A GOOD IDEA FOR THE NEW YEAR

I just ran across something on the internet that really caught my attention. A group of friends in San Francisco made a pact to not buy anything new for a whole year. They made exceptions for food and toiletries and a few other things. Check out the yahoo article here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070103/ap_on_re_us/shopping_sabbatical
And here is a link to the related blog: http://sfcompact.blogspot.com/

I think this is a great challenge. I'm not sure that I could do it for a whole year but i'm considering doing a three month trial run. Living in Lake City may make things a bit more complicated but I think it's worth a shot. We have a few consignment stores but I don't think we have a freecycle group. This could really help me with my new year's resolution of getting serious about getting out of debt and de-cluttering. I often shop at consignment stores anyway and try to be as enviromentally conscious as I can. I always buy used books (gotta love half.com), nurse my babies and mostly use cloth diapers (little less often now that i have two but Houston is good with the potty and only uses about two pull-ups a day). I think this would be a great challenge and it would have the added benefit of cutting down my grocery bill from super wally world. All those impulse buys would be out the window for a little while.

Anyone up for joining me? I'll have to set up my rules soon. If you look at the blog I posted above and go back to their January 2006 archive you can see the rules they set up.

In the interest of the new year and its resolutions i've been meaning to post mine here. (this way you all can keep me honest) So here it goes:

1. Get serious about getting out of debt (would love for this to just say "get out of debt" but that is impossible in one year. we're about to get on Dave Ramsey's financial peace plan though and i'm excited about it. i want to be non-mortgage debt-free by the time Houston starts school.)
2. Lose 10 pounds (15 or 20 would be great but i'll settle for those last 10 baby pounds)
3. Eat healthier (i find that since i've had kids i'm much more likely to grab fast food ... not just drive-thru but pre-packaged easy to pop in the oven stuff. have you read the ingredients on that kind of stuff lately? yikes! and we wonder why so many people get cancer. i used to eat very healthy. i blame my downfall on trying to be a stay-at-home-,work-at-home,do-too-much, mother of two who lives in Lake City ... the town that will probably never see a Whole Foods, or Mother Earth type store anywhere in the next 200 years. i'm so busy during the day that by the time i realize i need to eat something i don't have the self-control to make a salad or pasta or something like that. i grab what's available quickly or just 'run through somewhere'. and let's not even get into the soda thing here. let's just say i need to give it up!)
4. Get back to YOGA!!! (For the love of God, why can't I just stick with something that I know is great for me physically and emotionally? My life is so much better when i'm doing yoga. I know this. I know how to do yoga. I don't have to practice for two hours a day. Ten minutes a day would be just enough to really make a difference. What is my problem? I have serious self-discipline issues. Anyone have a great used book on this issue that they want to swap for a book on yoga? hee hee.)

Anyone care to share their resolution(s)?



a little side note:
here's something i ran into on a knitting blog ... http://pennyknits.blogspot.com/
Wallys
"Just wanted to let you knitters .. crocheters and sewing Friends out there that Walmart is not putting Craft departments in there New Stores.. And they are " shrinking" that Craft depts that they all ready have... Bummer, Huh ??My Sister workes in the one here in Florida and this is what she told me... She said that we should all call.... 1-800 Walmart..... and COMPLAIN !!!This stinks... I do get alot of craft things from Wallys... For my Seweing and knitting and beading, etc...Go Ahead Everyone and make that Call !!!!!!"