One month in. . .

. . . and I am loving having this gentle boundary on my life! It is not an overriding part of my life, but pops up now and then. Nori started dance class and needed a specific outfit, including pink tights. So, I ventured to a few thrift stores and then ended up at a play date with a friend who had a few pairs to pass on! Usually I would have simply ordered the 5 dollar pair online. But this way, I had time to check in with a friend as well as an outing to the thrift store. The other kids have cuter leotards (and I kind of want this for her) but I think she is okay with her second hand ones. After all the buying of christmas, it feels like a nice healthy fast to not shop or even think of shopping.Maybe this will change as the year goes on. A few fun things happened: to make Nori's banner for her birthday we used leftover paper and ribbon and it turned out great. I would have bought new usually. It feels good to look around to see what we can use. I also made a mobile for a friend and rummaged through my fabric scraps instead of buying new. I also had to borrow stuffing from a friend, but she seemed happy to share. I needed wire for it that I didn't have, which meant dismantling the christmas wreath in the trash can to find some. Better than it ending up in the landfill:) I spent an hour scrubbing our bath (no slip) mat to try to get the mold out. I didn't make much of a difference. So not sure what to do about that. It's a freeing commitment so far that keeps me focused on what matters. At Target I don't feel the "obligation" to look thru the sale rack "just in case." And I don't fuss about bringing extravagant gifts to bdays and baby showers. We have so much second hand stuff to share, just hope everyone else is okay with that! Yesterday, we were snowed in. Nori and I started to write and illustrate a book that I was thinking we could copy and give as gifts as well. Here is to more present-ness, less stuff and less time spent in stores!