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Friday February 28 is Economic Awareness Day

How are you doing?  It’s been a rollercoaster lately.  Mostly going down with my mouth open in a scream.  Occasionally a pocket of joy or happiness which I try my best to savor before I go back to the scream.  Take care of yourself and makes your economic blackout plans for Friday Feb 28.

As far as my research goes, this idea was originally proposed by The people’s Union USA.  I’ve also seen posts from Rev Al Sharpton and others.  The coolest was a woman I follow in Australia, so perhaps the movement will be world wide.  I sure hope so because I am fed up with all this billionaire sh*t.

My hope is that consumers give a big rethink to how they spend their money.  If you’ve been supporters of Dulse & Rugosa you’ll know this is not the first time we’ve talked  about “voting with your money”.  

The actions you take on Feb 28 will be different than mine.  That’s OK.  For me, it’s important to feel discomfort.  It’s easy for me not to spend money on Feb 28.  I live in rural Maine with snow banks 3 feet tall and icy parking lots, I’m not into physical shopping.  Any online shopping can wait a few days.  When I do make a purchase it will be from a small, indie business. 

However, it is going to be hard for me to give Waterloo Road, my escape streaming show.  It’s s a 2006 era British soapy set in a diverse British high school.  Both teachers and students make many, many bad choices.  As I watch I think “That’s not going to end well” and it doesn’t.  I’ve been drawn to shows produced outside the USA and this one has a lot of seasons.  

On Feb 28, I’ll cancel my prime membership and go cold turkey for the day on any sort of “cloud” activity including social media, emails and my alternative news outlets.  That will be uncomfortable and challenging for me.

I hope you find a way to show support, not just on a single day but by rethinking how you spend your money.  More events are scheduled through out the spring.  In general, if you can shop local, small or indie, do it.  Limit your purchases to the billionaires as much as possible.  

Let’s all collectively begin to feel and use our power- the power of our dollars.

Feel free to ask questions and also unfollow us.  Most of our customers share our values and want a world where ALL are valued.  That’s how we roll.

XXOO 

I wrote this blog back in 2017 and not much has changed.  Holidays continue to be tricky but in the past few years one area I've wanted to focus on and grow is making holidays truly reflect the season and connecting with loved ones- my tribe.  My best advice is when you are making a purchase for a holiday/seasonal celebration ask yourself these questions-

*Will these be treasured for years to come- think Xmas stocking.  I still have mine from when I was a child.  I've also made made "new" ones out of old wool skirts which I hang every year.

*Is my purchase supporting a small, indie or local business?  If your money is staying in your physical community or a community you admire purchasing candles or candies is a gift that keeps giving.

*Is my purchase helping to create or establish a tradition- lighting candles, a book read every year,  or does it spark a "story" you can retell every year?

*Does the purchase bring you or someone else joy?  It makes you smile!

Here are some ideas to help make your Easter celebration more sustainable.  I spent a fun day shopping for Easter goodies in my local community.

It's important when you are changing up your holiday traditions to be realistic and think reusable.  I read a sweet FaceBook post from a friend about the joy she felt when putting out her Easter heirlooms, especially a bunny her mom had made.  We can make these same memories for our children when we purchase wisely.

The first item is the Easter basket/container.  We have handmade stockings we use every Christmas and I wish I did the same for Easter.  How lovely to use the same container year after year.  I'd also include some trinket/filler containers and maybe even a beautiful handcrafted spring animal.  Unpack the box as a family a week before Easter and then pack away until next year.  Your Easter box becomes the nucleus of your celebration and your children will cherish these memories.

The more you do as a family to prepare for any holidays, the more memories you built and traditions you start.  So have an Easter grass making party.  All you need is a few old, colorful magazines and scissors.  Cut the pages into strips and then older kids can curl.  How cute!  How fun!

When shopping for Easter treats start at your local coop, health food store or candy store where you can buy from a bin.  This will eliminate a ton of unnecessary packaging. It's possible to buy foil wrapped chocolate bunnies and eggs without any extra packaging.  Save all the foil bits and roll into a ball.  When it gets big enough you can take it to the recycling center.  If one of the items in your reusable stash is nesting critters, you can fill them with all your loose, unwrapped candy treats.  Check out your local bakery for cute cookies, just remember to bring your own container or bag.

There are lots of other items to fill an Easter goodie basket, depending on the age and interests of your children.  For toddlers try small sturdy books, wooden toys, wooden puzzles, play food.  Books, art supplies or a card for a special trip or event for older kids.  Try to strike a balance between consuming/using on the big day and having a longer shelf life.    A family game to be played all together can make a large gathering lots of fun and keeps everyone together away from the TV.

One important step to help everyone understand why reducing, reusing and refusing is so important is a community service action.  Our family has added a trash pick up to our holiday celebrations.  There’s nothing like picking up a bunch of straws, drink cups, candy wrappers and so on to make it crystal clear why you are on your zero waste journey.

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Wanting to invite a bit of plant magic into your life?  Consider planting a tea garden.   I love to drink herbal teas and for the past few years I've been making my own.  This is especially lovely in the summer growing months as you can wander in your garden picking flowers and leaves to steep.  Each day you pick you get a slightly different blend.  That’s the start of the magic.  Once your batch of petals have steeped you have a delicious and refreshing drink.  Perfect hot, lukewarm or with ice.  One pot is good for the day.

You don’t need to invest a lot of money for this delightful activity.  Plants for sure and also a teapot with a stainless steel strainer.  You could use a smaller tea strainer but a teapot with a larger strainer means you can use bigger pieces and not worry about stems.  A well crafted teapot is an excellent investment.

Beyond the sheer pleasure of drinking your homemade brew making your own tea is an act of sustainability.  “Believe it or not, the humble teabag often contains a non-biodegradable plastic called polypropylene, which releases billions of microplastic particles every time you brew a cuppa.”  We are learning more each day about how invasive plastic is in our daily life and any chance we get to eliminate plastic is an opportunity we should take.  In the long run, you will also save money while  adding a bit of pleasure and ritual to your day.   Tea making will become an act you look forward to.   

Here’s a list of my favorite plants.  No worries if you don’t have a lot of space, these plants will do fine in a container.

Peppermint- this is the backbone of my herb blend.  Super fresh taste and very, very easy to grow- that means it can be invasive so choose your spot carefully.  What I love about the mints besides being easy to grow is they add bulk as well as flavor.

 Fancy mint- this can be a flavored mint, my favorite is Pineapple but there are many varieties.  Wander the herb aisle at your favorite garden shop to find the variety for you.  In my garden zone these tend to be a bit tender and often will not over winter.

Chamomile-  has a mellow, gentle flavor slightly “appley” flavor and known to help you relax, even get sleepy.  You can scatter seeds and lightly cover with soil or transplant.  Chamomile often selfs sows so keep your eye out the following spring.

Calendula- this bright orang/yellow flower is pure sunshine and happiness.  Their favor is a bit spicy and peppery adding a nice tang to your brew.  It’s a very sturdy, forgiving plant and can adapt to a lot of different soil types and selfs sows.

Lavender- has a bright floral flavor, too much is considered “soapy” but it’s one of my favorite additions to my brew.  It’s important to pick the right variety for your area as it’s a perennial.  Be sure to ask at your garden center for the variety that’s right for your area.

Brewing your own tea is an easy way to add a peaceful ritual to your day, add a bit of flavor to your life and to enjoy a plastic free, very sustainable drink. ENJOY!

Did you happen to see our posts about Val Pal?  It was an idea to help me change my own personal narrative about how crummy I find February and Valentine’s Day. 

It started last fall while listening to a podcast hosted by two young women.  It was February of the previous year and most of the conversation centered around love- not so much the traditional image of Valentine love.  The romance of a couple eating out, surrounded by roses and chocolates.  It was centered on loving your self in order to be able to love others.

At one point they asked each other what advice the’d give their younger self.  This made me chuckle, they both sounded like they were in their early 30’s.  I can’t remember the advice they gave but it definitely got me thinking about the stories I tell myself about my past in particular.  I decided to change my February story and that’s the root of Val Pal.

The way Val Pal works is simple and straight forward.  Commit to sending a stranger a piece of mail by Feb 10th.  You could buy a card from a local artist or maker or make something yourself.  I was so pleased by the response and positive energy Val Pal generated.  So many folks were excited to have a small project to focus on and to send something sweet out into the universe.

While it’s wonderful to send out positive vibes into the universe many of us, including myself, struggle with sending kindness to ourselves.  An article I found particularly helpful was Self-Kindness: Upgrade Your Thinking on the Modern Daily Knitting blog.  It started me on my journey of  awareness.  With the first step of talking to myself like a toddler when I went into my old patterns of negativity.  It’s so much easier to be kind to others!

I’ll definitely do Val Pals again next year and hope you’ll join us.