavery we hate.

Buying second hand is a GREAT way to reduce demand for new slave-produced goods. The stuff already exists, is often of good quality, and looks better in a closet than it does in a landfull.

Buying fair trade is a great option as well. There are so many good places to buy fair trade gifts, all you have to do is google. For clothing, try Fair Indigo. It's not the most fashion-forward, but that's what vintage stores are for. Fair Indigo has great basic pieces with good cut and good quality. There's a HUGE sale right now--cashmere for $25! Sizes for ladies run a bit large, so keep that in mind.

To find out which manufacturers and retailers even care how their factories are run, check out Chain Store Reaction.
Better yet, send them a note and let them know you care. To find out what more you can do to end slavery in our time, visit Free the Slaves or Green America's Guide to Ending Sweatshops.

[Factory labor is just one type of modern slavery. To learn more about what you can do to end sex slavery in the US, visit Doma International.]

Blood Chocolate

I am a big fan of chocolate--specifically 72%, high-quality dark. The sad, ugly truth about chocolate is that most of it--especially the cheap stuff--comes at a great expense. Child labor, forced slavery, kidnapping and human trafficking, dangerous working conditions, long hours, and extremely low wages are just part of what keeps our chocolate chips and candy bars affordable.

Photo from Green America

No one I know thinks it is OK to exploit children for a profit, and yet the chocolate industry is thriving on this model. Some big companies are responding to consumer pressure and are reworking their policies. Others have a long way to go.

So what can we do? We strive to buy only fair trade chocolate, which ensures safe and equitable working conditions through the supply chain. You can look for the fair trade label. Endangered Species chocolate is ethically sourced and donates a percentage back to nurture the environments where chocolate grows.

We can tell everyone we know the real story behind chocolate. We can tell bakeries, coffee shops, and grocery stores that we care about the people who provide chocolate for us, and that we will support businesses who do the same. Most importantly, we can continue to campaign the big chocolate companies that it's time to change. We can no longer support harmful pracitices for the sake of a little indulgence.

Fair trade isn't perfect, and these are small steps to solve a big problem, but it's a start. What do you think? What do we need to do to ensure our free market system is also ethical? How can we elevate human dignity over the demand for cheap goods?

Inspiration

If I could recommend one book on faith and social justice, it would be Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson. I wish I wrote it, and I am so thankful she did! It touches on justice issues that truly intersect with our lives daily and gives clear, meaningful information on why all of us should care. The writing is compelling and free of judgment, and the tips are practical and easily applied to daily life (for those of us in middle class US culture).

This book, among other things, inspired this blog. I hope my musings on discoveries, experiments, progress, and failures will help us all better understand how we can make daily choices which impact our world for the better. And I hope everyone I know reads Everyday Justice!!!