I Heart Craig

Let me begin this blog by apologizing to my nine followers. As you know, I was supposed to have blogged a while back - but believe me when I tell you; the phone company ate my modem. Word to the wise, read the fine print when switching Internet companies as you might end up spending $99 on a new modem.

Now - on to the good stuff!
I made a note on my "to-do list" regarding this blog. It read; "I Heart Craig". Apparently my step-daughter was reading through my to-do-list because as soon as Dave got home and we were all three chatting in the kitchen when Alex innocently (hmm) asked, "Liz, who's Craig?" To which I replied, "Craig's List Craig". Craig is the genius behind conservation, thrift and community in most metropolitan areas, and I love him slightly less than my husband, but definitely more than my step-daughter (don't judge, I am teasing here).

The title of this blog, "The Pantyhose Equation" comes from the obvious purchases one unquestioningly makes when working 60 hours a week in corporate America (pantyhose, a sweet ride, the occasional latte, great shoes, etc.) . What we have not discussed is the purchases we are required to make but make unwisely because we do not have, or do not make the time to think about them. These purchases are necessary, but can be made less painful through careful consideration and resourcefulness. These types of purchases include; schoolbooks, athletic gear, clothing, educational toys, etc. When in the rut of working 60 hours a week and commuting another 8-10 a week, we look for the easy buy and not always the smart buy. Most often we don't even entertain the smart buy if it requires any real effort on our behalf.

When on maternity leave (not the part where you are only paid 60% of your pay, but the unpaid part), my stepdaughter's cello case zipper broke. Last year's solution would have been to throw it away and get a new one. This year I had more time and less money, so we got creative. I searched E-bay, and was still looking at paying at least $75 for a used case, before shipping costs. This, coupled with the fact that I would be throwing something into the landfill that was 1. still good material and 2. cost $200 new was not acceptable

I looked at Craig's List on a couple of unlucky days and could not find a thing. Alex's Cello teacher suggested that we call REI to see if they repair canvas zippers and they passed me on to a company called Stitchlines in Denver. Stitchlines repairs tents and sleeping bags, and lo and behold, the occasional cello case. We paid $60 to have it fixed, we threw nothing away, save the broken zipper, and the seamstress sewed in an additional flap to keep the zipper from breaking again ($200 new-$60=$140 saved this year).

Now, I know for many of you this may make perfect sense, but for me it was a mind altering experience. I may have been going through the motions of taking care of the planet and our resources by recycling cans and glass and carrying my own grocery bags (when I remembered), but I was never really applying conservation in the broader scope. I was not thinking outside the box, because I had become a corporate lemming, doing without thinking simply because the because the money was there and the time wasn't.

So when a list of books for Al's English class came home, I hit the thrift stores, and when I only found a couple of the books there, I looked around for used paperbacks, and found "1/2 Price Books" off of Broadway in Denver. And when we were one book shy of the list, the owner sent me to another store, who sent me to another and I found the whole network of used bookstores in the area, all offering used paperbacks for a few bucks a piece (10 books at $2.50 each = $25.00 vs. $80 new=$65 saved this year).

Now with the new baby in the picture, there are many items that we need for only a short time. Two weeks ago we needed a saucer. I went to Craig's List and found a mother 6 blocks away who was selling one for $10. This saucer was $90.00 new . When I left that woman's house, I looked over my shoulder, saucer in hand and said, "Don't you just love Craig?". Ten minutes and $10 later I walked through my front door with a new saucer ($90-$10=$80 saved this year - thank you Craig) .

Craig has taken the garage sale one step further. He has made it easy to hone in on only the item you need, while considering only the location you want to look in. He is saving gas, promoting conservation and, making it really inexpensive to get good used stuff. Additionally, he is promoting community culture. Now I can use the Internet to locate a close, inexpensive and environmentally friendly option for all of Amelia's needs. And once again, I find that the economical choice is also the environmentally friendly choice.

To quote a smart man...."Buying used stuff is good as long as it ain't running shoes or your skivvies". Peace Out!

Next Week
Oh $#@% It's Time for Taxes!