This year, I found out some friends from Girl Scouts would be coming down the the Fred Meyer in my neighborhood for the sock sale, and I agreed to meet them outside the store at 4:00 a.m. (doors open at 5:00).  We were close to the front of the line, and the crowd was orderly and respectful, so except for the getting up at 3:30 a.m., it was a positive experience.

I’ve wondered, though, whether this is a sustainable practice? It’s certainly good for our budget. But should I be buying from a local business (Fred Meyer was once local, but is now owned by Kroger)? Should I be looking for used instead of new? Army surplus socks? Organic socks? Make my own?

Let’s see what the other options might look like:

Shopping local: As far as I know, I’d have to travel more than a mile or two to find a truly local business selling socks. For instance, I’ve heard good things about Sock Dreams, but they’re in Sellwood, 11.6 miles away by car.  They do, however, offer free shipping for online orders. The socks look gorgeous, but the prices are at least twice what I paid at Fred Meyer.  I might try Sock Dreams sometime for a gift; they do have all kinds of pretty and unusual items. They also have wool socks for babies, which aren’t widely available.

Used socks: I know, it probably sounds weird to some of you. And you won’t find socks at all resale shops; I don’t recall seeing used socks at Goodwill, for instance. But I have gotten socks and tights for the kids from a local children’s resale shop before. This particular store is only a mile and half away, and often has good-quality Hanna Andersson socks and tights available. These don’t wear out as fast as most socks, and are still in good condition. Some of the socks and tights I’ve bought there have been worn by all three of our girls. Unfortunately, they mostly stock clothing up to size 8, and our eldest is wearing size 10 (girls) clothes and size 7 (womens) shoes, and is nearly five feet tall.  And being the eldest, she’s the one who actually needed socks and tights the most.

Military surplus: I haven’t tried this, but have been considering it. I like wool socks, and have been wondering whether they’d be cheaper from a military surplus store.  I didn’t get a chance to visit one; the closest that I know of is more than a couple of miles away.

Organic socks: Socks made from organic materials are generally considered more sustainable; they’re made from organic cotton, wool from organically raised animals, etc.  They cost two to three times as much as socks from conventional materials.  Fred Meyer does have a section of organic socks for women, and I did consider them, but did not purchase any.

Make your own socks: Ha.  If we waited for me to knit socks for everyone, we’d be waiting a long time. It is a skill I’d like to learn, but I’d rather not be dependent on my ability as a sock-knitter.

Sustainability has several different components. For instance, AIGA’s Living Principles for Design divides sustainable design into four streams: environmental protection, social equity, economic health, and cultural vitality.  It’s not just about protecting the environment; it’s about making life livable for people, too.  So even in buying socks, I don’t just reach for the organic version, preferable though it might be.  I don’t automatically assume that buying locally is my best option. I also need to consider what’s sustainable for my family’s budget, and how much time I have for shopping, and how much gas I should use to get there.

I’m comfortable with my decision to shop the Fred Meyer sock sale. If we need more socks, I’ll probably check the resale store, and for gifts (or fun) I might try Sock Dreams. And maybe, one of these days, I’ll learn to knit socks.

The Electra Townies are both good bikes.  The 8i has an 8-speed hub gear system, while the 7D has derailleur gears.  Both handled equally well for me.   The upright posture on a Townie does take some getting used to.  Upright really means upright!  It’s a whole different feeling. Also, the 8i has big, cushy balloon tires, and the 7D has slightly less cushy tires.  Tires, of course, are changeable. Finally, the 8i has roller brakes, and the 7D has simple linear-pull brakes

The big difference between the two for me is price.  The 8i is $850, and the 7D is $440 (not including Xtracycle conversion).  Another difference, according to Dean at Clever Cycles, is in the axle.  The 7D has cheaper axles, and the hubs are likely to need replacement in a year or so.  The axle also sticks out more on the 7D, so it’s more prone to bending.

The Madsen utility bike was at first attractive to the kids.  They liked the idea of riding around in a large plastic bucket. The price is comparable to that of a complete Xtracycle package — $1299.  However, a test ride quickly helped us decide against this bike.  I didn’t like the handling; it felt hard to balance even after riding it around empty for a while.  I also didn’t like the way the gears worked.  The levers were difficult to manage, and it constantly felt like the gears were clicking in and out of place.

When I tried putting the kids in the bucket, they didn’t like it any better.  They actually felt less secure than they did on the Xtracycle, despite sitting on a seat with a seatbelt on.  It was also much harder to get going fully loaded than with the Xtracycle.

Finally, the Radish.  This is a sweet bike.  The Radish is specifically manufactured to be an Xtracycle, whereas the Townie (or almost any other bike) has to be converted from a regular bike to an Xtracycle.  I loved riding this bike.  Body position while riding is more like a regular bike — in between totally bent over and fully upright.  The Radish has an 8-speed derailleur, which shifts by simply twisting the right handlebar.  It shifted smoothly, without clicking in and out of place while riding.

The Radish does have a few disadvantages.  First, it doesn’t have a step-through.  You have to be able to swing your leg over, which might be a problem if someone is sitting right behind you.  Also, it doesn’t have the flat-foot technology of the Townies.  On a Townie, you can actually put both feet down while stopped, and keep the bike upright rather than leaning over to put a foot down.  On the Radish, I did have to lean over to put a foot down flat, or else balance on my toes.  Finally, the Radish has different tires — they’re made with sharp edges, which can catch while turning (and, according to Dean, are more prone to flats).

As far as price goes, the Radish and the converted Townie 8i setup are pretty comparable.  Using the Townie 7D (or some other bike entirely) would bring the price down.  I did ask at the Bike Gallery what they would recommend for an Xtracycle conversion, but they were fairly vague about it.  The salesperson said that they stock the 700cc conversion kit, rather than the 26″, so it sounds like that’s the type of bike they work with more often.

As far as customer service goes, Clever Cycles rocks.  The Bike Gallery salespeople were helpful and attentive, but Dean at Clever Cycles really knows Xtracycles; after all, he rides one himself!  And Clever Cycles is getting some Townie 7D’s in, if that’s what I choose, so I’ll definitely be heading there to buy.

But before that…decisions, decisions.

Some people would probably (if they were reading my blog) wonder why I’m going to do this.  For the amount I’m planning to spend on a new bike, I could go out and buy a very basic used car and drive to work, which would be sooooo much easier.  Why am I messing around with bikes?

Because it’s the right thing to do.  Because I really do believe bikes are the future.  Even if we develop plug-in hybrid electric cars, we still have to find a way to generate that electricity, and that’s not going to be easy.  We are going to need bikes, so I might as well be prepared, right?

Besides, I’m going to look way cool on my Xtracycle.

Yogurt: Although the Washington Post article I cited mentions yogurt as one of the problem foods, the store-brand yogurt I selected does not contain HFCS.

Granola bars: I was worried about these, but the cheap Sunbelt granola bars don’t contain HFCS either.

Canned soup and chili: My husband likes to have canned things around for quick lunches. On the cheap side is Nalley’s chili. It doesn’t contain HFCS, but I must be getting used to better food, because I just didn’t want to buy it. I chose some Healthy Request soup instead. Still processed, but less salty, and affordable.

Frozen pancakes: Processed again, but we usually keep some kind of quick breakfast item on hand because we’re going to have one of THOSE mornings at some point during the week. I looked at Krusteaz and the store brand, and in this case found that while the store brand did contain HFCS, Krusteaz did not. Score one sale for Krusteaz.

Snack crackers: Nabisco crackers were on sale for Super Bowl snacking. My kids like Wheat Thins, but it turns out that Wheat Thins contain HFCS, and Triscuits do not. Triscuits for everyone!

Bread: This was the hard one. Every traditional sandwich loaf of wheat bread (I didn’t even look at white) contained HFCS, except for a small, low-carb loaf of Sara Lee bread. I didn’t want that. Many of the other breads cost more than I wanted to pay. I ended up with a loaf of Franz San Juan Island 100% whole wheat bread. Hopefully the family won’t mind that it’s a different size and shape. I also got a loaf of cracked-wheat sourdough. And yes, I know that we could bake our own bread, too.

My big oops? I tossed a box of crisp rice cereal into the cart without checking the ingredients. It didn’t occur to me that it might be a problem until I had reached the car with the groceries, but it does contain HFCS. I guess one out of the whole shopping trip isn’t too bad. We also have a lot of fresh produce and staples like beans and rice on hand, so we’ll be doing well.

Why didn’t I make a better choice?  It’s about the money.  I’d rather give them something like good arts and crafts supplies or dance classes or basketball camp.  But these didn’t fit into our ultra-slim gift budget.  Toys and games from Big Lots did.

I think we made fairly good choices, considering.  But I’m realizing that this is one reason why even poorer kids in the U.S. have so much stuff.

We all know about the most basic needs of human beings: food, water, clothing, shelter.  Technically, anything beyond these could be considered a want.  But our ideas about what is a basic need have changed over time, too.  For instance, to many people now, health care is a basic need, or right.  It’s not something that you should have only if you can afford it.  Security could also be considered a basic need.  We expect our governments to protect us, rather than hiring our own security or buying guns.

Now, let’s think about computers.  Need?  Want?  It’s gotten to the point where at least part-time access to a computer is a need for most people in developed countries (and I’m sure they can be darned helpful in less developed countries as well).  But it’s hard to say who really needs a computer at home, and who should be content borrowing computer time at the public library or renting a computer at Kinkos.

We bought our first computer at a time when I was taking a writing class and planning to take my writing more seriously.  Email wasn’t ubiquitous in the writing world yet, but I did need to type my assignments, and computer time at Kinkos was expensive.  As time went on, we used the computer for more and more things, like paying bills and doing research, and gradually it became an essential tool in our lives.  Now I get cranky if I have to pay a bill using a check.  Email has also become my main mode of communication (which is great, because I hate using the phone).

Getting back to my original motivation for buying a computer, did I really need to take a writing class?  Technically, no, of course not.  That’s more a question of priorities, though.  If writing is important to me, then yes, I need to put whatever resources (time, money) I can into it.

So when it comes to needs vs. wants, I think it’s more about being mindful of what you spend money on than about drawing a line in the sand between the two.  And our economy will need to accommodate this, rather than relying on selling people more and more mindless stuff.

Am I totally un-American?  Do I want the economy to fall even further down the hole?

No.  What I’m looking for is total transformation, although I don’t know how to bring it about (collectively; of course I can’t do it myself).  I wrote about this previously on my other blog, giving the spiritual underpinning to my decision not to shop.

You see, I don’t think our current economic model is sustainable.  It depends on constant growth, for one thing.  How can we have constant growth without eventually using up our resources?  But if a company doesn’t show increased sales, or if an organization doesn’t show increased membership, it’s not a success, regardless of anything else it may have accomplished or contributed to society.

Our current economy also depends on consumerism.  It’s dependent on people producing, selling, and buying things that they don’t really need.  This is supposed to create more jobs for everyone, so that we can all earn money to spend on things we don’t really need.  Does that sound like a healthy basis for an economy?

Black Friday is the High Holy Day of consumerism.  Sure, some people are buying things that they actually need.  But I would guess that most are not.  And the stores aren’t advertising huge specials on fresh produce and toilet paper.  They’re advertising hot electronic items.

Therefore, I decided not to participate.  Many people call this “Buy Nothing Day.”  I’m just calling it a choice that’s in line with my values.

Critics say that not shopping for one day accomplishes nothing.  This is a valid criticism.  If you choose not to shop on Black Friday, but spend heedlessly the rest of the year, that makes no sense and does no good.  If I were to refrain from shopping today, but go all out on Cyber Monday, that would be meaningless.  Not shopping in Black Friday is just symbolic, so we have to be sure to make it a symbol of the way we live our whole lives.

But what is this new way to live?  There are things you can do to start living differently right now; you probably know some of these already:

• Buy used
• Buy local
• Barter for the things you need
• Buy with cash only
• Spend mindfully, not indiscriminately
• Use Freecycle to give and obtain items
• Share things like tools, books, and magazines with friends, family and neighbors instead of everyone buying their own.
• Share meals (and their costs) with friends, family and neighbors.

These are good and necessary steps, but they will still not be enough.  We will need community-wide changes and support systems as well.  Co-operative systems already in place (like the People’s Food Co-op in Portland) are part of the future economy, and the co-op model can be applied in many ways.  Basically, we need to develop systems that support local economies and use local resources wisely.  This could include:

• Food-buying co-ops
• Food-preparing and eating co-ops, or community kitchens
• Community gardens in which people work together and share in the bounty (rather than just having individual plots)
• Local currencies that can be used to buy products and services in the community
• Communal living and co-housing, in which people pool their resources so that all can have a decent, affordable  place to live
• Community tool libraries
• Community car-sharing (or increased availability of ZipCars)

What about reforms to the government/society as a whole?  That’s a good question.  Should the government even be involved in our economic lives?  Or should problems like health care, hunger, adequate housing, and joblessness be handled at the local level instead?

I’m starting to think that might be the way to go, IF people will actually do it.  See, we got into all of these government safety nets because people (elderly, poor, children, disabled) weren’t being taken care of.  So is it really reasonable to expect that if federal or even state safety nets are taken away, the local communities will spread out their own nets?  It’s a conundrum, for me anyway.

There are other governmental issues to consider as well, like tax incentives to support and incentivize these lifestyle changes.

How will we do all this?  Hey, I’ve got to save something for future blog entries!

I agree with this, but still try to use the cloth bags.  I have a lot of them.  My problem is that I forget about them.  I don’t put them in the car, or I even forget that they are in the car and don’t take them inside.

I also tend to use them to carry or even store other items, so that they are not available for grocery use.  Right now, for instance, I have at least two Fred Meyer bags full of Girl Scout craft supplies.

Tonight I finally remembered to use a cloth bag.  I found one bag in the car when I arrived at the store, and took it in with me, fully expecting that I would also need to use plastic bags. I wasn’t buying that much, but I had enough to probably fill three plastic bags.  Luckily for me, I got a great cashier, who fitted everything into that one cloth bag.

Will I make it a habit?  We’ll see.

Say what?  I know bamboo is great and all, but iPod speakers?

It’s true, though.  They’re made from “renewable and sustainable solid bamboo.”  According to EcoSpace Conscious Community, whose post I was reading, “Nearly one-third of a crop of bamboo will grow back fully within one year of being harvested, making it an excellent alternative to slow-growing hardwoods.”  The bamboo speakers also have a naturally carbonized finish, rather than a veneer.  Basically, the bamboo has been heated until caramelized.

Despite the sustainable credentials, I doubt I would ever buy something like this.  For starters, I don’t need speakers.  If I did, I would probably go to Goodwill, or some other used-goods business.  I don’t need to spend £230.00 (about $420 US) on speakers.

Now, if I couldn’t get what I needed used, and if I had the cash, then maybe I’d consider it.  But for me, sustainable doesn’t necessarily mean shelling out the big bucks for organic and sustainable STUFF.  It might mean buying used, so that I’m not increasing the amount of STUFF in the world.  And by spending less money on the used items, maybe I’ll have more to spend on, say, local food.

UPDATE:  now looking at this post and the ads for STUFF that I’m running next to it…hmmmm….

Well, I’m highly imperfect, so sometimes I do this and sometimes I don’t. It’s more likely that I’ll really turn to the pantry when we’re running out of money, and this is one of those weeks.

I decided to cook up a large bag of pinto beans that has been sitting around for a while. Sometimes I cook from recipes, and sometimes I don’t. Today, I didn’t feel like searching for a recipe and stressing about whether I had the right ingredients, so I decided to just wing it.

I boiled the beans for a few minutes and then let them soak for a couple of hours (no need to soak overnight). Then, I drained off the soaking water and replaced it with broth. I had one carton of beef broth, one carton of vegetable broth, and half a carton of chicken broth. I used them all. I added several spoonfuls of minced garlic from a jar, a couple of chopped onions, some cayenne pepper, and several dashes of hot sauce, and then let the whole thing simmer while I fried up some bacon.

After crumbling in the bacon, I let everything keep simmering while I made some cornbread. Oops! I had two boxes of cornbread mix, but no eggs, which are required ingredients on the box, and I know from experience that omitting the eggs doesn’t give a good result.

I decided to look up a cornbread recipe in my copy of The Little House Cookbook. Ma Ingalls’ cornbread recipes do not include eggs. I then decided to use the Johnny-cake recipe along with my boxed mixes. I used my two boxes of Jiffy corn bread mix in place of the dry ingredients, bacon grease for the fat, molasses sweetening, and regular milk with a tablespoon of vinegar in place of buttermilk. It turned out just fine — in fact, everyone loved it. The molasses was the perfect sweetener.

This was a highly successful shopping trip, and I’ve got plenty of leftovers for the week.