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Story by
Moxiedoll
Published on September 6, 2008 in This Handmade Life |
Photo by moxiedoll |
This article was originally published on April 18, 2008. We are reviving it as part of the Best of the Storque series. Enjoy!
This installment of our eco-friendly indie series Earth Tones brings us Mandy, aka moxiedoll. An example to all of us, she has undertaken an impressive exercise in restraint! She shows us how to live one's life with intention.
I have never been a very self-disciplined person. This personal flaw often leads me to overindulge in habits simply because I can. Last fall, though, I began to feel like some of my favorite things were beginning to consume me. At the same time it seemed like I was hearing more and more stories about people who had chosen to make life-altering changes either to better themselves or to serve some greater cause, or both. And so I began thinking — what if I decided to give up the things that I most enjoyed? What kind of impact would giving stuff up have on my life?
So I began telling people about my plan for 2008: I would give up something different every month to see what it was like to live without the luxuries I have come to take for granted, and in order to hold myself accountable I would blog (giveitup.wordpress.com) about my experience. My friends and family seemed to have mixed feelings towards the whole endeavor, but everyone was ultimately supportive and seemed eager to see if I could pull it off.
It took me a while to come up with twelve things that I felt could benefit me if I gave them up. But eventually I was able to narrow them into three rough categories: Food/Drink (coffee, alcohol, and chocolate); Technology (TV, the internet at home and my car) and Spending Money (I decided to consider buying only goods made in the USA, buying only used goods, not shopping at all, Etsy, no plastic – using only cash and not going out).
On the "Letting Go of my Lattes" phase:
"All of this is compounded by the fact that I am narcoleptic. Many people asked me how I was going to give up coffee, as if its my only means of staying awake. I take medication to keep me awake during the day, so I knew that I could sacrifice coffee and still function. However I have actually had doctors advise me to drink coffee when I need to and now I understand how much it does help me stay awake. It really does carry me through the slumps at work when I am tired and it isn’t time to take my medication."
Since I began in January I haven’t slipped up yet. But I have made some addendums to my original plan. Now at the end of each month, I determine if I think I can go the entire year without whatever I’ve given up that month. I was motivated to do this after I found myself very quickly resorting back to my bad habits of spending hours every day on Etsy.
On Etsy addiction:
"Now I still have 10 days of Etsy abstinence left, but I can pretty confidently say that this day most accurately illustrates the frightening attachment I’ve developed to this web site. There I was in beautiful, sunny Mexico lounging luxuriously next to the pool and all I could think about was how fun it would be to spend some time on the computer perusing my Etsy favorites with Megan? What is wrong with me?"
Like many others I have also been attempting to live a more eco-friendly life this year. And fortunately for me, I’ve found that giving things up has actually helped me do that. Although I’m only a quarter of the way through the year, with every thing I’ve given up I honestly have become more cognizant of what I’m doing on a daily basis and, more specifically, what I’m consuming. Last month I shopped only for items made in the USA, which was incredibly difficult and frustrating.
On Buying American:
"Occasionally I found a 'Made in Uganda' or 'Made in Argentina' tag, but Chinese citizens appear to be making the majority of what I buy. After reading that 'Made in China' stamp for the 100th time, my shopping spirit was sucked dry and I took the only American made item that I found, a pair of blue tights, and sadly went grocery shopping."
But the Buy American month forced me to think before I buy and to begin looking for longer lasting or biodegradable alternatives to things that are predominantly disposable. By doing so I have prepared myself for upcoming months when I might not be able to buy those disposable items that I might actually need, while also doing my part to help the environment.
And so I’ve chosen some great eco-friendly Etsy finds to assist all of you in your personal attempts to help save our planet.
pot scrubbers by starrz85
flatware set by ponyup
Cloth diaper by katnappies
Tee shirt bags by zJayne
Shampoo soap by naiad
Unbleached coffee filters by theScenicRoute
Reusable swiffer cloths by quiltingmama
Reusable snack bags by gnomeclothes
Natural laundry detergent by showertreatsoap
Crayon nubs melted down and reconstituted by ivylanedesigns
When she isn't crafting at moxiedoll, Mandy works as a fiction and audiovisual librarian in Oak Park, Illinois (www.genre-x.com) and consumes mass amounts of media and pop culture. All the clutter left over from her other mass consumptions led her to begin using only recyclable goods whenever possible. Follow her "fasting" at giveitup.wordpress.com.
| Tags | Best of The Storque, blogs, Earth Tones, Eco-Friendly, Etsy addicts, giveitup, moxiedoll |
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41 comments Login to add your own!
zJayne
Wow...what a great article. I have a lot of respect when someone like moxiedoll can put it right out there and blog about a commitment. This was very interesting and I'm going to bookmark to read more on her blog.
Imagine my surprise after reading and seeing my tshirt bags here too. THANKS!
There is so much wisdom and talent here on Etsy.
z~
babeta
People are so happy in my brick and mortar gift shop when I tell them that many things are created by local and not so local people. It is hard to shop USA but I try to at least keep my gift shop filled with things made by people I've actually met. My watercolor prints are painted by me in WI, printed by a small family printing company in Green Bay, WI, the frames are made for me by a smaller company in Michigan and the glass is from Ohio. My art is 100% USA Sometimes I even use the coffee that I'm drinking to paint my art :)
raghousenternational
Wonderful wonderful! I've hearted a lot of these shops. Yes it is an everyday effort to be more eco friendly and it really does make you more aware of your everyday moves and thoughts. Thanks so much for this wonderful article.
Ren
JMCdesigns
Very interesting experiment! Living life by choice is always healthier than living by habit and never questioning!!
joules
hobbledehoy
kae1supplies
What a great article. The Earth Tones segment is my favorite part of Storque. Thanks for another great read.
ArgyleWhale
Interesting read and quite inspirational. I too am overindulgent and your plan seems like a good approach to removing the things we overdo bit by bit.
pocketfullofpoesy
great concept, and lovely wrting style,
thanks for the interesting blog!
oceanavesilks
Great article! I have bookmarked moxiedoll's blog. Really got me thinking about what I could do without!
katinkapinka
this is great!
try finding a lampshade that isn't made in china!
i, too try to only purchase items made in the US, but it's hard...of late, i've decided to recycle and upcycle alot more things in my life. living this way adds a whole new dimension of creativity to my routine and i really enjoy it...i hope more people will stop, think, and hopefully try to make a difference.
♥
heavensearth
What a wonderful article!!!
Our latest attempt to live a more eco friendly life involved purchasing a vermicompost system. Cant wait to see it in action!
geekxnerd
Great article featuring great Etsy products - I purchased some naiad soaps as a result!
gnomeclothes
Great article and experiment/lifestyle commitment!
Thanks for including my cloth snack bags.
Inspiring!
DistressingDelilah
I love this article! Thanks so much for opening peoples eyes to thinking and living a little differently than we are used to!
MissCrowland
That is a great idea. I think it would be interesting to have a formal movement of this sort of thing for 2009.
DeborahVoizin
SnuggleHerd
Wow Mandy, you are inspiring! My goal for this xmas is to buy only Etsy gifts. It shouldn't be much of a problem with so many amazing artists here!
dogties
helgesok
Thanks for reposting! So inspirational. Plus I love those scrubbies. :)
nanouke
This is very interesting..
I hope I don't sound offensive, but at least were I live we look at you, North Americans, as the people who most pollute this planet..
It's nice to see that not all of you :)
JetWhitePonytail
BululuStudio
krize
great article and what a brave person! I should learn from you :) Thanks!
Perceptions
Thanks for the article Mandy! My hubby and I experimented with living lighter and more sustainable. We lived on solar electricity (no tv) and hauled our water to a cistern. Know how heavy water is?!
Eventually living lighter became a heavy burden on our bodies, but we'll never regret the experience! And it cultivated our spiritual side.
alankarshilpa
Wow!
It's time to pause and think about our action than doing something out of habit and we all know how bad habits can stick with us. You have taken that brave step.
I am proud of you. You have helped many etsians with this article and you have inspired many too.I am one of them. Thanks Mandy.
themagpiesdaughter
1starr
Hi. Interesting. I am and have been doing something simular to this. And it is so true that it is difficult to find things really made in the USA,
but you can find things that are. And the
REAL beneifit is that you become selective as to
where you spend your Hard earned cash. Oh, and
I do watch on Esty for things that I may need and purchase because I want to only purchase handmade things (eventually) totally. So your change of life can be done. Welcome aboard!
ediekat
good on you! much respect for people who make hard changes..i am a senior, and still learning all the time! and i am still working on it..hmmm pass the chocolate..not!
purplegypsey
great article....imagine....we can make a difference just in shifting attitudes and behaviors. Thanks...very inspiring!
clubviv
amuse
Thanks for bringing this article back. It's such an inspiration and I love the idea of giving up one thing at a time.
uncharted
Redwoodnaturals
I completely agree about simplifying your life. I try to live organically, and simply whenever I can. I buy locally grown produce and products like the lavender I use in my eco-pillows in my ETSY store. Not only is it healthier, but it's better for the planet. I like the idea of cutting things out one at a time, by doing this you might find you didn't really even need it.
wagbags54
Wow! Giving up coffee? The elixer of life...lol?
Seriously..a wonderful article!
Thanks...
FUNKYLAURA
you go girl.. i have stop going to starbucks everyday for years.. i had such guilt with the paper cups and the cost. i like your plan.. i will now try and do this every month. thank you
pouch
great article! I made a new years promise to only buy ethical clothes:
http://pouchbags.blogspot.com/2008/01...
and so far I've stuck to it!
Buying less and when you do buy, buying local and better quality makes a huge difference to the environment.
I also don't own a tumble drier or dishwasher as they use a huge amount of energy. So all the dishes are hand-washed and all my clothes are line dried.
Small changes made by lots of people can make a big difference :)
crisellebelle
i wish i could do something like that... keyword is... wish. maybe, one year, i'll do the same... maybe.
codilollyskye
smalltownartist
Previous Page
Great article!