I’m really relieved that we’ve sold our house. It didn’t take that long, I suppose, given that we only put it on the market in October ’06.
Once settlement’s taken place we’ll have more money than we’ve ever had before – at least for the split nanosecond before the bank takes its share. We will have a bit left that we can use to do things like buy a new fridge (ours is twenty years old and sounding very rattly) and a barbecue, to complement the nice outdoor area we have in our back yard.
We’ve also promised ourselves each a bit of money to play with (read: indulge ourselves). I am really looking forward to this. The only thing that remains a constant on this wish list is the Pelikan M450 Tortoise fountain pen that I have wanted coveted ever since I saw it. I don’t think it is even available in Australia so it is going to be a bit of a challenge importing it from overseas… The other challenge is going to be resisting the temptation to buy a few other pens so that I make the most of the shipping costs. Actually, I probably won’t be able to, given that the pen costs a bit (ranging from US$380 to US$450, depending who I get it from). Must investigate.
I don’t know what else I’ll do with the money, yet. We finally saw An Inconvenient Truth on Monday evening, which has given me a lot to think about, especially about Being A [Mindless] Consumer. Reading Dave Pollard’s response to the announcement of the Apple phone was also good. It’s too easy to forget about all the hidden costs of all those Bright Shiny Toys.
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Hubby and I buy a lot of stuff, but much less now than we used to. Over the past few years we’ve made a concerted effort to cut down by:
– buying used/recycled where possible (especially books, records, his clothes – I don’t buy used clothes but I do make my own or try to buy sweatshop-free)
– don’t buy any book until you’ve checked library holdings first
– if buying furniture, try and buy quality products not cheap particle board (which has its own environmental problems).
– use technology for as long as you can, then freecycle it. I gave my old mobile to a friend.
– buying way more fresh food than packaged stuff
Our biggest purchases are travel. I’m still unsure about carbon credits.
Groan – I was just about to buy a new mobile to replace my stone age (c.2003) model. You’re all right though. Off to eBay for me…
Hi Fi, I think I definitely need to cut down on my buying.
– I do buy recycled clothes from time to time. I am so unfashionable I tend to dislike the current styles “Why can’t I just get a PLAIN SHIRT?” Actually when it comes to clothes I don’t buy many, but I think I could be more conscious of the brands and do sweatshop free as much as I can.
– It’s embarrassing to admit this as I am a librarian, but I don’t use my local public library as much as I could. Must do this!
– We do try and buy “good” furniture. I used to bemoan the cost but the el cheapo stuff doesn’t last as long, anyway!
– When M upgrades his computer (which is not that often) I usually end up with his hand-me-downs. This is a good thing because he buys top of the range specifications at the time, and even 2-3 years later they are quite respectable for a non-serious gamer like me 🙂
– the food thing I need to really seriously reassess and improve. I am way too lazy and eat too much crap. Once we have our fridge I am going to see if I can get more organised and use the freezer better. I also want to eat less meat.
I don’t travel that much…
Tom, what sort of phone are you looking for? (Not that I have anything to offer, just curious)
It’s great to hear all the good intentions.
I’m not a shopper – even of my holiday to Hong Kong – shopping destination – I can only boast a nice pair of purple suede shoes (which have attracted several jealous looks), a 1Gb memory card for my camera and a pair of earrings (cheapies at that).
I’ve only ever had 1 mobile phone and I only got that at the end of 2005, and don’t use it much.
I just hate the thought of how much rubbish is being produced. Humans seem intent on digging up resources from the ground and spreading them in a very fine layer of pollution (air and soil) over the entire planet.
We tend to spend more on going places than on things.
My book tastes mostly run non-fiction, so the library at work tends to have pretty much anything I want!
I buy many of my clothes from American Apparel. I buy enough to fill a box and then get it shipped once a year (or buy whenever I’m in the US). Very plain, but still colourful, although they too are not without controversy (see article in last week’s Economist)
Hand-me-down computers are fun. You don’t feel so bad about ripping the guts out of them now and then either 🙂
Less meat – I’m doing pretty well on that (white meat a couple of times a week, haven’t eaten beef in a few years), but I’m finding it very hard to cut down on seafood which in a lot of ways is worse. I have a sashimi addiction. 🙂
Hi Peta, yes, the amount of waste we create – I can’t even begin to get my head around that! …On a less serious note, you going to share a picture of your purple suede shoes, or what? 🙂
Fi, I want to read more non-fiction this year, so yes I think I will be investigating the library’s holdings 🙂
Hadn’t heard of AA (must investigate!). We’re currently using a tiny bar fridge, which makes it almost impossible to store much food. Once we get a bigger fridge…