“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

so here we are.

we are off!

after discussing THE COMPACT ideas together, and figuring out what that looks like in our family... we are ready and going.

2010- this house is going with a simple form of "nothing new" for a year.

These exceptions are subject to change- we reserve that right....

What are the exceptions?

~anything that is necessary for health or safety reasons (Therapies, ingredients for homemade cleaners, hygiene or safety) As a rule there must be a few attempts at freecycle, craigslist or thrifting first.

ie. carseats, helmets, athletic shoes. (things that you CAN buy new- undergarments.)

~foods! (that is obvious.... but we will keep our food purchases to under $70 a week (including our Noris Dairy, CSA and the basics/ this also includes seeds for our garden) I will keep making breads, butters, condiments, cheeses, etc. to keep the waste and cost at minimum. This is cutting our weekly costs another $25-30 from what we are currently spending.

~house repairs or improvements ( we are in the middle of some replacements, and our deck is rotted out.... plans to be replaced this spring)

~Bryan's hockey dues/ and replacement of overly warn sticks, wheels, and gear. (Bryan has played hockey for years- and he needs this athletic outlet.

~Family activities- limited to no more than two a month, and must be active! (ie. bowling, ice skating, golfing range, camping) These activities are fairly cheep and the boys need that outlet- especially in winter.

~California vacation- one theme park, no souvenirs.... no hotels.

~one date night expense a month (this is important to our relational status as a married couple, trust me on this.)

~my crafting. the only exception is for specialized gift (and I must have a coupon). ie. a themed quilt, or a special request. other than that- I have plenty of yarns, fabrics, papers, pastels etc. to keep me going for a while.

After talking for hours last night, this is all we came up with..... I cant think of anything other areas to cover? Did I miss anything?