Compacting Update....

I really like it when I check other Compacting blogs and people post their successes and failures, so I thought I would do an update of my own.

We're 3 weeks into this, which means we have a long way to go. One thing that I've noticed is that buying is such a common activity. Food provisioning takes a lot of time because we usually shop 3 stores every week, plus the farmer's market, and sometimes and extra stop for fresh produce or fresh fish.

Things that were purchased new (other than food and health items):

A CD for the boys (homeschooling)
A Spanish book/CD "curriculum" at the museum (homeschooling)
3 black Prismacolor pencils (homeschooling)
2 books for homeschooling (a book of African American songs, games, etc. as well as a multicultural art project book)

Papa bought a calendar for his office (on sale), tax software, and virus software.

Activities that we pursued:

We went to see Charlotte's Web. We used discount tickets and brought our own water and allergy-safe treats. We walked to the theater.

We went to a train day at the local museum, and decided to purchase a membership as we want to go back next month for a traveling planetarium show. The membership included a $5 coupon in the gift store (plus the customary 10% off), hence the book/CD purchase I made. I will say that I could have picked up a rock with no money out of pocket, but felt that spending a little to get something that is actually useful to us right now made more sense.

We did a frugal weekend getaway for T-Guy's birthday.

Thrift store purchases:

A pair of pants for J-Baby (finally something decent, but they were $3)
A Hawaiian shirt for J-Baby ($2, made in Hawaii)
Book - The Corrections, 45 cents. This could have been checked out from the library. Truly I could have saved the 45 cents. I'll read it and pass it on.
Book - Summerhill (the 1960 version), 45 cents. Something I've been wanting to read, and consider helpful in our homeschooling.
Nice wood/mesh screen for sifting rocks out of soil, $4. I'm happy about this because I decided to amend our soil rather than just buying new soil. Gardening tools, etc. are allowed, however I was pleased to find this at the thrift shop. It actually looks new.
Backpack for J-Baby $2 (and I had almost given up and ordered from Land's End)
String bag for groceries $2 (NWT, a really big bag and a pretty blue)
Custard cups 3 @ 45 cents each (on my list...I'm looking for a few more)
Measuring cups 2 @ 45 each (also on my list, but now I only need a 1 cup which seems harder to find)
Egg crate foam for dog bed $2
Stuff to use as soap molds $2.50
Lakers shirt for T-Guy (will probably fit next year) $1
2 white t-shirts for our tie-dye project $2

I was extremely pleased to be able to take care of making a soft bed for the dog by buying the egg crate foam. Someone else probably used the rest of it for something similar. We just wrap an old blanket around it and she's happy as a clam.

Even with all of the grocery shopping we feel like we are shopping/in stores far less than before. The boys and I try to hit the thrift store once a week; we have an hour to spend out of the house before we go to the park on Tuesdays. Buying used it is easier to have an ongoing list and to look regularly rather than expecting to find the exact thing we want each time we go.