The Compact Challenge 2010 (formally "Need help for a challenge")

415SanFran

Hi.
Best of luck with this.

I lived in San Francisco when the compacters first hit the headlines a few years ago.
Am I correct in thinking that they were the first people to get the whole freecycle up and running? In the US at least. I know it is a long shot but you could also look on https://www.craigslist.org for things that you need. Many people in the UK do not use it, it was first thought of in SF and has grown HUGE all across the States. Think gumtree on a massive scale.

Last year I decided no new clothes, except for the boys sporting events, so found ebay for the first time......what a mistake that was! For the first time ever I could afford brand names like monsoon CK jeans and the like.
So this year I have banned myself even from there. How many pairs of jeans can one person wear?
You know I might even join you with this, I have bulk bought every thing for the last 18 months from food (only buying out of date f/v so I can run the cupboards down(
Have loads of toiletries, like you make my own washing powder/handwash.
I really cannot think of anything that I would need that cannot come second hand.

pink_numbers

Hi 415SanFran, I imagine San Francisco to be filled with wonderful charity shops to support the original movement!

I personally don't use ebay any more, I used to use it a lot but then my account got hacked in to and I wasn't impressed with the way they "dealt" with it. I just don't feel secure about using it now. However, I had the exact same problem while I was using it, it's so hard to stop isn't it?

I also did the no new fashion item challenge last year, and it has really changed the way I look at shopping. Nowdays, I go into shops, and I just see STUFF. They all merge into each other and I just get fed up of them after a while. Do you get that too?

It sounds like you are ready for the challenge too, and it will be fab to have someone else to bounce ideas and frustrations with

clyndu

Hi, I know you already reuse plastic bags.Bbut if you walk through a supermarket carpark, you will be surprised how many fruit and veg bags people leave behind, without using them. My Mum uses them as poop bags. If use a radio have you thought about solar/windup one?

415SanFran

MMmmm funnily enough when this first came out it was big news and the starters of the group were classed as being very un American, like they were trying to make a political statement and if too many people joined them the economics of the whole US would fall to bits, the recession was just beginning to bite and the idea was that everyone should help by *buying* themselves out of the crisis.

As for charity shops,,,to tell the truth there are probably more in my town as in the whole of SF but, the stuff that you find is of much better quality because you tend to have richer people handing stuff if that makes sense.

Speaking of charity I seem to get loads of the bags put through my door *once it was 3 all in the same day* I just use them in the kitchen I do have some under the sink that I can fall back on. But for the last 12 months I haven't used one. Because of all the stuff that needs to be recycled and composted I only use 1 perhaps 2 a week, I probably have 6 weeks supply as it stands at the moment.

Tell me? Pink_Numbers? Have you been brave enough to use the mooncup yet? Thankfully I no longer need to worry about these things but a few years ago I thought about it and Ummed and Haaed to be honest I think I would be more comfortable getting washable towels, at the stage in my life my body is just doing its own thing, just because I haven't needed anything for 6 months does not mean anything according to a few of my friends. But I do have one box left over from when I deeded them for 6 months solid.
Sorry if this is too much information!

415SanFran

Just preparing and seeing what is around.
I only have about 4 bottles of bleach, and only throw it down the lav when needed.
Assuming that I run out, what are the alternatives? I read somewhere about flat coke, but never tried it, any other tips?

pink_numbers

clyndu - you know what, I've never thought to look around the car park! We are tying to wean ourselves off plastic bags, but some how they seem to find their way in to our house I must make more of an effort to stop them!

415SanFran - Yes I did try the mooncup last month! Unfortunately, it seems to be too big for me and it really hurts taking it out. It's a shame because I liked the idea of mooncup, and was slowly getting over the eeeeeky-ness of it (took me months to get over the idea at first). I may have to change my plan and try fabric towels?

As for toilet - I usually just use vinegar, pour about two cups into the bowl and leave it there for half an hour to an hour. I also spray the vinegar on higher up the bowl as well. I tend to find that gets rid of the lime scale no problem. Have you tried vinegar?

We never get those charity bags... although we need boxes at the moment to take stuff to charity (we're really trying to declutter). I have a big leather desk chair waiting to go, do you think they will fit in those bags? lol

415SanFran

No but i will from now on, if I was still spending I would buy one of those books 101uses for vinegar, I think it is called, keep my eyes open for one when in the charity shop I guess.

why not freecycle the chair.
I'm sure someone can give it a loving new home.

pink_numbers

We're going to donate the chair to St. Catherine's furniture shop, where we donate most of our unwanted furnitures (we recently merged from two households into one).

Vinegar is my best friend after bicarb

No need to buy book, have a look here: http://www.!!!!!!!!!.com/cantina/homemaking/vinegar.html and other places online.

415SanFran

:hello:Hi PN

Can you believe I have just bought a new leather computer chair out of the paper about 3 months ago for 30 pounds, so if you are feeling quite so charitable that is an option.

Thanks for the link for the vinegar, I sat up half the night what with this site and that one. It happens every time, I say to myself I am just looking at one thing, next thing I know it's 3am :whistle:

I have tried to join the compacters yahoo group, are you part of that? My account is still pending, so waiting to hear from them. Hopefully that will help when problems arise that I hadn't even thought of.
I wish to let you know here and now that I have made absolutely no preparing for this, I made the decision when I wrote to you.
But I have the bit between my teeth now and am very determined to make it work.
I really need savings, no matter how small.

pink_numbers

ha ha ha I know what you mean about staying up to do one thing and end up staying up all night! I am currently reading through the christmas crafting thread for ideas for next year, there's about 168 pages of the thread.

I joined both the SF compact and the Europe group about a year ago, but I don't check it regularly. Before I joined, I had thought it would be full of tips on how to make do and mend, but I guess I was a bit off on that.

I've spent about a year mulling over this challenge and changing my life style so that I can do this challenge, but I haven't really prepped either. ok, maybe I did buy a little more yarn than I normally do, but that's about it. I haven't stocked up on anything that I didn't normally stock up on, if you see what I mean.

I think it's very brave to make a decision to do this on the spot with no prep though! It took me a year of thinking before committing to it.

I had a mini-panic last night at my poor OH about this whole challenge, I think I am going to find it rather hard. What do you think will be the hardest thing for you? For myself, I think it will be hardest not being able to go and buy craft/art materials when I see something I want to make. I think I will make a folder in my firefox titled "things to make in 2011".

I'm also cutting my outgoings to a quarter of what I used to spend, which is scaring me already!