As the saying goes, we are "creatures of habit". Habits can be good and bad. "Habit" - according to The Free Dictionary is a(n):
-Recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition.
-Established disposition of the mind or character.
-Customary manner or practice: a person of ascetic habits.
-Addiction, especially to a narcotic drug.
I have habits, my little babe already at the age of 15 months has habits, and my pack of dogs and cats have habits (mainly complaining loudly when they think it it close to dinner time). My little babe cannot fall asleep without me beside her in the bed - a habit that I started out of necessity (breastfeeding) and one that I let continue because I don't feel it is something I need to be forceful about stopping. The dogs know in the morning when I am waking up because they hear me reach for my glasses and put them on. Now, my little babe reaches for my glasses on the window sill and hands them to me - I don't even have to ask her to do it anymore; it is a habit for her. Once the dogs hear that, Lola the Momma's girl Corgi will jump onto the bed to say good morning. The anxious Corgi, Ruby, will start scratching her neck, foot thumping on the floor, until I "invite" her up onto the bed for some belly rubs. Wallace, my Romanian dog who most likely was on the bed all night with me, will stand up and stretch, wagging his big fluffy tail. Then Ruby and Chip, dog number four in the bedroom with me, will start play fighting. It is the same routine every morning - I didn't teach the dogs to do any of this, but somehow they developed these habits, which I sometimes find endearing and other times are annoying because I would like to just stay in bed.
Since we are still in the month of January and resolutions are fresh on everyone's minds (or have you let yours slide already?), I would invite you to look at your habits. Since my word for the year is AWARE, I am trying to pay more attention to my habits and see which are worth keeping. Here are several habits that you may want to consider changing in an attempt to become more frugal and earth friendly.
-If you always get a large coffee at your local coffee shop on the way to work, pause one morning and ask yourself if you really need that much coffee. Would a smaller size do? Without stopping your habit (or addiction), you could save a couple cents each day, which would add up to a couple dollars each month. You would still be able to wrap your hands around a hot drink, enjoying the aroma, and perhaps you would even appreciate it more because you don't have as much just to gulp down.
-I know a lot of people go to the grocery store with a list of "what we need", which is based on what they used up in the past week, and so it tends to be repetitive. It takes some time and energy to find and make a new recipe, so it is quickest to stick with the normal routine, or habit. Next time you are planning your grocery list, consider some areas that you might be able to do something just a little different. It might save you some money. If you are a tea drinker, consider buying loose leaf tea in bulk - it is normally much cheaper than the boxes of tea bags, not to mention better for the environment because it is less packaging - think of all those tea bags and strings that get thrown away. I can imagine them wrapping around a bird's beak. For your spices, look in the international sections of the grocery store or consider shopping at an international market. You can usually buy spices in bulk for less money. The packaging might look different from what you are used to, but that doesn't affect the quality of the spices. My husband likes to cook a lot and he has found that this simple change has saved us money.
-If you receive magazine subscriptions in the mail and always automatically renew them - partly because they send you those pesky reminders months in advance and instill a sense of urgency in you and partly because it is just habit to have them around the house - pause before you write the next check. Ask yourself if it is really worth the $19.95 per year. I have come to realize that most magazines are 50% full of advertisements and that a lot of the articles are simply a new way of saying an old idea. And you can probably find the same information on the internet for free. There are several good magazines available that are trying to do something different - Taproot is one of them. And when you are done reading your magazines, please make sure you are recycling them, not throwing them in the trash.
-This should be old news by now, but when I am at the grocery store, I still see the majority of people putting their groceries in plastic bags. I know that people are in a hurry at the grocery store, but please take a couple minutes to remember to bring your reusable shopping bags to the store with you. You simply have to get in the habit of using them and then it won't seem like an inconvenience. Plastic bags are a huge issue for the environment. Here are some facts from the website www.reuseit.com:
- About 1 million plastic bags are used every minute. So how many bags were used and then probably thrown away, while you have been reading this post?
- The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store. I find that pretty horrendous, and yet believable. I have seen clerks put just ONE item in a plastic bag.
- Every square mile of ocean has about 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in it. Think about that the next time you are taking a sunrise walk on the beach, or watching your child play in the waves. If you enjoy it, make the effort to take care of it.
Hope this post provided a little food for thought. I am glad if you are in the habit of stopping by my blog!