Why do I do what I do?

During the market research chat I did recently with a lovely lady called Charlotte, it really made me think about why do I do what I do?
Sustainability and eco-lifestyles are making the news more and more, and I'm so pleased that that's happening. (As a quick aside, I have to mention a fantastic book called The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide by the wonderful Jen Gale. I can't remember how I first found her facebook page and then group, but I quickly devoured all her blog archive and soaked in all the info about how she and her family went for a year buying nothing new. That was several years ago, her year, I mean, and she's continued to live in an eco friendly sustainable-ish way. She recently had her first book published - the aforementioned tome, and it is written in such an inviting way. One night the kids and I read bits of it rather than reading their school reading books, and even were quick to jump on board with the things she said, and how we can implement them in our lives). (Sorry, that wasn't a quick aside, but I think it was a good one!) (Jen's facebook group and her book)

But I think that my reasons for living the way we do - for example, reduced shopping, charity shop bargains,  not buying plastic tat..... probably started out for frugal reasons. I have loved charity shop shopping since as long as I can remember. There was a holiday we went on with my parents somewhere in Devon, when Sophia was little, that the number of charity shops and/or second hand shops visited within a fortnight totalled into the thirties. I've forgotten the exact number, it being nearly ten years ago (wow, that's a lifetime ago? Well, Soph's lifetime anyway!)
But I've been going in charity shops long before that holiday. My parents live very close to a charity shop, so close in fact, that when we went in during the Christmas break, one of the ladies who volunteers there was marvelling at how tall Sophia is now, and remembering her as a tiny baby!)
I love the hunt, finding the exact thing that was on my mental 'look for' list.

  (Another aside, have a mental list looking ahead for what you will be needing. Think of things like the next couple of sizes ahead for your baby or child, look for possible Christmas or birthday presents all year round, know what needs and wants are coming up, and you'll be so much more likely to find what you need, before or when you need it. I love looking out for things for my nieces and friend's children too, so if you're looking for something, I'm happy to keep an eye out for you too!)

As some of you who've been following my blog for a while will know, I love shopping for reduced food. Again, this probably comes from my love of a bargain, but also my love of maths and numbers! But actually, buying 'yellow sticker' items is good for the environment too. It's one that hurts my head a bit, as with reduced items I may end up with more plastic packaging than if I'd chosen a loose fresher item. But, I still think that saving food from the bin is a good option. And I do my best to recycle all the plastic and other packaging that can be recycled. This is also a good option for the person who wishes to eat in a way that's better for the environment, but can't necessarily afford the luxury of more expensive options. Because let's face it, options like free range, organic, loose or free flow (like from a measure out what you want store) do tend to be more expensive options. And sometimes it is definitely worth investing in those, but for those on the knife edge when it comes to finances, there isn't always wiggle room for more ethical eating.

This post was supposed to be about why I do what I do. And I'm not really sure I do know why exactly.  I guess I just feel things in my gut. Sometimes it's to do with no, I'm not going to buy that plastic tat item for £20, but if we see if for £1.50 in the charity shop we might (Specific example here - nerf and similar style guns. I refused to buy them in a 'real' shop, but when we saw one which Jaiden was extremely enamoured with, in the charity shop, I allowed him to spend his money on it!)
The kids and I regularly look at the RRP message that comes up on adverts for children's toy, and discuss how much that £19.99, or £49.99 might mean in terms of how many meals it would feed the family for! But also, how that much money is required for a toy which is single use or single purpose. That's why I love toys like brio or lego which are ageless classics! (Not necessarily the lego sets that are more single purpose, I'm talking about boxes of bricks and accessories, which you can rummage through to your hearts content, and build something that comes out of your imagination!)
And don't get me started on LOL and other mystery eggs. I hate them with a passion, and have done even before I was thinking more about what things are specifically made of.

I like saving money, I like providing my family with what we need, within the funds that we have. I don't agree with getting into debt for things like Christmas presents, or buying stuff for the sake of buying it. And recently, my mind has been made even more aware of what we can do to help save the world. It sounds a bit corny writing it like that, but that's basically what it comes down to. If we want our children to experience all the animals and bits of the world as we experienced them, then we need to act. Things are changing at a too rapid speed, and we need to work together, small changes making big differences.

Anyway, this post got very long and rambling. But maybe I've given you some food for thought, I've certainly given myself things to think about!