Open Source Sewing

Sewing your own clothes, bags and other projects can be a great way to save money and reduce the amount of cash we toss into supporting sweatshops. The clothing industry's sweatshops engage some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable. Fair-trade and sustainably produced clothing is often much more expensive and (forgive me) not usually very attractive.

Enter our hero, sewing! The craft movement has resurrected a love for this once common art. Sewing patterns can be expensive, but there are several cheap and/or free options out there. Thrift shops often have patterns available, and you can also join a sewing or crafting group to share patterns. By using repurposed fabrics and applying standard savings practices (like using a price book, buying in bulk when items are on sale, etc.) when purchasing materials, sewing can cost a fraction of retail prices.

Burda Style has taken the notion of a sewing circle to the 'net. Burda Style offers free patterns, how-to guides and access to bloggers' info on sewing projects. Unlike many other sites, you don't have to enter personal info to gain access to the patterns.

A few other sites that aren't quite as user-friendly as Burda Style, but still have some good resources:

AllCrafts.net
About.com
AllFreeCrafts.com
MyCraftBook.com
SavvySeams.com (she is no longer adding new patterns)

Check them out!

More on Death to Disposables!

Since we're making 2008 the Year Disposables Die, starting with plastic and paper bags, let's root through our homes and see what other throw away products we can replace with reusable items. Sometimes, the stuff we normally toss (largely because of how the product is marketed to us) can be used indefinitely.

Let's start in the kitchen...

Plastic containers: Wash and reuse. I'm always baffled when I see people toss out a sour cream container only to turn around and place leftovers in expensive Tupperware. Rather redundant, don't ya think?

Plastic food bags: Wash and reuse, just like their container cousins. And for those who holler, "Gah! They're so cheap, why would I bother to wash them?" Well, because nickel and diming yourself into debt isn't so bright. Neither is tossing plastic products en masse into landfills. Gah!

Paper Towels: Cloth dish towels. To sop up grease, designate one towel (or a torn up sheet or stained tshirt that was going to the landfill) and soak and wash it as needed.

Toothpicks: Metal or bamboo picks. Or our old friend, the fork. (Seriously people, toothpicks? What's the point?)

Paper plates and plastic cups and cutlery: Use the real deal. Borrow from friends and neighbors if you're having a big party and don't have enough dishes.

Now, for the rest of the casa...

Tissues: Hankies. Kleenex may want you to equate their dead trees to emotional healing, but don't buy the hype. You can purchase cloth handkerchiefs ridiculously cheap or find old, beautiful ones at thrift shops. Like "grease towels," cast away clothes or linens make for perfect hankies.

Disposable dusting cloths: Microfiber cloths, dish cloths or refashioned cast offs.

Vacuum bags: Reuse bags or (after the death of your current machine) invest in a bagless vacuum.

Disposable razors: Razors with replaceable heads. Or, you could get brave and go hairy!

And finally, let's just group all of those disposable cleaning products together, shall we? Tossable heads for toilet cleaners. The disposable dusting cloths mentioned previously. On and on and on. Don't let the germ phobia fool you. Disposable products aren't more convenient or safer. They're expensive and harmful to the environment.

If you find yourself ready to purchase a disposable product or toss something in the trash after one use, ask yourself--WWGD--What Would Grandma Do? Not too long ago, we lived in a culture that despised debt and exalted durability in products. When it comes to living green and frugal, Grandma probably knows best.

What Would Jesus Buy?

Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Reverend Billy and choir of The Church of Stop Shopping! Take a gander. You'll love 'em.

I am a progressive, liberal Christian (known as a heathen bastard to my right-wing brothers and sisters in Christ) and a member of the United Church of Christ. You might wonder what my faith and this Reverend Billy dude have to do with frugal living. Gimme a minute to explain.

I'm enamored of religion. Love the stuff. Buddha? Total rockstar. Shiva? What a bad ass! But none of them could suck me in quite like Jesus. Buddha talks a great deal about non-attachment (great for spendthrifts!), which I think is grand. But I'm awfully attached to certain things. I'm particularly attached to ideas like healthy communities and economic and social justice. So, Jesus and his radical actions toward peace, justice and equality made Christianity a natural fit.

Which means that I've got religion in my wallet. If I follow teachings that insist on justice for all humanity, I can't willingly purchase products produced by what is essentially slave labor (i.e., most products mass produced in China). I can't throw myself into debt to "be a good American" when so many are sleeping on the streets. So, what would Jesus buy?

Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping believe Consumerism is overwhelming our lives. The corporations want us to have experiences only through their products. Our neighborhoods, "commons" places like stoops and parks and streets and libraries, are disappearing into the corporatized world of big boxes and chain stores... So we are singing and preaching for local economies and real - not mediated through products -- experience. We like independent shops where you know the person behind the counter or at least - you like them enough to share a story. I couldn't agree more.

So, check out the book and the film for a fabulous, hilarious take on religion and consumerism. Can I get an Amen?!




Disclaimer: Libraries, thrift shops and independent book sellers are the best places to find books! Check out The American Booksellers Association or NewPages.com to find independent retailers near you.

2008: Death to Disposables!

I've complained about our throw away culture plenty in this wee blog, and I'm hopeful that you'll join me in making 2008 the year that disposables die. What I find most hilarious are paper towel commercials that make claims of long lasting, durable towels that can be used over and over...and then thrown away. Um, if you're going to use them over and over, why not just use cloth towels and wash them for reuse?

Most of our disposable obsession centers on germ phobia and convenience (AKA laziness). We're terrified that demonic germs will rise up and hospitalize us or turn us into zombies directly after we've dropped to the ground from the arduous task of toiling with reusable products.

It's not surprising we feel this way. The idiot box is constantly showing how dangerous our germ filled world is all while complaining that we are overworked, with no free time. (Hey, how much more time would we have if every time the idiot box flickered yet another BE AFRAID program, we opted just to shut the thing off?) Here's the sad truth: you can't avoid germs. And you, your house, your car, your bike, your kids, your town? Yeah, it's all a big petri dish of germy love. It's the nature of life. Unless you're walking around in a sewage, chances are you'll survive the horrors of being human and using the same stuff over and over only to wash it and use it again.

So, to start the new year off right, let's make January the month we stop using plastic or paper bags when we shop and replace them with reusable, cloth (or some other durable product) bags. Most grocery stores sell reusable bags for $1 or less, and thrift stores often have canvas bags for as little as 25 cents. And make sure to use them for more than just grocery shopping--any time you shop, take your bags.

Although cloth bags aren't a big money saver in the short run (a few stores do offer a nickel bag credit), it will save Mama Earth tons of plastic waste. And what's good for Mama is good for you and me!

Happy New Year!

The end of 2007 left the land of Consciously Frugal with a broken computer. Thankfully, we've ushered in the new year with a cheaper-than-a-new-computer repair and working laptop. Yay!

Consciously Frugal will have a few changes this year. The weekly advice column will be a monthly feature (until further notice) to which we'll add a "Reader's Tips" section. So, feel free to share your frugal tips via email to consciouslyfrugal_at_yahoo.com or on the comments section. Lawd knows the only way to fight the consumer machine is by helping each other out!

Additionally, we're going to start each month with a "green" tip that can ultimately save money. If we make just one small change each month, by the end of the year we'll have 12 new, green, money saving habits.

And, as usual, we'll have rambling and ranting about all things eco and wallet friendly. If there's anything in particular you would like to see covered, just drop us a line.

So, welcome 2008! May this year bring us true wealth and happiness--our needs met with plenty left over to share with our communities, actively engaged citizens, joyous relationships, and healthy bodies living in a healthy planet. To happiness and prosperity for all!