Shopping with Purpose

Every industry has companies that are environmentally and socially responsible, and others that aren't. Who has time to research all of them, though? I try to keep my eye out for reports of abuses by corporations or good things that they're doing, but it's so hard to keep track! Imagine my excitement when a friend sent me a link to Better World Shopper. They even have a handy book!

Better World Shopper has done the research for me in a large number of industries, and has nice, easy-to-understand lists for each. While I wish there was a drill-down option that would offer an explanation of individual companies and rankings, the list is better than nothing! I like hat, at a glance, I can discover, for example, that our Toyota has a better impact on the world than our Volvo, that my choice to patronize the local BP station isn't so bad, and the pint of Ben & Jerry's on my birthday was a pretty good choice.

The listing of good and bad companies is useful, but maybe even moreso, is the list of the categories where change for the better is most imperative. Choosing a socially-responsible bank, for example, isn't something I ever thought about.

Where do you prioritize your socially- and environmentally-conscious shopping? Are lists like this helpful?

Wanna get angry about Christmas?

Christian music artist Shaun Groves points out the real reason to get angry about the 'war on Christmas'. (HT Brian McLaren)

I read Shaun Groves post directly after reading Slate's declaration that the cultural war on Christmas is coming to an end. I think Shaun hits the nail on the head- do we want to make sure all the stores say Merry Christmas rather than Season's Greetings to signify that we're shopping like crazy in Christ's name? I almost think we need a new name for the celebration of Jesus' birth, since the holiday 'Christmas' has been hijacked by the mall. It's not like the word 'Christmas' is Biblical or anything, so changing it shouldn't be too big a deal, right?

A new 'war on Christmas' has been brewing the last few years, though- a war on the consumerism of Christmas. There are many movements out there, and the most prominent is the Advent Conspiracy- even TIME covered it this year.



Another, Christmas Change, is similar:

Christmas Change from Kujilana on Vimeo.

For us, we're still doing the typical Christmas presents, toned down from years past. We're giving a couple 'donation presents' (donating to a cause in the name of the gift recipient) to people who I think will "get it". We're giving some 'used' gifts to give very usable items a new home, and we're even regifting for the same reasons. We hand-made our Christmas cards.

What are you doing to keep the consumerism out of Christmas this year?

No-Spend Month Day 28: I Want

So, how has Not Buying this month affected my desires?

I wondered if I'd be able to ignore all the Wants that come up as a normal part of our culture (and human nature!). Would the temptation be worse, because everything in stores was Stuff I Can't Have? Would I be able to avoid the Wants by just avoiding the stores? The latter tended to be true, but here has been my experience:

• Advertising triggers Wants. This is what advertising aims to do- and it works. I didn't want the MADSEN Cargo Bikes until I saw the ad for it. Or the conflict-free diamonds. Or the chalkboard table. I'm not actually going to buy any of this stuff, promise. I don't watch TV, so that shields me from a great deal of advertising, but it's all around us. Magazines. Websites. Coupons. Sales flyers. It's amazing how much advertising I subject myself to on purpose, really.
• Wandering stores triggers Wants. Stores are designed to get visitors to buy, buy, buy. Displays are set up as such. Sale price tags are positioned to catch our eyes. Checkout lines contain easy-to-grab items. Stuff is placed in walking aisles so we have no choice but to look at it as we skirt the display. This month, I made sure to go to stores as rarely as possible and, when I did, go with a very specific list, and stick to it. This is so hard for me to do in grocery stores, especially.
• Being unprepared triggers Wants. If I didn't pack a water bottle, I'm more tempted to stop for a soda at a fast food restaurant. If I didn't plan a meal for the evening, I'm more likely to want to go out to eat. If I don't pack sufficiently for a trip, it makes me want to go and buy whatever it is I forgot. Just on Wednesday, I was up canning until way past my bedtime, with the most time spent (it seemed) on peeling the stupid tomatoes. I said over and over, I wish I had a food mill. I didn't go out and buy one, but I kept thinking, I HAVE to put this on my Christmas list. I Want. I Want.

What triggers your Wants? What do you do to avoid Buying Temptation?

No-Spend Month Day 17: Costco Conversation

We had to get milk and block cheese for lunches. Costco (by far!) has the best deal on good cheese, and milk was cheaper than elsewhere, so we went there. At the checkout:

Cashier: "Just these two items?"
Me: "Yep"
Cashier: "Wow, you're a strong person. Most people can't get out of here with so little- especially women!"
Me: It was a quick trip.
Cashier: I guess!

This short conversation highlighted the pitfalls of shopping often and shopping leisurely. Because I had in my mind that were were not spending money this month, and we came in with a very specific list. It was hard not to slow down and look at all the snacks and packages of other food it'd be nice to have. I slowed down a couple times to grab a few samples (Hummus! Chicken nuggets! Kashi granola bars!) but tried my best to stay focused and on-task. A downside of Costco is the fact that an impulse buy will cost you $10 or more, while an impulse buy at a typical grocery store will be $5 or less. Having a list- and sticking to it- is even more important at a warehouse store.

See my warehouse store shopping series part 1, part 2 and part 3

Amazingly, we got out of Costco for $8.77
Add to that a $7 lunch on Friday
-----------------
Previous total: $38.40
New Total: $54.17

No-Spend Month Day 9: What is "free"?

The definition of free, in the context of cost, is "complimentary: costing nothing; exempt [from paying]: grant relief or an exemption from a rule or requirement to [pay]"

What I'm learning is, "Buy one, get one free" isn't actually free. I have to spend money- buy one- to get the deal. Technically, it's "50% off when you buy 2," but that phrase doesn't go over as well with ad viewers. "Free after mail-in rebate" isn't actually free, either- I have to pay for the item, and my money will be refunded later. While I see lots of great deals out there this month- as I always do, reading fantastic posts by bloggers that keep us lazy deal-hunters informed- I can't chase any of them. Unless they're actually free.

So what have I found that's Actually Free?

• Tickets to the US Senior Open from my company
• Tickets to see Sandi Patty and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra this coming Tuesday, won from @IndyStateFair
• Dryer balls won from Inexpensively
• Coupons for free items like Tropicana orange juice and candy and Kroger tomatoes
• Community events
• Walks in the neighborhood, playing board games at home, re-watching old movies
• Food from my garden

When I get anxious or bored at home, I often want to go out just to get out, to do something. Often this means wandering around a Goodwill or bookstore or the mall. The vast majority of the time I won't buy anything, but the fact that my entertainment circulates around retail outlets is somewhat disconcerting. This month, I'm enjoying finding Actual Free things to do- and finding them in abundance!

The downside to the industrial food system

As a kid, Anamaniacs was probably my favorite cartoon. The songs on their show were clever, catchy, and somewhat educational. The one that sticks in my memory is the Countries of the World song, during a phase where I was into the school's Geography Bee and even had a world map as a shower curtain. Yeah, I was a dork. Still am.

Anyway, this is a song I didn't remember but came across today:


Did you catch what they said at the beginning? There were a couple interesting phrases: "Modern food technology has the answer!" and "We got coupons!".

"Modern food technology has the answer!"
We'd like to think that the food we eat is wholesome, natural and straight from the farm or some warm, homey kitchen. As it is, much of what is sold in the grocery store is more aptly described as "modern technology" than as "food"! The barely-pronounceable chemicals listed in the song are very real- and in most everything we eat when we buy packaged or processed food.

"We got coupons!"
There are two sides to this. Many national food brands put coupons in the paper each week- and most the time, these coupons are for highly processed "food products" that are convenient, but not wholesome. This is not always the case. Coupons for dairy and produce products are out there. Organics companies are starting to offer coupons, too. The two lessons from this are:

• Not all coupons are for bad stuff
• Just because you have a coupon for something doesn't mean you should buy it.

Thinking about our food choices matters. Filling our bodies with whole foods rather than processed "modern food technology" will not only save the land from getting doused with chemicals and having its resources used to process and transport what we eat, it will save us medical bills down the road.

Buy Handmade

Buying fair trade items isn't always easy. When products come from the other side of the world, it's hard to trust whether the artisan or factory worker was paid a living wage to make the item. And, the particular item I'm looking for may or may not be offered as fair-trade. What am I to do?


A closer-to-home alternative is buying handmade, via Etsy or local craft fairs. By buying from artisans who are setting their own price, they are getting paid what they view as "fair" and you are getting a quality, one-of-a-kind product. Lately, I've been in the market for a specific gift, and I'm astounded by what's out there. I can get something much more beautiful, unique and special than anything I could find at the mall, for about the same price. I know, when I buy handmade, that I'm supporting someone who is talented and is passionate about what they do, rather than a corporate structure and mass-production.

Spotlight: TOMS Shoes

Yes, this is a commercial, but it's highlighting a real, effective organization- TOMS Shoes. TOMS sells simple canvas shoes, and, for each pair sold, gives a pair to someone who doesn't have shoes in the third world.

I mean, of the choices- do you buy shoes made by kids in third world sweatshops, or buy fair-trade shoes AND give third world kids a pair?

Simple idea, serious cause.

Am I Crazy?

Don't answer that. Well, at least not right away.

Yesterday, during lunch with my coworkers in the breakroom, the TV was tuned to a new channel- Planet Green. The show that was playing was poorly named, called Stuff Happens. I grew up with Bill Nye being the popular TV Science Guru, so to see him doing something similar was great. (To be honest, I preferred grandfatherly Mr Wizard to the more-exciting Bill Nye, but Mr Wizard was on at 6am on Nickelodeon, so Bill Nye was more accessible to the masses)

Anyway, the show was about the environmental impact of just normal stuff- food, clothes, transportation, etc. I was loving it. Someone on TV was saying what I have been trying to- it's worth thinking about where our stuff comes from! He even used the phrase "Vote with your wallet"! I was so excited about the premise!

My coworkers, however, weren't as excited. While it's a pretty common lunchtime activity to make fun of whatever is on TV, they were particularly rough on this show. "This show is all about killing our fun!" "Yeah right, like everyone could eat locally" "Well, maybe this could happen if everyone had their own plot of arable land" "Why should we care where our eggs come from?" "Is this sponsored by PETA?"

The whole time, I wanted to argue back, explain that we could eat locally and sustainably if we wanted to- and it doesn't take that much land. It does matter where our eggs come from. If we thought about this stuff, we'd be healthier and so would our environment. I didn't- I kept my mouth shut and listened to their objections.

One segment of the show was about cashmere goats- how their wool is so sought after that the mountains of China are being over-grazed to keep up with demand, turning the area into a desert with awful dust storms. The suggested substitution is the more sustainable alpaca wool. In my eyes, this was great information! Now I can make an informed choice about which really-nice sweater to choose, if it's something I'm looking to buy. To me, it's valid to think about my purchasing choices, taking the full impact of the product I'm supporting into account. I didn't realize that this was a crazy, out-there notion. Based on the reaction of my coworkers to the premise of this show, it is.

Do you think I'm crazy for caring? How much do you care about your purchases' impact?

In The Club, part 3

So far, I've covered the advantages and disadvantages of warehouse-club shopping, and now I finish this series with the question: Which warehouse club to join?

If you've weighed the ups and downs of warehouse clubs, and have decided to take the plunge- where to jump in? The two big clubs I'll be focusing on here are Costco and Sam's Club (owned by Walmart). Each has comparable prices and membership fees. Why would one be better than the other?

The New York Times addressed this question specifically, in the 2005 article How Costco Became the Anti-Walmart

According to the article, Costco pays its employees an average of $17.50 an hour- 42% higher than its rival. "Costco's health plan makes those at many other retailers look Scroogish." When my husband worked around retail stores, he talked to the employees about how they ALL had their resumes in at Costco, in hopes to eventually get hired there.

The CEO Jim Sinegal, scoffs at critics who say that this generousity is bad business.

"He rejects Wall Street's assumption that to succeed in discount retailing, companies must pay poorly and skimp on benefits, or must ratchet up prices to meet Wall Street's profit demands.

"Good wages and benefits are why Costco has extremely low rates of turnover and theft by employees, he said. And Costco's customers, who are more affluent than other warehouse store shoppers, stay loyal because they like that low prices do not come at the workers' expense. "This is not altruistic," he said. "This is good business."

On the other hand, Walmart (and Sam's Club) has the opposite reputation. Workers aren't paid a living wage. I have a personal friend who was employed by Walmart for a time, and was purposely kept from getting enough hours to qualify for benefits. From my understanding, this is not uncommon. Manufacturers of 85% of Walmart's products are overseas, often in sweatshops. US corporations, on average, donate just over 1% of their earnings to charity. Not exactly a tithe, but Walmart doesn't even meet that, giving away less than 0.4%.

Where do I shop? Given two comparable choices, I will always opt for the one that matches my values more closely. I'm excited to shop at Costco because I know it treats its employees well. I don't know where all their products come from, obviously, but I check what I can. I appreciate the philosophy articulated in the New York Times article, and I've heard nothing similar coming from the Waltons. As much as I am able, I'll avoid Sam's & Walmart altogether.

Good Deals at the Drugstore

I had a long conversation with friends Monday night on the greatness that is CVS. I got one friend onto the deals, and now he (yes, he) is a fanatic. I'm delighted. We sat & tried to convince other friends of the benefits of not paying for shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, and many over-the-counter medicines. What's so great about CVS, you may ask? Here's a high level run-down.

CVS has a program called Extra Care Bucks (ECB), where they run deals in their weekly flyer. These deals will involve, say, buying a $3 tube of toothpaste, then getting $3 in ECBs back. ECBs can be spent like a gift card to CVS, on almost anything in the store. That's great, right? You spend $3, and get your money back to spend on something else!

But it gets better.

You see, if, for that tube of toothpaste, you have a $1 Off coupon, you only will spend $2 to buy the toothpaste, and will get $3 back. CVS just paid you $1 to take the toothpaste from them. That $3 ECB can be used to buy, say, the $4.50 shampoo that you have a $1.50 Off coupon for, and gives you back $4 in ECBs. So, in the end, you spent $2 out of your pocket, and have toothpaste, shampoo, and $4 to spend. Do you see where this is going?

These ECBs can be "rolled" indefinitely- provided you're able to use them before their expiration date about a month from when you get them. CVS offers both monthly deals and weekly deals, and by keeping up with the ads, you'll be able to quickly stock your medicine cabinet and toiletry supply.

But, as I said, these can be rolled indefinitely, so one you're stocked up, what to do with all that shampoo and toothpaste?

Here's what I do:

Food pantries need more than just food. CVS' ECB deals make it easy to donate to local food pantries by buying the loss leaders every week and rolling your ECBs for next time. Typically, you'll have a small out of pocket expense to start- like the $2 in the example above- and end up with a full bag of supplies to pass on to those in need- with money left to spend for next week!

Everyone wins.

In the Club, part 2

In part 1 of this series "In the Club,"  I talked about the benefits of warehouse-club shopping. Like everything, though, there are downsides as well. Not everything in the Warehouse Club World is perfect!

• Impulse buys - An impulse buy at a grocery store may set you back two to five dollars, a cost that the grocery budget can typically absorb. A impulse buy at a warehouse store will cost $10 at least, and easily more. The larger packages come with higher prices. It's critical to take a list when shopping the warehouse club, and stick to it!
  
• Price Comparison - When trying to figure out if the deal at the warehouse club is a good one, it's not as straightforward as comparing the price to what you'd pay at the grocery store. More math is involved- and you didn't believe your teacher when she said you'd use Math again! The larger packages must be divided into a "unit price" - per item in the box or per ounce or pound - to be easily compared to the prices we're used to seeing at grocery stores. A price book can aid in this comparison.
• Generic Brands - While some products on the shelves have store-brand equivalents, most of what I see at warehouse clubs is name-brand and high-quality. This is great if you'd buy the name-brand product at the grocery store anyway, but if you'd spring for the generic, you won't find the same cost savings, even with buying in bulk.
• Using It Up - Large packages are convenient when you use lots of an item, or the items can be kept indefinitely, but not-so-great for small families and perishables. Because there's just two of us for now, we can buy a year's worth of soap and not worry about it going bad, but we can't buy the huge cans of tomato sauce, or half-gallons of salsa. We'd not be able to use even half of the container before it would go bad! Some items are sold in normal-sized packages, bundled together we are able to buy these packages. With a household of two, there's a limited number of things we can buy and reasonably expect to use up before they go bad.
• Bulk packages - these things can be big. Apartment life was not conducive to shopping at a warehouse club. To take advantage of buying in bulk, you have to have room to store these huge packages. Sometimes, this just isn't practical. 

There are certainly more downsides to joining a warehouse club- what has kept you from signing up?

Loving My Neighbor

Too often, I'm too disconnected from the stuff that I buy. I don't think about the materials that go into it, the people along the way that harvested, shaped, or created those materials, or the time put into the object. I just know I need this doohickey, and know that the price is right.

What if I did pay attention to where my stuff comes from? What if I cared?

Some stuff comes from down the street, maybe from the farmer's market, made or harvested by neighbors or members of my community. They charge a price that they think is fair for the stuff they sell. That's cool. I'll buy it because I know where it comes from, know how it was made, and know who made it. I want to support my neighbors. It's easy.

Then there's stuff at the store. Stuff marked "Made in China." I don't know who made it. I don't know where they live. I don't know if the price being charged will pay those people a wage they can live on. I don't know if the stuff was made with safe materials or in safe working conditions or is safe for the environment. But the people who made this stuff? They are still my neighbors.

What to do about this dilemma? How can I love my neighbor with my wallet? Locally, it's easy. I know them, I know what they need, I know what they're selling and how it's made. For the stuff I want to buy, but my "neighbors" far away made it, it's harder. Here's some tips I've found:

• Buy Local - If I source items locally, it's more likely I'll know where they came from, how they were made, and whether the conditions were safe and environmentally friendly. Also, the items didn't need to be transported as far, saving on gas.
  
• Buy Fair Trade - "Fair Trade" is the name given to companies and organization who promise to pay the makers of their products a fair, living wage for their area. Fair Trade products are often also made in a sustainable way, taking into account social and environmental impacts. By buying certified fair trade items, I can support my neighbor by supporting businesses that pay my neighbor enough to live on, and take care of my neighbor's environment and working conditions. See the kitchn's Fair Trade Valentine's tips 
  
• Buy Used - If I can't find the item certified fair trade, can I find it used? By buying used, I am keeping items out of landfills and avoiding sending my money to corporations who don't pay their workers fairly. Someone's already bought it once, new, so there's no reason a still-usable item should go to waste.
  
• Buy Sustainable - Given the choice between wood and plastic, choose wood, the renewable resource. Given the choice between wood and bamboo, spring for the bamboo- which renews even faster than the wood. If I buy more sustainable or organic products, I am loving ALL my neighbors by keeping fumes from the air and chemicals from the earth.
• Buy from responsible employers. This goes along, sort-of, with the Fair Trade point. Not only should the makers of the products be paid a fair wage, the employees of the retailers should be paid a living wage as well. I choose to shop at retailers who are known for treating their employees- my neighbors- well, and avoid those who don't.

How can I afford this? Well, to be honest, I don't. I'm taking baby steps. I buy used items as often as it practical. I buy local, organic food as often as I can. Fair trade isn't available in as many products, but I was super excited to get a fair-trade purse (made by World of Good ) for Christmas and a fair-trade wallet (made by Maya Traditions ) for my birthday. I prefer bamboo kitchen utensils. I avoid buying plastic toys. Little things, added up, will result in a whole-lifestyle change.

Baby steps. 

Inching toward loving my neighbor better.

In The Club, Part 1

When you walk into the building, the sheer size can be overwhelming. They don't call them warehouse clubs for nothing. These buildings are slightly-user-friendly warehouses, for sure. Why join one of these "clubs"? Is it worth it?

I'm going to start a short posting series on my view of warehouse clubs- the benefits, the drawbacks, and which one to choose. Here, I'll start with how I got started with a warehouse club and the benefits we've found.

My mom joined the warehouse club for unknown reasons while I was in college. By the time she joined, my parents were empty-nesters or at least almost-empty-nesters, and I failed to see the logic in the move. When I graduated, got married, and ended up living nearby, she renewed her membership and offered to put my name on the account. Each account could have 2 cards and two names on it, and because my dad never went to the store without my mom, he had no use for a card. I got a card, and now my husband and I could go together

• Money saving tip: If only one spouse is likely to use the membership, consider joining in this fashion with another family. The membership fee will end up being $25 per family if split between two households, which is  very reasonable and justifiable.
  

When we started visiting the warehouse club, we were amazed at the large packages and quality merchandise. At the time, though, we were living in a 1-bedroom apartment, and didn't have room to store a year's worth of toilet paper, ten pounds of chicken breasts, or a gallon-container of spaghetti sauce. We barely had room for the stuff we had! What good would a warehouse club be to a couple in an apartment?  We were skeptical... and then we wandered into the pharmacy.

The pharmacy is mostly unremarkable- it has many of the brand-name, over-the-counter medicines you'd expect anywhere- but it also has generic medicines labeled with the store's brand. Again, this would be expected- but the cost savings with these generics was outstanding. The cost of my husband's daily allergy medicine- about $1 a pill, or more than $350 a year- had a generic at the warehouse club's pharmacy for $13 for 300 pills. For a year's supply of pills, we paid less than what we were paying for 2 weeks' worth elsewhere. This purchase alone justified the warehouse club membership, if we bought nothing else. And so we are still members- but it doesn't stop there!

Once we moved out of the apartment and had a little more room to store things (and once we got a chest freezer) we found there are more benefits to being "in the club":

• Toilet paper, soap, and other consumables: It's just downright convenient to buy these in big packages, knowing we'll use them up eventually. Also, I found that many of these were cheaper per-unit.
  
• Cheese: This is a weird one, I know, but we go through a lot of shredded & sliced cheese, apparently, since I was always running out. Now, when I buy the shredded cheese in 5lb bags and freeze them, I always have cheese on hand. Also, per ounce, this shredded cheese is way less expensive than even Aldi's selection. How do I know? I made a Price Book. More on that later.
• Quality - The warehouse club has higher-quality food than what I see, on average at the grocery store. There is a really wide selection of organic products and produce as well, at affordable prices.
• Gas savings, part 1: The gas station at the warehouse club usually has gas about 5 cents per gallon cheaper than anywhere else in the area.
• Gas savings, part 2: Bigger packages means fewer shopping trips means A) few impulse buys (good for the wallet) and B) less gas spent going to and from the store to pick up essentials (good for the wallet AND good for the earth).
• Packaging: While some of the larger packages are composed of individually-wrapped items, making for no less packaging than buying in small quantities, most are truly larger packages. Less plastic and energy is used to package 1 5-lb bag of cheese than 5 1-lb bags of cheese I'd find at the supermarket. Also, no plastic bags are handed out at the register, and signage and displays are kept to a minimum, reducing waste production.
• Services: In addition to the pharmacy, other services are offered. Just 2 weeks ago, my husband got a new pair of glasses (without vision insurance) at a substantially lower price than at the optometrist. We've gotten 2 sets of tires installed in their car care department. Other advertised services include Travel, Jewelry, Carpet, Car Purchasing, and Insurance.

There are certainly more benefits -What have you found to be the best part about being a part of a warehouse club?