Economic Stimulus: I Did it My Way.

"I am tired of 'the consumer as savior of our economy,'" bemoaned Alea in the comments section of a blog post in My Year Without Spending. Alea, I couldn't agree more.

In my home state of New Jersey, our new governor, Chris Christie, recently proposed repealing Bergen County's blue laws, which keep malls in Paramus closed and streets blissfully traffic free. More mall shopping, more tax revenue. Governor Christie does not live in Bergen County.

Is it too soon to start campaigning against him? I liked the response of the mayor of Paramus: Over my dead body.

I recall a television ad for a shopping mall where a woman was loading up her car with bags and her sad looking daughter sat there. As soon as the woman put a bag for her, a huge smile came. The ad just made me sad.

Why is our economy always projected in the media as being so dependent on shopping, especially at Wal-Mart and the like? I saw a story in the paper about consumer confidence being up and a woman hold up many shopping bags smiling. Is she our savior?

There are plenty of ways to support our economy without going on a shopping spree. Here are my favorites.

The cinema. I saw, I adored.


Local groups, like Bergen County Historical Society. For $20, I am now a proud card carrying member.


What would I do without my beloved library? They are are so under threat right now when citizens need them more than ever. I picked up a form to "be a friend" of my town library.

I love DVDs at home, not only for their value, but all the informative extras. This week's pick: the sexy Cherie. A new release, just $1, helps fund their DVD collection.

Concerts. I'll be blissfully in the audience in New York City's Concert Hall in about two weeks to see Natalie Merchant perform songs from her new album of poetry put to music, Leave Your Sleep. She's talked about how it has opened her eyes to the power and beauty of the word. All avid readers and writers can attest to that.

She'll also be at Barnes and Noble Union Square on Wednesday, April 14th. Learn more. For CD purchases, I head to an independent shop, Music Merchant, in Westwood.



Education. I think education is often so unappreciated in youth. Many just don't have the perspective or gratitude to enjoy unbridled days of learning.

Community school programs are a fun, inexpensive way to learn or hone a skill. I have a weekly infusion of French.

I picked up a French version of Harry Potter in Paris. Said it before, will say it again: Hermoine is a great role model for young girls.


Picnicking. Fill a basket or backpack with goodies from my local farm or Trader Joe's. How does Branch Brook Park in Newark sound to see the cherry blossoms? I was there last year...



Travel. My sweetheart and I have enjoyed a lot of little fun weekend getaways: a B&B in Vermont, exploring Washington, DC, country weekends in Watkins Glen and Woodstock (below, the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary). We aren't big consumers when we travel. We support local restaurants, artisans, historical sites, museums and such.

We travel instead of doing Christmas, Valentine's Day and anniversary gifts. For birthdays, something little: he got me a Whole Foods card so I could get some vegan goodies, I got him a case of his favorite beer and bottle of his favorite wine.

Community events. My church recently had their annual pancake breakfast, $5 a person. An hour afterward, I went into a pancake-induced coma!

Isn't the plate pretty?

Other favorites: local food festivals, independent restaurants, charitable organizations, and again, farms (Demarest Farms is opening this month).

Kreativ Blogger Awards

Cate at Budget Confessions honored me as one of her seven choices for a Kreativ Blogger award. I am humbled and touched.

In the spirit of the award, I'm revealing seven things about myself, and picking seven blogs to recognize.

1. I once contemplated going to culinary school and worked as an apprentice for seven months in a fine French restaurant, but decided it wasn't for me. I miss the creativity of the kitchen, not the 80 hour work weeks, low pay and lack of benefits. I have no regrets. I can at least say I tried my dream job out. Sometimes, the grass isn't always greener.
2. I've been dancing for years, and can do hustle, west coast swing and even the country two-step.
3. While working as a waitress there in high school, I was named a Friendly's employee of the month! Will modern science veganize the Fribble and the Reese's Pieces sundae in our time? I hope so.
4. I've been a blonde, red-head, and a brunette. I even streaked my hair with blue Manic Panic in high school. I'm back to my natural state: brunette.
5. I have a very loving, very non-vegetarian boyfriend, and I detest when other people say "My sweetheart learned about factory farming and never ate meat again. He's the perfect guy!" Who are these fairytale men? We've visited two farm animal sanctuaries, and he still orders meat every time we go out. Ah, the challenges of being in an inter-dietary relationship.
6. I have always lived in New Jersey. Please, world, we are not all like what you see on the Real Housewives of New Jersey or the Jersey Shore. When traveling around Europe, people would say, "We know New Jersey. We watch the Sopranos." Nooo! Although we can laugh at ourselves. In our last gubernatorial debate, the three candidates were asked, "Bruce Springsteen or Bon Jovi?" I answer as they all did, Bruce.
7. I lost a job once and it's one of the best things that ever happened. As a result, I'm so much more conscious with money, I met my boyfriend, and I now have a job in New York City and work with amazing people. But it was a dark, uncertain time when I went through it. If you have job struggles, have faith there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

In no particular order, here are my recipients.
. The Thrifty Chicks
. My Year Without Spending
. Budget Confessions
. Confessions of Young Woman
. Making Hay
. On Loving Animals
. Mad on a Gray Sea

The media, television in particular, projects a world overly concerned with pursuits of materialism and a vapid quest for a youthful appearance. Think everything from spoiled teens getting six figure Sweet Sixteens to Botoxed housewives who would look much better with the wrinkles than the Botox.

These bloggers give me hope. There are more important things to pursue and support....thriftiness, environmentalism, farmers, a better world for animals, travel, reading, wisdom, family, friends, and love. Would we all eat the same thing at a dinner party? Definitely not, but the conversation would be lively.

Catch the Clothes Swapping Fever

We cleared out our closets. We donated. We ate. We smiled. Here's how the latest clothing swap I co-organized at work looked, and how we did it.

We made no rules.

We invited everyone through e-mail or flyer. One didn't have to donate to take something. The idea is simply to let go of things you don't want or like, and pass it on to others who will use and love them. Leftovers are bound for the Salvation Army in Chelsea and the C.A.T.S. Resale Shop.

We supplied refreshments.

All vegan and all yummy: homemade hummus made by a swap co-organizer, the rest from Trader Joe's: sparkling pomegranate juice, pita chips, brown rice marshmallow treats and cafe twist cookies.

We swapped items of the season.

These cozy warm sweaters reminded me of a Crayola crayon box!


We rejected the notion that $500 shoes (vegan or not) should be coveted when you can get adorable shoes for free.

Cuteness times two! I adore ballet flats. Sadly not my size.


We added jewelery, bags, scarves and other accessories.

That way, every shape and size could find something. Beauty comes in all forms.

A sampling of the offerings. The center and right necklace went home with me.


We included unwanted holiday gifts.

Anything from candles and body lotions to pre-packaged food items. My swap co-organizer claimed a Philosophy lotion set before I even brought it there. A closet shoe organizer was scooped up as it was being unpacked, as were two bags of Dunkin Donuts coffee. I'll be drinking this French vanilla blend in the mornings.


We gained, but we let go.

My other take-aways: a blue Banana Republic sweater (perfect for the office), an embroidered Forever 21 top, and my favorite, a gorgeous jewel-toned green dress.


Among the things I put into the universe, a black BCBG dress. I spent $100 on it at a department store when I used to have the mentality that I worked hard for my money and should "treat myself." I now realize I work hard for my money and should be wiser with how I spend it. Why spend large sums when I can acquire things for free at swaps or for minimal amounts at consignment and thrift shops?

The BCBG dress was one of those things I thought I should have in my closet, perfect for a romantic night out, and when a romantic night would arrive, I would never reach for that dress. I just didn't feel comfortable in it. That green dress, I will eagerly reach for. I think it was my reward for finally saying good-bye to the other one.

We promoted clothes as being reusable, not disposable or to be forgotten.

Last year's boyfriend jeans are now out, Good Morning America tells us, and motorcycle jeans are in. Out: green nail polish (how was that ever in?), in: gray nail polish. The list goes on and on. Who dictates these things, and why don't we want to embrace our individuality? Another "out" is green products, and "in" is green lifestyles. Well wouldn't living a green lifestyle mean not being such a mass consumer and believing in "trends" in the first place?

Nearly 40 women vowed to go without buying clothing for a year, Angela at My Year Without Spending blogged about. Read about "The Great American Apparel Diet."

We pondered at the end why so many didn't stop by to peruse the offerings.

What woman wouldn't want to look at free clothes, jewelry and bags, no strings attached? Some clothes still had tags on them, and most were in perfect condition. I'll never understand why second hand items have such a stigma, but racking up credit card debt and living beyond our means does not.

Think your new department store clothes are clean? Think again, according to this disturbing Good Morning America piece, which sent items from discount, mid-level and high-end stores for testing.

Become a swapper.

Swap kids' clothes with your PTA group. Women's clothes with your friends or co-workers. Donate the leftovers to charity. Swap books at work. Let's decide that permanently "in" are the notions of reuse, reduced consumption and financial empowerment.

My New Favorite Four-Letter Word: Less

I think Rob, a resident of Staten Island, may be onto something. In the comments section of The New York Times article on Rethinking Laundry in the 21st Century, he remarked "It's funny how so many of the 'green' things I do, like hanging clothes outside, keeping a vegetable garden, composting yard and food waste, re-using bags (paper and plastic) and walking instead of driving are the kind of things my grandparents did before anybody called it 'green'."

Getting back to the basics. I'll add to that list: having a library card, drinking tap water, turning off lights when leaving a room, and using homemade cleaning products. (Learn about 25 Safe, Non-toxic, Homemade Cleaning Supplies from Tree Hugging Family and PETA Prime's Simple, Safe, and Cruelty-Free House Cleaners).

One more green thing our grandparents did that our bank accounts and Earth would benefit from? Paying in cash as much as possible. Why? Because I believe if we had to pay cash for many of the items we purchase, we would reconsider much of what we consume.

There's a scene in the haunting film Into the Wild (based on the Jon Krakauer novel), in which Christopher McCandless' parents offer to buy him a new car for a graduation gift, an idea he soundly rejects. "Why would I want a new car? The Datsun runs great. I don't need a new car. I don't want a new car. I don't want any thing. These things, things, things, things.”

"How much is enough?" asks Angela, who chronicles a year without purchasing anything new in her blog, My Year Without Spending. She brilliantly showcases how fabulous her readers look in thrift and consignment store finds in her “Thrifty Threads Feature.”

Angela belongs to The Compact, a San Francisco-area group whose members committed to "a 12-month flight from the consumer grid." They aim to "go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of disposable consumer culture and to support local businesses, farms, etc.; reduce clutter and waste in our homes; and simplify our lives."

While you don't need to go as far as they do, it's worth reflecting on with the season of spending coming upon us, and the financial and environmental aftermath.

Consider this: Americans produce an extra one million tons of household waste over the average between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, according to the EPA, Planet Green reports. That's a 25 percent rise in waste from the already unacceptable 4 million tons.

I hardly have taken a vow of poverty, but I give thoughtful reflection on my purchases now. When I shop, I like to ask, "Do I really need this?" and "Will I remember this item in a week's time if I don't buy it?" It's not about depriving myself, and of course I permit myself some indulgences. (The R.E.M. Live at the Olympia cd I bought at my local independent music shop wasn't a 'need.') But mostly, it's about being content with much what I already have, and going second-hand as much as possible. For what would have cost hundreds of dollars in past years, I 'acquired' a new fall/winter wardrobe for free through my last clothing swap and 'shopping' in my closet, using perfectly stylish pieces in a range of new looks.

In an interview about a year ago on the U.S. economic woes, Suze Orman reflected that American consumers have been carrying this economy on our backs, and our backs are broken. Our wallets, and planet, cannot continue to go on as it has.

As Eddie Vedder lamented on the Into the Wild Soundtrack in Jerry Hannan's Society, "You think you have to want more than you need, until you have it all you won't be free."