Just a quick update today. I am trying to make a very conscious effort not to spend money as we begin to count down to our Eurotrip (that is, if I can ever get my passport taken care of, which is a whole different issue I don’t want to get into.)
Money-saving measures:
Meal planning: know what my options are so I don’t order pizza in a moment of “I have no idea what to make tonight!” weakness.
Use coupons. I am not an Extreme Couponer by any means but if the item in question is one I already buy regularly, and I have a coupon, well there ya go. I WILL NOT buy an item I don’t usually use just because I have a coupon.
Clicking “delete” on all West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Joss and Main, etc e-mails I get (daily!) BEFORE I OPEN THEM so there is NO temptation to pick up a little something “because it’s on sale.”
Valentine’s day downsize: we will have dinner at home like any other day instead of going to the restaurant we’ve gone to for the past two years.
Stay in town on the weekend! Yes, we went to Lawrence two weekends ago but I’m going to make a big effort not to run to the next town over just to “get away.” I’ll have to find another coping mechanism for when I get cabin fever. (Suggestions welcomed!)
Today at work I had a meeting with our contact person for the Mid-Feb through Mid-March emphasis on Modern Day Slavery that we are going to focus on here at church.
Did you know that today there are more slaves on earth than there have been at any other point of history? Slavery did not end in the 1800s, friends. There are somewhere between 10 million and 30 million slaves living in our world–the numbers are broad because the underworld does not make its statistics public like a normal business would (duh).
Slavery in its most horrific and most talked-about form is sex trafficking and forced prostitution but there are many other forms–indentured servitude (on a farm, for example), forced child labor, sweatshop workers who toil to “pay off” a debt that spirals higher day by day. It almost always takes the form of what appeared at first to be a generous loan, but one that can never be paid off due to “interest” or “fees” associated with “letting the debt slide.”
The above video is about a website called slaveryfootprint.org where you can input facts about your belongings, home, and habits. The program uses tons of aggregated data to estimate your “slavery footprint” in the way other sites use info to estimate your “carbon footprint.” I was shocked to find out that based on my lifestyle I have 30+ slaves “working” for me inderectly–more specifically in mines for minerals used in make-up and cell phones, on farms, in sweatshops, etc.
I have a friend who has really taken the cause to heart. When shopping, even for simple things like soap and shampoo, she purchases fair trade as frequently as possible. Yes! There is such a thing as fair trade shampoo! Growing your own garden is a great way to take some of the burden off of day laborers. Purchasing gently-used clothing from thrift stores eliminates the “need” for GAP to manufacture one more shirt. Cell phones use precious minerals like coltan–ever heard of it? Didn’t think so–but there are people forced to mine for it in dangerous conditions. I’m not saying get rid of your cell phone, but I am saying that you probably don’t need to upgrade every two years if you take care of it.
Some people claim that they can’t buy fair trade (products from farmers or workers for a fair price in regards to their labor) because it is too expensive. Stop and ponder that for a moment. Ever wonder why “unfairly traded” products are so cheap? Most of the people I know who strictly stick to fair trade products do not make more money than my family does. In fact, who knows, they might make less. Sometimes it is important to focus on where your dollar is going, instead of stretching that dollar as far as it can go.
For new followers of this blog, I studied International Studies in college which emphasized current global problems like I’m talking about here. It is a passion of mine, which explains the empassioned posts like this that pop up on the blog every now and again.
Isn’t it fantastic how easy it is to stumble upon a blog you never even knew about–simply by following links from blog to blog? It really is like a rabbit hole of great pictures and wonderful content.
Well, earlier this week Blair posted about the February Comment Love Challenge over at Desirous of Everything. I am so excited to participate! The jist of it is to comment on posts instead of just reading/skimming and moving on. SO SIMPLE! Those who comment at least 42 times by Valentine’s Day are entered for a prize. Comments jut make my day and I know that this is true for all bloggers. Knowing that people have read what you’ve worked so hard on gives a little rush and builds momentum to head forward on more posts and projects. Additionally, insightful and meaningful comments are a major traffic-driver for your own site. It truly is a win-win.
One frustration, though: and perhaps this has happened to you and can tell me why this occurs. When I try to comment on a bigger blog, like Design*Sponge for example, my comment is eaten and never sees the light of day. I can only assume they are getting sent to the spam filter. Whaaaaa?! I try to at least write real, complete sentences, not something banal like “Cute!” …yet the short comments often make it up while mine end up in a black hole somewhere.
Anyway, I’m SO happy to say that I have commented on various blogs 6 times in the last two days and I hope that my words have brought a smile to another blogger’s face. Hopefully I can comment repeatedly on several blogs and develop some blog buddies ;)
PS: Due to some great responses yesterday, I’m giving Bloglovin a shot. Although this morning I instinctively went to Google Reader. Whoops! I’m “claiming” this blog too, so please Follow my blog with Bloglovin!
PPS: Evidence of comments as traffic-drivers: one time I posted a link to my coffeetable refurbishment post in a comment on Young House Love and I got 365 views in one day! WHAT THE WHAT! Unfortunately, none of them left a comment. Wop wop. However, that was this blog’s busiest day ever! Yay!
My Friend Staci 