The Simplicity Connection's Top Ten Tips for Simplifying the Holidays

1.   Set limits. Be it monetary, culinary or time management, before the season gets into full swing decide how much you’re willing to put up with (and how much is really worth it!)

2.   Stop. Take some time for yourself and just be without worrying about the societal pressures of the season.

3.   Mute the TV. How many times can you hear “Every kiss begins with Kay” before losing your mind? (for me it was 2.) Why not just remove torturous jingles from the equation?

4.   Reconnect with the joy of handmade. It really is the thought that counts in this season but buying something just to cross a name off your list usually ends up with the giver overspending and the givee politely pretending they really don’t hate it. With a little bit of time and research everyone can find a creative gift project. (Start with the list on p. 76 of The Simplicity Connection!)

5.   Be practical (with gift giving). A book of stamps or a gift certificate to the vet may not be the sexiest gifts, but you know they’re more likely to be used (and appreciated) in the long run and not end up in the junk drawer with the 1990s Furby, the pogs and the Tamagotchi pets.

6.   Order online. If you still want to give capitalism a boost, reconsider the trip to the mall and let your fingers do the walking and ordering. Why truck it to a store, just so you can truck it home? If you can, choose ground shipping instead of air shipping: it’s 6 times more fuel-efficient.

7.   Cut calories. How many years in a row is your New Year’s resolution going to be “lose the 15 pounds I put on over the holidays?” This year, before the trays of food go out on the table, consider donating part of your meal to someone who needs the calories more than you do.

8.   Try the $100 holiday. Consider putting a cap on the amount everyone spends. (That’s not $100 a piece, that’s $100 total!) Read Bill McKibben’s Hundred Dollar Holiday for tips and inspiration on how to make it happen.

9.   Cut the waste. A quarter of American trash is generated between Thanksgiving and New Years’ Day. Why not use reusable gift boxes, bags and wrapping instead of 1-time use paper that heads straight to the landfill :30 after unwrapping?

10.   Rent a living tree. Why not try the ultimate in tree-recycling by not even cutting it down in the first place.

Pinterest Roundup

 I’ve been a Pinterest junkie since the early days—its ability to let users organize what they like sends my anal retentiveness into fits of joy. I’m always looking for new design inspiration and a scroll through a few boards will always net me some great ideas. It’s like flipping through 1,000 magazines without the advertisements and the noxious perfume samples. A favorite now is to discover cool and creative products that are not only genius in their simplicity, but contribute to energy savings (both personal and electrical!). Here’s my top 5 from recent posts:

1. The sewing machine with built in ink that tints white thread to match the color you need! No more running out of the color you want, or having a stash of 4,000 spools you’ll never use again. http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/04/20/sew-color-what/

2. Two “no-drip” dispensers that make cooking clean and easy. There’s the syrup/honey dispenser for $15.99 (http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/24381-no-drip-honey-and-syrup-dispenser.aspx) and the pancake batter dispenser for $15.95 (http://www.freshfinds.com/cooking_gadgets-tools/batter-dispenser-5692/)

 

3. The pizza scissor spatula $11.99 (http://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/pizza-scissor-spatula). Sure you have 2 products that do the same thing, but I’m thinking this single product does it better.

4. Belkin has a bunch of great energy saving products (http://www.belkin.com/conserve/products/) including this $9.99 socket that automatically shuts off when your device is charged.

 

5. Another energy saver: The Live Socket (looks like it’s only a foreign prototype right now: http://www.yankodesign.com/2012/05/16/yes-another-socket/) but this seems like an idea that is so quick and easy to use that hopefully it becomes a reality.

Jumping in the Freecycle Pool

Well, I've taken the plunge and joined the other free-cyclers in my neighborhood and I have to say what a great way to both get rid of something you don't use and also try to find something you truly will use all without spending a cent. I lurked on the message boards for a few weeks before trying to decide what it was I wanted to ask for (a battery operated pump for my balance ball-still no offers though) but after seeing a WANTED post for a Roomba and realizing mine was just sitting in the utility closet collecting dust, I figured why not pass it on to someone who could appreciate it. Most freecyclers arrange time and place to make their exchanges, but the cheapest and easiest way for all parties I figured was to just leave the item on the porch and the WANTER could just pick it up at their convenience. No fuss, no muss. And no hard feelings if or when the item breaks because it's all for the low low price of FREE! And even better there's no obligation—say you really need a new blender, what do you have to lose by posting a request? If you find one, you've saved yourself the money (and the manufacture of a new product), if you don't find one, you're no worse for trying. To find a group in your area: www.freecycle.org
And Freecycle's not the only place Care2 ran a list of 5 other online free or trade sites.

TLC should always be organic.

I’ve always known the hardest times to stay simplified are: when there’s an emergency, when we’re in a rush, when we’re on vacation, any time we’re distracted, when we succumb to peer pressure, and when our beliefs contradict each other. This week I would probably add another situation to the list: when time is of the essence. With two very dear people in my life in the hospital this week, I want to support them but not at the expense of my beliefs. I don’t want to just grab a bunch of flowers from the supermarket to express my “get well” wishes. So instead, I stopped and thought for a little bit about what I would appreciate if I was laid up for awhile. The organic bouquet was the first thing that was a must (organicbouquet.com)

Next was to devise a pampering care package for my pal Marla, which was very cathartic to make because it made me think of all the wonderful things that she has done for me for so many years. It also feels good to make something that doesn’t betray my beliefs. Recipe for a natural and clear-conscience “get well soon” care package:
• Some nice Pomegranate white tea (lots of good anti-oxidants)
• Some Trader Joe’s lavender body oil (good for keeping skin moisturized)
• a few lavender sachets for under the pillow or in the clothes drawer (relaxing scent, without chemical fragrances)
• one of my infamous soothing eye pillows (relaxing & soothing; can never have enough of either)
• (shameless plug) a Simplicity Connection exclusive “simplify” tee (made in the sweatshop of my living room)
• a pink ribbon ball cap (donated by one Lesley Davis, paid for by donating much of her sassy blood & platelets)
• and my favorite item by far, the “Guess Who’s Kicking Cancer’s Ass?” mix CD. (Had to share the play list because I’m quite proud of it. ☺ (Clicking the graphic makes it larger, so it can actually be read!)

(P.S. Re: #22 on the CD: If you’ve never seen the Joss Stone/Melissa Etheridge Janis Joplin tribute from the Grammys 3 years ago, it’s an amazing representation of what kicking cancer’s ass can do: see it here on Youtube.)

To Buy or Not to Buy

So my cute little refrigerator bit the dust the other night, in hindsight, I'm well aware that it was entirely my fault (I tried to chip away at the glacier in the freezer and apparantly chipped away at the evaporator instead). So the freon has been released (the National Inst. of Health assures me that liver damage is not imminent) and the whole system is inoperable now. The question is, do I cough up the $65 for part then the $75 for a half hour of labor ($90 if it goes longer) when the whole rig only cost me $300 in the first place? (And yes I've realized that I cannot attempt to fix this myself, sadly).