I visited my brother in Portland last weekend, and as always, I had a fabulous time. Portland is a great spot for a compact-y vacation. First of all, it’s a walkable city, and we took a walk every day with my brother’s dog Gracie (pictured here in her winter sweater). The best thing about Gracie […]
Experiential Gifts for the Holidays
The following is a reprint of a previously published post. I’ll have more posts about compact-friendly holiday gifts over the next few weeks. This is the first segment of a series I’ll be doing this week about non-consumer holiday gift giving. Today I’ll talk about “experiential” gifts, tomorrow I’ll have ideas for handmade gifts, and […]
How buying less stuff can be empowering
I made the decision to join The Compact and live a nonconsumer lifestyle as an experiment, because I wanted to learn to live on less money and embrace a less materialistic lifestyle that I had a sense would make me happier. Almost two years later, I can’t imagine ever going back. A new reader has inspired […]
WasteNot Saks
These handy-dandy little bags are a great way to cut down on plastic waste. I found out about them from Kate at An Exercise in Frugality, and I immediately ordered these four bags and have been using them ever since. They’re great for brown-bag lunches, hiking, and just throwing a snack in your purse. If […]
Tale of Two Water Bottles
I finally broke down and bought a brand-new Klean Kanteen water bottle, replacing the giveaway bottle I’d been putting up with for far too long. I know some Compacters are so cool they manage to find stuff like pristine-with-the-tags-still-on Sigg water bottles at Goodwill for like 2 cents, but I am not that cool. And […]
Thanks for your anniversary gift ideas!
Thank you readers! When I asked for ideas, as always, you delivered. Armed with your suggestions, I created this fabulous basket for my friend’s parents’ 50th anniversary. I loved all your ideas so much that I wish I could have included all of them. I decided to go with baked goods and consumables, so I […]