Hail to the Gods of Consignment

Today I practiced the middleman of the three "R's", as I conspired to harvest a spring/summer wardrobe for my eldest daughter. Reusing was never more fun. This morning, at one of my favorite kid consignment sales (see below for details), I picked up well-made dresses, like-new shoes, fun tops and crossed everything off my list for a song. (On the last day of these sales, most items are 50% off). To put a finer point on it, the final cost of 7 dresses, 6 short-sleeved tops, 3 shorts, 2 skirts, 2 pairs of shoes, 1 bathingsuit, 1 pair of pants, 8 pairs of socks, 6 pairs of tights, and 4 puzzles came to $83.

Of course nothing trumps free hand-me-downs from friends with older children. (Thank you friends, you are at once generous, with lovely taste in clothes and a knack for keeping them looking new). But if this should fail to provide a full wardrobe, buying consignment is an excellent way to conserve natural resources. You are taking from the supply already available rather than demanding new production.

Before you go buy new, hunt through consignment shops for furniture, clothes for babies to adults, home decor, cookware, serveware and more. Garnish the thrill of the bargain-hunt with the satisfaction of having demanded less of the Earth. Especially with furniture, you know what they say, "they don't make 'em like they used to."

For the kids consignment sales, get on their email list to be notified of upcoming sales and then you can plan your kids' clothes purchases around these, saving new purchases as a last resort. Consider helping work the sale, and then you get to shop the night before the general public (which must be very awesome the night before the 50%-off day). Use The Bargain Watcher to find out about upcoming sales nationwide and your local consignment shops: http://www.thebargainwatcher.com/).

In Atlanta, here are my two favorites, because of the enormity and quality of their selection:

1. All 4 Kids (http://www.all4kids.com/), North Atlanta

2. Kidsignments (http://www.kidsignments.com/), Gwinnett

For general shopping, check out:

1. My Favorite Place, 5596 Peachtree Industrial, Chamblee, GA 30341, (770) 452-8397, 10:00 - 5:30, 7 days a week - officially a flea market, but vendors sell new, antique, miscellaneous items - everything, and you get another 10% off at checkout. I will eventually post pics of my most awesome finds (including a solid-wood rocker-armchair for $150, and a set of bar stools and table handcrafted from salvaged wine barrels for $170). For the tea lover, go today! It is the perfect place to collect a tea service, with a new infusion of china cups, creamers, teapots and sugar bowls tucked here and there every time I visit.

2. Plato's Closet - here you will be sure to find trendy clothes at inexpensive prices for teenagers and up, many locations - (http://www.platoscloset.com/)

3. Craigslist - many people already utilize Craigslist, but I just want to remind you to go to it before you go to the store. (http://www.craigslist.com/) Using Craigslist, I scored a perfect-condition Pottery Barn twin iron bed for $150 and wrought iron screens for $25 each to repurpose as a chimney trellis.

Bargain-shoppers and "greenie-weenies" as my neighbor calls the Earth-friendly can be one and the same on the consignment scene.

The Story of Stuff

Why do we buy so much stuff and expect low prices? Why have U.S. companies outsourced manufacturing to other countries? Check out this 20-minute presentation (http://www.storyofstuff.com/) to understand how the world suffers by America's consumption habits. It has made me rethink my glee over dirt-cheap bargains. It motivates me to spend my money with ethical, local businesses rather than franchises and chains. I may pay a percentage more, but in the process I can support business practices I respect, cut out the waste of shipping, and get a product/service I can trace to its roots. (Also, I am not asking another person to pay with their quality of life for my low cost -- watch the Story of Stuff!).

True I still forage in Marshall's and Tuesday Morning from time to time, but I also discovered Labaire Pottery in Norcross, GA. They have beautiful original pottery, jewelry, paintings, and other home decor gems all made by American artists (including owner Anne Labaire who paints vibrant landscapes). For ten years, they have been "celebrating American ingenuity, talent and creativity." Now I do too, everytime I buy a gift there. (UPDATE: Anne Labaire closed her lovely gallery and now works and sells her art down the block at the Kudzu Art Zone, http://www.kudzuartzone.org). Another excellent venue is the local arts and crafts festival. Georgia is home to a bounty of these.

Two favorites of mine are the Inman Park Festival in the spring(http://www.inmanparkfestival.org/) and the Yellow Daisy Festival at Stone Mountain Park in the fall (http://festivals.stonemountainpark.com/mini-section/default.aspx?id=14). Delay gratification, make a wishlist, save your money, and when the festival comes to town, go hunt for something original and fun.

Alternatively, there's Ten Thousand Villages (http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/), which although not solving the packaging/shipping dilemma, does pay its artisans a fair wage, helping families in Africa, Asia and Latin America attain a better quality of life.

If you happen across this post and know of other purveyors of local or handmade merchandise, no matter where, please post their contact info below.

More to follow on awesome locally-owned (and supplied) restaurants.

To Procrastinators Everywhere

When I was at Gtown, we used to joke we'd start a Procrastinators' Club, just as soon as we could get around to it. I cannot believe it has been more than a year since I started this blog. The problem with wanting to be perfect (besides being an exercise in futility) is that it keeps you from taking action. So onwards with the purpose of this blog, just in a less thorough way. With 3 kids, the best I can do is going to be good enough. So here comes the info, on random play...

Back to Basics

Well, I have a couple of friends who have urged me to start a blog (probably because they are tired of receiving my email campaigns on whatever subject I am currently investigating). It seems I am a narcissist and feel some greater calling to spread the word about my discoveries. Truthfully, I do want the world to change, and I'm trying to be of some assistance. And I know how that sounds. There are so many of us self-appointed or imagined "movers and shakers" and even worse, so many of us are diametrically opposed in our convictions. Well, at the least, I am voting with my own dollar as I learn more about what's what. And hopefully, even if I don't influence anyone in the blogosphere, I'll set a good example for my children, so they can be decent human beings and "live well."

Of course, "living well" has widely varying descriptions depending on who you ask.

For me, it means respect for nature; that it's not a flawed system; not something for us to evade or triumph over. Now here I'm going to depart from my truly earthy friends because I must admit I am terrified of bugs and of dying (perhaps in equal parts ;)). So I'd like a bit of a buffer from the au naturel lifestyle, but overall, the name of this game is to reduce artificial products and toxins in my environment and body, and as a rule, do things (such as eat, give birth, exercise, interact with my family and community, etc.) according to my body and the Earth's design. Granted there are exceptions to every rule (I've just admitted I have my own), but I feel those exceptions have become the norm. And I have a problem with that -- for the sake of my children, and living things all around the world.

I value my own integrity. So, although I have a background in public relations and marketing, I won't spin anything. After all, my mother is a librarian, so the findings of extensive research must prevail. With two kids and one on the way, I just wonder how much time I'll have for this thorough research, so I'll always welcome more leads and more input.

Now the exciting part. Here are some of the topics I've been pondering, which I hope to write about in this blog, in no particular order:

- Organic, sustainable food
- Natural anti-bacterial products
- Representative government
- Homemade baby food
- Petroleum-based plastics
- Diapers
- School lunch programs
- Communicating via technology
- Natural vs. medicated childbirth
- The merits of consignment/reusing
- Non-stick pots and pans
- Vitamins/formula vs. nutrition through diet
- Artificial fragrances
- Nail polish
- Idealogy of focusing on self, family, community, region, country in that order
- Natural vs. synthetic healthcare
- Rebuilding local community
- Methods of transportation that reduce pollution
- Energy footprint reduction
- Natural pest control
- Ubiquity of television and video games

It's funny, I'm no expert in any of these topics. But the goal is to learn about them, so I can make some responsible life choices. Thanks for any who are joining me on this self-improvement (and imagined potentially world-changing) journey. ;)

Angela