Go to www.seattle.gov/stopphonebooks

I just did it and it took me 2 minutes.

We have put all our debt on a dry erase board with the total at the top and have it visible in our home.  It is a reminder to us that we have debt we are working to pay off and an encouragement when we feel discouraged that our choices are making a difference to the financial well-being of our family.

In pursuing this we need to remind each other often that we are limiting our spending so that we can pay off our debt.  We are changing how our brains think about finances and that does not happen quickly or easily.  We are creating new grooves in our brain!

Having a budget that we are legalistic about does not work for our family. So, in the stead of a budget Kendall and I talk to each other about finances, spending, and our debt regularly.  After trying many strategies we have found that this is what works for us.  We often ask the question when it comes to spending, “How does this fit into our No Spending Spree?”  It means that we are regularly evaluating priorities and doing cost-benefit analysis when deciding whether or not to spend money.  It means that we take into account the whole picture of what sustainability means to our family; looking at all the pieces.  In order to do this well we have to know what our priorities are.  There are many things that are important to us or that we really want, that we just cannot afford to pay for right now.  And, when we feel frustrated about this situation we remind ourselves or each other of the importance of acceptance, that this is the path we have chosen, and that it is not our money.  We try to gain a greater perspective on what it is that we are so upset about not being able to have and usually find that there is some greater underlying reason for our feeling.

It also means that there are things we do decide to spend money on. However, it often takes on a different form than it did before.  We are more thoughtful and creative about our solutions:

• We shop at home.  This is a phrase that I learned from a friend and I love it.  We use what we already have and supplement (often creatively) what we don’t.
• We have found that when we open our eyes, that living in the city is a great place to just find things for free (Also, knowledge gained from friends).
• We do a lot more repairing, fixing up, and mending, which often turns out to be fun.  Before we would have thrown or given the item away or not thought to purchase a certain item because it is not exactly what we had in mind.  Now, we get to learn all this new stuff.  The kind of stuff I used to always ask people, “How’d you know that?”.  And when, what needs to be fixed up or repaired is out of our league we pay a tradesperson who is great at their job to do it.

This path is long and often it is hard.  This path has also unintentionally led us to lead a more environmentally sustainable life.  It has caused us to choose do what is better for our family and in many ways that has resulted in providing us with better time together as a family.  This path led us to go camping for our family vacation last summer with our then little 9 month old baby and it was one of the best times we have had together.  It has also opened us up to our community.  We have needed others to help us financially at times and we have also received great amounts of generosity as those in our community spontaneously shower us with help, love, and fun gifts.

We live a more mindful life now and as a result we live a life that is closer to the ideals we value.  I will not downplay how hard it can be and how much we feel like we are missing out sometimes, but without even the slightest hesitation I can say that this is by far better for our family.  Through a ripple effect, living a financially sustainable life has brought us a much richer quality of life, whereas, the life we were living “mired in debt” bought us a life of stuff and stress.

Over the past few years though, this has been changing.  We began to understand that living a sustainable life extended beyond “being green”.  We finally realized what debt actually was: we owed people money.  This way of living was so completely normalized to us, that this completely obvious fact was hidden from our awareness.  The money that we were earning was not ours, we owed it to other people, even if those “other people” were creditors. Coming to this understanding has completely changed the way we live and it is HARD.

While debt did not exactly sneak up on us, it has taken us years to figure out the impact this debt has on our lives.  Interest rates, monthly payments, the accruement of debt, etc. has bound us.  We were living beyond our own financial sustainability. For years now we have been working (increasingly, as our understanding has increased) to free ourselves from our own debt.  There are times when we want to quit and there are times when we do (but we always get back to our “No Spending Spree”) .  But, our main financial objective is to live a sustainable life and to provide our son with an example of financial responsibility that we never had growing up.

It did. Oh did it. Not only did they have an extra cedar board that we could use, Dan was willing to help me build it too (actually, save me from severing a finger with a power saw). A few weeks ago, on a Saturday I ventured over to my favorite urban farm to see what we could whip up. An hour later I headed home with this whopper of a window box. Thanks to Dan, Alicia and special help from Hannah.

Later that afternoon, we wanted to take advantage of our newest home/garden accoutrement, so we grabbed our potting soil and seeds and went to work. We dropped some seed for Little Caesar lettuce, Tuscan Kale and Arugula. We’re gonna be eating right this summer! Every time I walked by our garden, I looked to see if anything had sprouted. Not too long after we planted, we started to see little glimpses of our future food. Right now, we’re just starting to see some of the true leaves, but we hope to have some full-blown leaves soon. We’ll keep you updated.

Well, today, I am happy that we are being joined by one of my superheroes.? Kathryn has been kind enough to agree to share another one of her gifts.? With her cross country moves (Dallas to Chicago to Houston) Kathryn has gotten unbelievably good at sustainably furnishing empty apartments on a small budget.? She has gathered a few of her tricks and ideas and written them out for us below.? Please give her a warm welcome!? Enjoy.

Oh and I think the key to all of their superpowers may be vision and balls.? I am not sure which one I am missing.

?We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors….we borrow it from our children.?
-Native American Proverb

This quote inspired me to share with you some ideas that can not only ?cuten? up your home, but make you feel good about doing it!

One of the greatest issues facing our environment is the severe amount of waste that we produce. We can all do our part to reduce the number of disposable items we use, but we can also help by reusing what we already have. Have you ever had a table that just didn?t work with your room anymore? Or a lampshade you suddenly found dull? Before you toss it, here are some ideas to spruce it up and essentially create a new table, without the waste and without the buck.

An easy way to add a little pop to your room is to recover your table with a cute fabric or paper. Start with the top and move to the legs if you are up for a bit of a challenge. Arrange your paper/fabric (you can combine several different styles to create a fun design) onto the top of the table. Make sure the papers/fabrics are cut to fit the exact size. Place your design aside and paint the table with a water-based polycrylic protective finish. Now lay your design back on top of the glue and set it in place. Use the same protective finish to paint a seal on top of the design. Repeat this process on the legs if you desire.

A more complicated, yet rewarding, approach to recovering your table is to mosaic it. You can always find cheap plates at any second hand store. Just break them up and adhere them in a fun pattern with craft glue. Add some grout and you will have a brand new look.? Here are a couple tutorials I found.

If you like painting, you can always paint (using zero-VOC paint) a solid color on the table and then paint a fun design or pattern on the top or sides. I?m a big fan of silhouettes, so I constantly find myself painting something black and then painting a leaf or floral silhouette on top. You will end up creating a completely unique piece that can?t be found at the closest Pier 1.

Even if you don?t have an older piece of your own to play with, Craigslist and garage sales are the perfect places to find a fixer upper. For $5-$10 you can find solid pieces that simply need a makeover. This way you save money buying used, you cut down on the amount of waste the table could potentially cause, and you find yourself with hours of entertainment creating your own masterpiece.

A fun idea I had came about when I was shopping at the Canton Marketplace. I found an old window for $7 in the garage sale section. I also had an Eiffel Tower poster displayed at home in a regular frame and I wasn?t crazy about the look. So, I took the window home, cleaned it up with a rag and then placed the poster behind the window, transforming a regular poster into a really unique addition to the living room. Even better is that it only cost about $15 total for the window and poster.

Just remember….don?t limit yourself and don?t worry about messing up! Almost anything can be sanded down for a clean start. These techniques can be used on picture frames or mirrors as well. Basically treat any item as though it is your canvas for creation! Check back in soon to find a fun and easy way to liven up your lampshade and much more!

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