It's Happening Again/Hoarding (be careful how you read that)

I am not receiving emails. Harumph! So if any of you have sent me an email that I haven't responded to, let me know.

My low-impact commitment slid a little last week. I ate fast food three days in a row. (gasp!) I was with friends two of the days and therefore not the only one deciding where we were going, but that's not really an excuse.

I went shopping, but at garage sales. I bought some clothes for DD (four pieces for a total of a buck, not bad, huh?), a mojito set (so NOT needed), and some Nalgene bottles (helpful, not needed).

Although shopping at garage sales does fall under the allowed list, it isn't helping me stop clinging to the process of acquisition, which is what I think is behind the problem. Cure the symptoms or cure the underlying illness?

I am a typical American girl. As a teenager, many weekends were spent shopping. It was a past time. This hobby slowed some while I was in college and I couldn't afford it.

Then I had a colicky baby who liked to be out and about, and I desperately needed to get out of the house. We did a lot of window shopping.

Ok. So often the "window shopping" turned into "cash register shopping."

Fast forward five years, and you'd see I have a house packed full of stuff. Not like those people you see on Oprah where you they have stuff piled so high they have to dig hallways for themselves. They call it hoarder's syndrome. But I have too much stuff and no where to put it.

If you ask me, this entire country has hoarder's syndrome. I'm not being judgemental. I can't because I'm right there with the rest of the country. But I am trying to slowly make a difference in my patterns of shopping and hopefully my children's too.

Originally my plan was to be more environmentally conscience. Then I read Hooked, the book of Buddhist writings on the need to consume, and I realized that my problem was that I am addicted to the process of acquisition.

So maybe garage sale shopping it not such a good idea.

I did make some cloth napkins and am making more. DD loves to use them.