The End of the Age of Materialism

Posted on December 21, 2009 by beckyajohnson

In theory, I have always been about trying to live a simple life. In college I was told I needed to apply for a credit card to build up my ‘line of credit,’ and hence my ability to acquire more debt. Despite disagreeing with this philosophy, I was young and obeyed. By working only part-time in the 6 months following grad school, followed by three years volunteering overseas, I managed to finance my life for quite some time on a little piece of plastic. Fortunately, upon my return to the working world, and by living with my parents for 2.5 years to save money, I was succesfully able to pay it all off.

At the dawn of the Great Recession, I read that the average American has over $10,000 in general credit card debt and over $40,000 in overall debt (mortgage, car loans, student loans, etc). I didn’t want to become that person. Although I am not a fan of New Years’ Resolutions, as 2009 drew to a start almost one year ago, I challenged myself to not take on a single new debt for an entire year. Am I too optimistic to wish for an entire lifetime?

My year without debt coincided with perhaps the most expensive year of my life – the year I moved out on my own without the subsidized housing the student and professional-volunteer life had brought me, the year I got married and spent an unmentionable amount of money throwing ourselves a big party. It was a sharp learning curve, but massive amounts of overtime at my job this summer, and working a second part-time job helped me manage to succeed. But was I completely satisfied? The wedding was a fun party, but I don’t necessarily want to live the rest of my life a slave to work so I can afford lavish things.

My quest to follow a life based on real income living and voluntary simplicity continues. Three days ago I quit my ‘secure’ job, ending a three-year stint at conventional living that really wasn’t my thing. This afternoon I took that last of 16 boxes of material possessions I no longer need to Goodwill, in an attempt my husband and I are making to rid ourselves of all things that aren’t either exceptionally useful or powerfully sentimental. The next challenge will be to not acquire more items to take their place.

Next year I plan to live a life of following my passions, taking on freelance projects that support causes I care deeply about, focusing more on my writing, spending more time with the people I care about and exploring new places, making more of my meals from scratch and eating out less, and making most, if not all, of my own clothes. In short, this is the end of my age of materialism and the dawning of something I hope is much better. How will this all work out? This is something I hope to explore in future posts.

“Half the walk is but retracing our steps. We should go forth on the shortest walk, perchance, in the spirit of undying adventure, never to return, – prepared to send back our embalmed hearts only as relics to our desolate kingdoms…If you have paid your debts, and made your will, and settled all your affairs, and are a free man, then you are ready for a walk.”

-From the essay ‘Walking,’ Henry David Thoreau, 1862

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The Spirit of Mr. Hanky: Alternative Gift Giving

Posted on December 16, 2009 by beckyajohnson

Since this is my husband and my first Christmas together, lots of people seem to be making a big deal as to what we are going to get each other. Honestly, I have never been a big fan of the over-commercialization of Christmas and the sense of obligation many people feel to buy something for everyone they have some sort of connection to. Also, since we did just get a bunch of wedding gifts last month, I can’t even remotely think of anything we actually need.

So, what did we decide to get each other to celebrate our first Christmas as husband and wife? Drumroll please….POO.

Through Oxfam America Unwrapped, you can donate manure to be sent to a developing country in honor of your loved ones for a mere $12. Better yet, donate a double load of poo for $24 and twice the effect. Here’s what Oxfam’s website has to say about the importance of this unique gift:

“No need to feel like a stinker when you give twice the manure to a loved one. This green gift transforms waste into power—agricultural power. Organic manure increases crop yields and is cheaper, greener, and safer than chemical fertilizers. So, show your loved ones that you really “give a $%@#” for our planet. And pack a punch by giving twice as much!”

In search of the perfect Charlie Brown tree, we couldn't resist this flocked tree with blue glitter and a gold star garland. In lieu of putting presents under the tree, we had the cards we received from Oxfam with pictures of poo.

I have long been a fan of alternative gift giving, and I wish more people would donate a goat, a flock of chickens, or medical supplies, sponsor an HIV awareness event, or support micro-lending to aspiring women small business owners instead of buying me another item I probably don’t need.

Here a few more of my favorite sites:

Heifer International – An organization devoted to eliminating hunger and poverty, you can donate livestock and plants to people in developing countries. From my travels in East Africa, I’ve met some of the recipients and can say that what this organization is doing is great.

ELCA Good Gifts – An effort of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can sponsor things like mosquito nets, school uniforms, immunizations, water wells, and various Lutheran-affiliated projects around the globe.

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Honeymoon in Costa Rica

Posted on November 16, 2009 by beckyajohnson

My husband and I returned 2 days ago from our 2 week honeymoon in Costa Rica. Here are some of the highlights of our trip:

Ecoplaya Beach Resort: This timeshare destination, popular with Americans and Costa Ricans alike, is located on a remote peninsula jutting out into the Pacific Ocean of Bahia Salinas, Guanacaste Province. The closest town, La Cruz, is about 30 minutes away on a bumpy and pot-holed dirt road, and Nicaragua lies just across the bay.

This is a great destination for people who want to get away from the mobs of tourists, relax on a quiet beach (you may be the only one there!), and get to know more about the Costa Rican culture (La Cruz itself sees very few tourists and not too many people speak English). The staff are friendly, the food is decent, and tours can be arranged to nearby attractions (Humberto, the tour guide, was great!).

Nicaragua Day Tour: Although we came to see Costa Rica, this trip across the border was one of the highlights of my trip. In contrast to Costa Rica, which sees many tourists and the average resident earns about $400 per month, Nicaragua has a much smaller tourism industry and the average resident lives on $2 a day.

Tip: If crossing the border from Costa Rica, going with a tour guide is a must, as most Costa Rican rental car companies will not insure cars in Nicaragua and theft is common. Also, allow at least one hour to go through the standard immigration procedures.

In Nicaragua, we shopped at handicraft markets in both Catarina and Masaya. The Catarina market is much less touristy, so you can get much better deals. In Masaya, we ate lunch at El Filete (the seafood was the best) and visited Masaya Volcano National Park. It is recommended that you visit the volcano for only 20 minutes, as the toxic fumes constantly being emitted can be hazardous to your health. We also visited the colonial city of Granada, although we didn’t have nearly as much time to explore this interesting city as I would have liked.

Not big on shopping, my husband and I used most of this time to make friends with the locals. Here's a young boy we met at Masaya market. He made us the palm bug he's holding as a gift.

While in Nicaragua, we were greeted by a deluge of rain, which our tour guide noted was ‘uncommon.’ It wasn’t until the next day that we learned it was the effects of Tropical Storm Ida – a bit of a humbling/frightening experience to learn that the locals had no warning of the storm that went on to kill 91 people in El Salvador and gain widespread news coverage in the United States.

Rincon de la Vieja National Park: This national park is known for its natural beauty and volcanic activity. Hacienda Guachipelin, just outside the park, organizes day-long and multi-day adventure tours. The package we opted for included horseback riding, white-water river tubing and a canopy tour (although I have to admit I backed out of the canopy tour). To relax after a full day of adventure, we headed to Simbiosis Volcanic Mud Springs & Spa for sauna, mud bath and hot springs.

Bolanos Island National Wildlife Refuge: Located about 1 mile via kayak from the beach at Ecoplaya, this 25 hectare island preserve is home to hundreds of sea birds and giant seashells. Swimming is good in the clear waters on the island’s beach, and we even saw some jumping fish and an unidentifiable water mammal partway across the bay. Be forewarned, the kayak trip is tricky when it’s windy on the bay. My husband and I really struggled on the kayak trip back.

The bay between Ecoplaya's Beach and Bolanos Island may look calm and easy, but definitely not during a storm!

Hotel Arenal Springs Resort: This resort is located about 7 km from La Fortuna, the closest city to Arenal Volcano. Although Arenal is technically the third most active volcano in the world, we didn’t witness any magnificent eruptions or lava flows during our 2 nights there. The rooms at this resort are nice, the restaurant food is near excellent, and each room comes with your very own view of Arenal Volcano if it’s not too cloudy (and your very own tropical garden shower in each room). This hotel seemed very popular with older people and tour groups, so we didn’t really fit in but enjoyed the surroundings.

Puerto Viejo: During our second week, we headed to the Caribbean coast to the town of Puerto Viejo, near the Panamian border. I arranged a mini package through Gecko Trail Adventures, which included transportation to and from Arenal, 3 nights hotel accommodation, and some meals and activities.

In Puerto Viejo, we stayed at Hotel Banana Azul, a funky, 12 room guesthouse with lots of personality. We were about 2 minutes from the beach, and a 30 minute walk from town along the beach. The restaurant had great food and was very reasonably priced. While there, we more than enjoyed the bar. Franklin, the bartender, makes excellent margaritas and mojitos from scratch.

The welcoming path that leads from the beach to Banana Azul

Highlights from our time in Puerto Viejo include:

A visit to the Aviarios Sloth Sanctuary, which takes in injured and orphaned sloths and educates tourists and Costa Rican school children about this unique creature.

A visit to Cahuita National Park. Here, it was definitely worth the $15 per person to hire a local tour guide to point out the hard-to-see wildlife and tell us about the unique flora of the park.

A visit to an indigenous family’s home near Bribri, where they make chocolate and other products from the cacao fruit.

A young BriBri girl showed us how they make chocolate. Most of the bars we bought were not very sweet and had a high cacao content - my favorite!

A couples’ massage a Pure Jungle Spa, where the name says it all.

Dinner at Jungle Love Garden Cafe – the marlin here was excellent and they also have a good selection of vegetarian options.

Our last major activity in Costa Rica was white water rafting on the Pacuare River. Many tour companies run day trips, but we opted for one run by Exploradores Outdoors, who also offers transport between the Caribbean, Arenal, or San Jose (so it’s a great activity to do in transit). This is a Class III-IV river, so it’s a bit rough, but no prior experience was required. Fortunately, our raft didn’t tip over, but this required a great deal of team work and following directions from our guide!

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Eco Friendly Weddings

Posted on November 16, 2009 by beckyajohnson

As I recently got married (October 31, 2009), I thought I would share some reflections and advice I learned through the wedding planning process. As many brides may feel, the wedding industry oftentimes seems to be a consumerist-crazed, bombardment of information and neverending checklists. My now-husband and I tried to steer away from the 21st century wedding mold as much as possible, while trying to create a wedding that was uniquely us. In the process, we also tried to plan a wedding that would have a minimal impact on the environment. Here is a little bit of what I learned from classes, resources, and my own experience:

Springs Preserve Garden Amphitheater, the site of our wedding ceremony

Ceremony Venue: How I even got interested in the topic of eco-friendly weddings was by booking the Las Vegas Springs Preserve as our ceremony venue. An outdoor museum and desert botanical garden, a portion of our booking fee went to support environmental education for children. If you live in the Las Vegas area, the Springs Preserve has also organized a Green Weddings Class and a Eco-Bridal fair with environmentally-conscious wedding vendors.

Engagement Rings: Reduce, reuse and recycle applies here. Green wedding advocates suggest using an heirloom ring, buying a ring made from recycled gold, and buying conflict free diamonds. Ben Bridge Jewelers sells Ikuma diamonds mined from northern Canada, a diamond mine also known for their sustainable and environmentally friendly mining practices.

Invitations: The best invitations for the environment are electronic and those that use tree-free paper. While an electronic invitation wouldn’t necessarily fly with my family, we decided to go with an unbleached recycled paper invitations with minimal enclosures. We bought the invitations at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve Gift Shop, where they also sold eco-friendly invitations that could be planted in soil to bloom flowers. Another good place to find unique invitations is through the website Etsy, where you will also be supporting independent artists and craftsters.

Flowers: The good news is that most flowers grown in the United States are organic, the bad news is that many wedding florists import flowers from abroad, which may not be organic and will have to travel a great distance to be used in your wedding. Because I live in the desert, it wasn’t possible to buy locally. My florist, Julie Reed, buys most of her flowers from regional vendors (California and such), and makes every attempt to use flowers in season. Julie also is an amazing artist, who creates one-of-a-kind bouquets to match individual brides’ styles.

Props to Julie Reed, my florist, for doing an amazing job with my bouquet

Place Cards: Since we had assigned seating at our reception, my mom made place cards using wine corks personally drunk by our family (nearly 100 bottles of wine!). The idea came from Martha Stewart Living and a template can be found here.

Favors: Equal Exchange sells fair-trade chocolate mini-bars, although they were a bit too far out of our price range.  For a unique favor that honors your guests while giving something back to the world, through Oxfam America Unwrapped you can buy livestock for people in developing countries to help them earn an income, support women-owned business, and purchase desks for school children. You can even purchase trees to be planted to help offset the carbon footprint of your wedding.

Further Resources: The Green Bride Guide: How to Create an Earth-Friendly Wedding on Any Budget, is a great resource on everything from the engagement to the honeymoon.

For about 20 bucks on Amazon.com I bought Tying the Knot: The Complete Wedding Organizer, which comes as a three-ring binder. The best part is that it isn’t jam-packed with loads of information, and it allows for creativity in the planning process.

My favorite wedding website was Indie Bride, a forum for independent-minded brides where you can post questions and find non-conventional ideas.

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Labor Day Weekend in Portland

Posted on September 8, 2009 by beckyajohnson

My fiancee and I just returned from Portland, Oregon, where we spent the long weekend visiting my sister and her husband. Here are a few highlights from our trip:

Hawthorne Fish House: Known for their fish & chips, this casual seafood joint on trendy Hawthorne Street also had amazingly cheap eats. I opted for a half-portion of their Chile-Fried Catfish- four reasonably sized pieces of fish served with french fries – for only $5.25.  Their Crab Pepper Cheese soup, a favorite of my sister, was also super delicious. Sadly, my fiancee got food poisoning from what he thinks was a bad oyster here.

Yarnia: Since I live in a city with not too many yarn stores, I always feel the need to stock up on my stash when I come to Portland. Yarnia boasts itself as Portland’s only DIY yarn store. You can choose from shelves of wool, cotton, acrylic, rayon, nylon, etc. in a variety of colors, and have one of the store employees spin it together to create your own one-of-a-kind yarn. Or you can choose from their pre-spun yarn blends in beautiful color combos and select from their bargain bins. Another Portland establishment with very reasonable prices. I bought enough yarn to make a cardigan for only $16.

Wine Tasting in Newberg & Dundee: This seems to be a family tradition almost every time I visit Portland. My favorite tasting room this time was hands-down Winderlea, a relatively new winery to the Wilamette Valley. While the wines at this boutique winery are on the higher end, they had a pretty tasty selection, and their tasting fee goes to support health insurance for Oregon’s vineyard workers. It was a tough decision which wine we liked best, their 2007 Chardonnay or their 2007 Estate Pinot Noir. If you do make the trek to Newberg to go wine tasting, I recommend first making a stop at the Chehalem Valley Chamber of Commerce, as they hooked us up with some free wine tasting passes.

Wong’s King Chinese Restaurant: We met an old friend from grad school and her husband here for a Labor Day brunch of Dim Sum. Voted one of the top 100 Chinese restaurants in the country, the restaurant was packed, but the 30 minute wait was well worth it. We sampled shrimp dumplings, stuffed eggplant, sesame balls, and coconut moshi. For the more adventurous, they serve delicacies such as chicken feet and interesting seafood combinations. For the not-so-adventurous, they have standard fare like fried rice and spring rolls.

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