Manaaki Papatuanuku

New Blog

2009-09-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

I KNOW I haven't posted here in a wee while. OK three months. But this post is to let u people who are still actually looking at my blog know that I am starting a new blog on a new site and will eventually delete this blog. The new blog Hine Taiao can be located at http://taiao.blogspot.com

I haven't actually started writing anything on the new blog yet but the topics will be similar to Manaaki Papatuanuku, that is sustainability, organic and vege gardening, and urban foraging as well as Maori kai - a topic I am keen to learn more about and you can look forward to some recipes as I learn more from experts such as my Mum, aunties and Nan.

So add the new link to your blog lists and hope you enjoy my fresh new blog.

-Mariella

He's out of our lives...

2009-06-26T03:39:00.000-07:00

WELL what I day, I guess I'm still in shock. This morning Michael Jackson died. In the background, as I write this blog, I have his song She's Out of My Life playing. It was such a shock when my boss burst into the room breaking the news. I had heard on the radio earlier that he had been rushed to hospital, but it didn't sink in, I didn't think it was serious. He's the King of Pop man. But it's real. He's gone. The King of Pop is dead.

Although I'm a bit young to have been around at the beginnings of his career in Jackson 5 and Off The Wall, I still kinda grew up with his music being played. My Mum was a big fan of his and Michael Jackson was always playing on the records/tapes and later CDs at home. It was also my Mum's birthday today, but I guess this kinda put a dampener on that for her.

Michael was legend man! His songs were transgenerational and Michael may not have got to live forever like he wanted, but his songs will definately live for forever for him, as his legacy. Especially the early songs from back singing with his brothers and the MoTown days, to Off the Wall and of course Thriller.

I'm going to end this post with a couple of vids of two of my favourite songs of his... Smooth Criminal and Black and White

My heart goes out to his 3 kids Prince, Paris and Blanket and to the rest of his family. Love you Michael always and forever xxx May you rest in peace. Peace be upon your family in this tragic time for all your fans and friends but especially for the Jackson family.

Getting back on the wagon

2009-06-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

OK in the few months since I moved to the city I seem to have slipped into old habits. I haven't had time yet to establish a new garden to grown my on veges and I have been living on junk food lately - I guess that's what happens when u move from a small town and your new place is just down the road from maccas. I have also lapsed out of my vegetarian status and have been eatting alot of chicken lately. I feel terrible about it but I can't help it!

Anyway, the first trimester of uni is almost over (last exam this Saturday) and I should actually be studying right now but what the hell! The reason I'm resuming writing to this blog is I am really thinking how I need to get back on the treehugger bandwagon. So I'm thinking I need a new challenge to help re-motivate me. After all, the climate change problem isn't going to go away on its own now is it. Every individual action counts. Which leads me to Greenpeace's latest campaign Sign On. With ambassadors such as Lucy Lawless and Keisha Castle-Hughes, Greenpeace is attempting to recruit as many people as possible to convince PM John Key to sign on to a 40 percent emission reduction target by 2020 in Copenhagen. Have u signed on yet? The world needs us because there is NO PLANET B.

Check out the vid below:

Okay, now back to my new challenge. As you know if you've been reading my blog since the beginning, I started manaakipapatuanuku with the six-month buy nothing challenge which had mixed results - although shortterm.

Now I'm going to look to another global pollution problem - PLASTIC. The problem with plastic is that it doesn't biodegrade, it photodegrades. Meaning it breaks up in light into smaller and smaller pieces which are dangerous to sea and bird life as these micro pieces of plastic are mistaken for food. There's also the chemical/toxic make up of plastic - it's basically oil and as we all know oil is a finite resource and peak oil is another constant threat. So to do my bit I'm going to attempt to cut plastic out of by life for good. To go on a plastic-free diet so to speak. I will be following in the footsteps of other plastic-free bloggers such as Fake Plastic Fish and Life Less Plastic and trawling through their blog-chives for inspiration and tips.

It's not going to be easy with temptation everywhere in this plastic world. But alas, just like the oil age, I think the plastic-age is coming to an end. But unfortunately existing plastic is going to be overstaying in our environment for millions of years yet.

So here's to:
- saying no to new plastic (I will retain existing plastic and buy post-consumer recycled plastic items)
- finding alternatives to plastic
- pushing for a plastic recycling plant in NZ (all our plastic we put in the recycling at present is being shipped to China. We should be cleaning up our own mess not shoving it onto someone else to take care of).

Here's to a new start and a life without plastic! XD

A new life in the city

2009-03-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

I KNOW it's been awhile since I last wrote on here. With moving towns and starting university it's been pretty hectic and I don't have internet access at home yet (I'm writing this on Campus). Anywho, for those who don't know yet I have left ~~the meat-obsessed freezing works town~~ Wairoa and am now residing in Wellington - Paraparaumu to be precise - commuting to Victoria University. I'm studying towards a BA in Maori and Anthropology.

One thing I've noticed so far in the vaast increase in diversity of city life and people compared to the town where everyone knows your name. There are so many different type of people here and as a result so many types of food options. For example, it's so much easier to find vegetarian options when eatting out at cafes AND fast food joints. It helps that I'm no longer limited to fish and chips, pies and Chinese takeaways too...

Anyway, this was just a quick update as I find time from my busy schedule.

-M

And now he might save Kiwi bacon...

2009-02-25T01:37:00.000-08:00

JAMIE OLIVER ASKED TO SAVE KIWI PIGS

BRITISH celebrity chef Jamie Oliver (pictured) will soon learn about how pigs are being made to suffer on New Zealand farms.

Animal advocates say standards on New Zealand pig farms will no doubt shock the pig-friendly celebrity chef. Footage obtained from inside New Zealand pig farms is being sent to Jamie Oliver this week in an effort to add international pressure to a campaign to improve pig welfare in New Zealand.

National animal advocacy organisation SAFE (Save Animals from Expoitation) says New Zealand pig farms fall well below standards in the United Kingdom, particularly since kiwi
farmers continue to use cruel sow stalls in which to keep pregnant sows. The group says New Zealand must follow the UK by banning the use of sow stalls.

“New Zealanders watching last night’s 90-minute programme, Jamie Saves Our Bacon, will be shocked to learn that those abhorrent farming systems are also commonplace in New Zealand,” says campaign director of SAFE campaign director Hans Kriek.

This year the New Zealand government is expected to review pig farming standards because sow stalls and farrowing crates have been found to be in breach of the Animal Welfare Act 1999.

“New Zealand cruelly confines over 20,000 pregnant sows in stalls so small they can’t even turn around. Because sow stalls are banned in the UK we are calling on Jamie Oliver to support SAFE’s call to ban sow stalls to improve pig farming standards in New Zealand. The government is unlikely to act without such international pressure,” Mr Kriek says.

SAFE’s campaign to end the factory farming of pigs in New Zealand is gaining momentum. Over 35 MPs, actors, musicians and well-known personalities such as Auckland mayor John Banks, actors Robyn Malcolm and Tammy Davis, and television personality Jaquie Brown have added their support to help pigs in New Zealand.

ACTION: SAFE LovePigs campaigners will be travelling on busy
Auckland
city buses during peak hours tomorrow (Thursday, February
26) to remind tightly-packed commuters that pigs endure similar conditions
for their entire lives.

"Pigs are massively intelligent animals"

2009-02-24T01:50:00.000-08:00

I'M CONTINUING the pig rant a bit. I just finished watching my favourite doctor House on the telly tonight and after it finished, flicked the remote to ONE and just happened to catch the last few minutes of British chef Jamie Oliver's expose Jamie Saves Our Bacon. The programme was based UK and European pig markets and how the the UK has one of the highest animal-welfare standards in the world in terms of pig farming. But their local farmers are getting undercut by the European pork industry, who have lower standards, but offer cheaper meat.

I'm not sure what the delio is with NZ Pig Farms and how they measure up with Britain's high standards. But after watching this I would like to find out. Where do I start looking? Does anyone know any commercial free-range pig farmers, preferably in the Hawke's Bay area, that would be happy to take me on a tour? Or even where I can source some information on New Zealand's animal-welfare standards for pig farming?

Another thing Jamie mentioned, and I've already heard this before from other sources, but pigs are really intelligent, highly sociable, and very clean animals. Just watch these videos exerpts below from Jamie Saves Our Bacon:

Internet copyright law delayed

2009-02-23T01:38:00.000-08:00

PARTICIPANTS in the New Zealand internet blackout protest have had a minor success.

Today was the day that Kiwi internet users united to black out their blogs, websites and social network pages in a bid to press the government to repel Section 92A of the Copyright Amendment Act.

It had been due to come into effect on February 28, but today Prime Minister John Key announced the controversal law would be delayed for one month, until March 27, to see if the sector could make it workable.

For the love of animals

2009-02-23T01:05:00.000-08:00

THOSE who know me in RL would also know that just before Christmas last year I volunteered as a collected for the Save Animals From Exploitations (SAFE) annual appeal against animal cruelty. In fact, I was the only collector in the whole district. Anyway just got a letter from SAFE the other day updating on how the collection went.

The 2008 appeal raised more than $290,000 nation-wide, with a record number of 1300 collectors in 44 towns and cities taking part! Hawke's Bay alone raised $1115.20, equating to an average amount per person of $278.80. I think I raised about $180 in Wairoa, standing outside New World and Mitre 10 and at the work Christmas party.

Now I lead to my current focus for 2009. I'm not a SAFE member yet, but I have been thinking about signing up, if not just to make a regular donations or to get regular updates through their newsletter. But I do what do want to say a bit for their latest campaign, Freedom For Pigs.

It is a campaign against the factory farming of pigs in New Zealand (yes, it still happens). This is an issue close to heart for me and one of the factors that contributed to me becoming a vegetarian. You see pork was the first meat I gave up - for a number of reasons:

Watching an expose documentary on factory farming
Something my aunty told me about the smell of roast pork (that one really put me off)
Babe and Wilbur (from Charlotte's Web) and other cute little movie star piggies that are just so cute
The fact that pigs actually have a lot more in common with humans than we might think (I mean, doctors are already transplanting pigs pancreas into people to cure their diabetes so that's got to say something for their genetic make up).
Oh and lastly, pigs are apparently one of the very few animals (besides us) that have orgasms. (I think dolphins are the other one, they're meant to be the only other animal that has sex for pleasure anyway.

So anyway, for the love of pigs please just check out the Freedom For Pigs campaign website. See what you can do to help SAFE by putting pressure on the government to outlaw sow cages so the pigs can run free.

Internet Black Out

2009-02-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

Creative Freedom is calling for fellow New Zealander's to black out their blogs, websites, bebo, myspace and facebook and other social networking pages between February 16-23.

The Internet Blackout is a protest against guilt upon accusation laws in NZ, 'Section 92A', that calls for internet disconnection based on accusations of copyright infringement without a trial and without any evidence held up to court scrutiny. This is due to come into effect on February 28 unless immediate action is taken by the National Party.

Several people took their protests to the parliament steps in Wellington yesterday, where protest leaders handed over a digital petition which so far has received over 13,000 signatures.

You can join the campaign by blogging about this unjust law and spreading the message and blacking out your bebo, myspace and facebook profiles. Find out how to black out your profile here.

My vege dishes are catching...

2009-02-15T18:47:00.000-08:00

MY carnivorous family in the meat-obsessed freezing works town are finally starting to catch on to the vegetable dishes can be nice too.

Sunday was the first day of the Wairoa Races, a highlighted family day out for the district. So we had the whole whanau hauling leftovers from aunty and uncle's wedding the day before from the marae to the racecourse for a picnic day out and, for some, a continuation of the party started the night before. Literally, some people COUGHbrideCOUGHgroomCOUGH (sorry got a bit of a cold today) had not even been to bed. Anywho... good times! Well, from what I can remember anyway, it all gets a bit vague towards the end of the night...

So with all the leftover food from the wedding I thought I'd also chuck in the car the zucchini quiche I made from the last oversized marrow in the fridge. At first some of the carnivorous family were like, "that's OK, we'll just mix it in with the bacon and egg pie", but really most were open-minded and thought they would at least try it. Thirty minutes later, when nearly everyone's had lunch, people are coming up to me commenting on how delicious the quiche was and how I made it. I'm sitting there ~~grinning from ear to ear~~ smiling modestly, and next thing I go to grab myself another piece and there's like three portions left!!

It's baby steps, but still a start of encouraging more plant consumption and less meat. Yes, I do acknowledge that freezing works is the backbone of the economy in this small town - it pays the bills for several of households in my whanau. The fact remains that meat uses up several times as much resources to produce as fruit and vegetable production - in particular the amount of water used. SAFE's Quit Meat campaign and Greenpeace (see links in my sidebar) have some information on this.

Waste reduction update

2009-02-12T02:03:00.000-08:00

OKAY so this isn't Sunday or a confessional, like I'm meant to be doing for Crunchy's Food Waste Reduction Challenge for February 2009, but nevertheless, here's an update on how I'm doing.

I actually was doing quite well with the not wasting food thing. I've been reusing all the vegetarian leftovers in the house as lunch the next day. I made a zucchini queche that like lasted me all week because ~~the carnivores I live with~~ my family didn't really fancy any of my vegetarian delectables. I even made a chocolate zucchini cake to use up the last (almost, still a bit left) of ~~zucchini's~~ marrows we've been landed with. The cake was delicious, but unfortunately only half was eaten and I forgot about the rest that has been sitting in an ice cream container at the back of my car since I got back from Raggamuffin on Sunday (sorry, did I gross you out just a tad there?).

Now I've just one more marrow to get rid of (fingers xed) and tomorrow after work I'm going to make a great big super quiche to take to my aunties wedding on Saturday (valentines, how sweet...). Sorry, I should stop faking that I actually give a damn that it's valentines day on Saturday (note the lack of capital letters), it's the most overrated commercial consumer-driven event of the year. And I'm not just saying that because I'm single, even if I was in a relationship I would refuse to acknowledge it and be pissed off if I received a gift just because it was V-day.

But irregardless of my feelings towards the stigma of February 14, kudos to my aunty and uncle for finally deciding to tie the knot!! I wish them the best really and look forward to being their official photographer (co-photographer actually with cussie A).

Zucchini madness and Venetian Princess

2009-02-05T03:38:00.000-08:00

THANKS to all who posted zucchini recipe ideas. I still haven't attempted to make the pickle, but I did fry up some zucchini fritters for tea the other night (thanks Johanna) and on SweetP's suggestion I found a chocolate zucchini recipe, which I just attempted tonight. Haven't tried it yet but it looks good! And should be a good snack to take to Raggamuffin on Saturday.

Anyway, just some random stuff for today's blog. I was surfing You Tube and watched the latest clip from Venetian Princess who posts some funny as blogs mocking popular songs, check out her Womanizer parody of Britney's song. Anyway, she also does Miley Cyrus parody's and since I absolutely can't stand Miley I thought I'd post this clip in hope that you'll subscribe to Venetian Princess on You Tube so, in VP's own words, "the number one spot can be a normal girl" so she can beat Miley!

Here's the video below, or click here. Join the team VP campaign! lol XD

Reducing food waste

2009-01-31T23:10:00.000-08:00

THIS month I'm taking part in the Food Waste Reduction Challenge being sponsored by The Crunchy Chicken blog. Not that our food waste really actually goes too waste, I mean most of it goes to my uncles pigs and a little to the compost.

Anywho, it's only February 1, but I have already started thinking about ways to use up some of the stuff in the fridge that is borderline dodgy. Just tonight I made a quiche/pie type thingy using one of the very large zucchini's from a bag of them given to us by Pa's friend down the road. I also used up several old little blocks of cheese that were starting to go so hard it was almost parmesan, and a bowl of cherry tomatoes picked from the garden vines, which are loaded at the moment. Since we'd already had tea when I cooked it, I suspect it will make for some scrumptious lunches at work for the next day or two.

The recipe was loosely based on a similar quiche Pa baked a few weeks ago, except I used flaky puff pastry instead of filo. Nothing fancy really, but here's roughly the recipe I used:

In a pan I fried one large grated zucchini (probably about 4 regular sized ones), one onion chopped and one clove garlic chopped in a little olive oil.
After the initial mixture was a bit browned, I chucked in a half a beefsteak tomato and left over cooked kamokamo (cut up small) and fried for a bit longer.
Crack a couple of eggs, beat, and chucked them in the pan and mixed it all up then took it off the heat.
Grease a baking dish (I used a square cake tin) and line it with the flaky puff pastry.
Slice up cheese and line the bottom of the pie.
Add filling. Then top with cherry tomatoes sliced in half.
Cut one more slice of pastry into striples and lay over the top in a criss-cross pattern.
Pop in the oven at about 160 degrees Celsius for around half and hour or until pastry is crisp/brown. Serves 4-6 (large slices).

I'm not really sure what we're going to do with the rest of the bag of zucchini's but this recipe for zucchini pickle highlighted in last Friday's Get Growing newsletter from NZ Gardener might be a possibility. It doesn't hurt to try it and the recipe doesn't look too difficult. Surely even I can muster it.

I'm still here!!!

2009-01-30T02:18:00.000-08:00

JUST a quick post to let you know I'm still alive, and an update on where I'm at. I just noticed that I haven't actually posted since New Year's Eve, so this is also the first post of 2009.

At the moment I'm just taking a break from the very intense Australian Open tennis semi-final between the very ~~hot~~ talented Rafael Nadal and another equally talented, and also left-handed like Rafa, and almost as hot Spanish lad whose name escapes me - Fernando??? The Fernando guy just one the first set in a tie breaker.

Anywho...
The big news from me for '09 is that I'm giving up journalism. Well for now anyway, taking a break. I've handed in my resignation and finish my job at the community newspaper and am uplifting from meat-obsessed East Coast town to go to Wellington at the end of February. In March, I start a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Maori Studies at Victoria University.

We need a resolution

2008-12-31T02:33:00.000-08:00

SO I stole the title of this blog title from a song by the late Aaliyah. I like the song OK and it fits in with my post. Because this is the time of year when people all start trying to get motivated about changing their lifestyle for the year ahead. I am no exception, and even though I often make resolutions, I seldom keep/complete them. This year though I'm going to try and change that. In the words of the great Aaliyah "we need a resolution".

Hear are my New Year's Resolutions for the year 2009: -

Go somewhere that I've never been before
Take risks, go with my gut more
Read the bible (both old and new testaments - I'n not religious but it's meant to be a good record of history and has some great stories apparently. Might read the Quiran after I'm done :D).
Try and do something every day (0r atleast once a week) that I've never done before
Spend more time with family
Walk more/bike more.

You may have also noticed that I've changed the layout of my blog. I figured with the new year it would also be a good time to start a new look for my blog. I think this is a fresher and also, slightly more basic look for my blog. I'm not very tech-savvy with these sort of things so it's nothing too flash. Just another preset template on blogger. So how do you like it? What are your goals for this year?

Unwrapping Christmas

2008-12-31T01:49:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS 2008 came and went and, judging from some of the gifts I received, I guess some some of my environmental sustainability messages are getting through.

For a start, Mum got me this steel watering can, yes you heard right, steel NOT plastic (FPF would be so proud). Then Dad sent e another parcel which included the two pictured items: - organic handwash which is also not tested on animals and a teacup-shaped soap which the label proudly declares is not tested on animals. I'm not sure if it still contains tallow or not but it's close enough. There was also a Kaffir Lime moisturiser which was not tested on animals but I don't have a photo because I left it in Dannevirke.

Anywho, now it's new year's eve and I'm here sitting on the computer getting drunk by myself. I was just playing Kiwi Trivial Pursuit with my aunty, cousin, nan and pa, but now we're all getting ready for bed - having a big whanau dinner with all the Harker's tomorrow evening. Now just to decide on my New Year's Resolutions (I'm determined to actually make an effort to keep them this year) and since I'm starting Uni in March that could be one of them - to finish my first year of study towards a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Maori and Anthropology.

Next weekend is the Parihaka International Peace Festival so I hope to see some familiar faces there again this time around.

-M

Have a Merry Eco Christmas

2008-12-22T00:53:00.000-08:00

ONLY 3 days to go until the big fat fella in the red suit comes down your chimney, gives you presents, and drinks your beer. Only 3 more sleeps till Santa!

I hope the video link below works. I thought this was quite a clever, provoking Greenpeace climate change campaign with a Christmas theme. If the link doesn't work see it here. Climate Change effects everyone (including Santa and his Reindeer) and the time to act is NOW. Act NOW by changing daily habits one little step at a time - that's all it takes.

It's the time of year I kind of start to get a bit excited about Christmas, and stressed too expecially when I still haven't finished printing photos for the album I'm making for my Mum, step dad and brother's presents. Not that this year it even really feels likes Christmas. Call me Scrooge but it's really just another day. Yeah it's two days off work but at the end of the time, it's just another couple of days.

Anyway. So far so good on the DIY Christmas Challenge. I have finished Nan and Pa's hats. I also go them a Greenpeace 2009 calender. I made some shortbread for my Dad and Step Mum, made a hat for Mike (stepbro) and re-gifted a book to Teen (step sis). I've wrapped all my gifts in old CanTeen bandannas or lavalavas and hemp string to avoid paper/plastic/sticky tape.

In the garden again

2008-12-13T00:45:00.000-08:00

I WENT to the plant market in Gisborne today. Bought some more eggplants and put them in the garden when I got home this arvo. I also bought a few marigolds (apparently to keep away the bugs), a watermelon, some sunflowers and punnet of 6 Cape Gooseberry plants.

I've always wanted to have a go at growing gooseberries ever since my Mum and I discovered some growing wild from dumbed organice matter on the river bank in Kopu Road about 10 years ago. I never have been able to find that spot again since we moved from the house we stayed at then. And ever since I got a taste for them, I have never been able to find any being sold in shops anywhere and have wanted to have a go at growing my own. So I've planted two of the plants so far. Not sure where I'm going to put the others, since apparently they grow quite big and bushy. Not sure when their season is or how long they take to mature but hopefully I could be enjoying fresh gooseberries sometime next year.

Has anyone grown gooseberries before? When do the season (I'm guessing Autumn)? And the seedling plant has quite a long stalk, do I need to stake it? It seems to be holding itself up but it's still small.

More vegetarian Christmas recipes and in the garden

2008-12-12T00:20:00.000-08:00

Found some more vegetarian/vegan Christmas menus on the BBC website here. They've put together two vegan menus - one with traditional flavours and the other one a little bit spicy.

And in the garden today we finally had some rain this afternoon! I thought it would be more, considering how the thunder rumpled behind the hills, but the storm obviously had other ideas and moved on pretty fast. Gave the plants a good enough soaking though but no doubt the farmers will still be moaning that it's not enough - particularly the dairy farmers - and it probably wasn't enough for them.

I picked my first two Black Beauty zucchinis today! Only little ones but both plants have got loads of flowers on them so hopefully by this time next month I'll have zucchinis coming out my ears!

Picked 4 strawberries, nice and big and juicy too but I have to be in quick to beat the birds so sometimes I pick them when they're not quite completely red and put them on the window sill in the kitchen to ripen. It works for tomatoes so why not for these too.

The tomatoes, both mine an Pa's, are starting to get green fruits on them but no sign of reddening yet.

Maori potatoes are finally starting to get going, will pop another tyre over them this weekend.

Oh yeah, one of my plant pots which I have some beetroot seedlings coming up has also started to sprout mushrooms. Not sure if they're an edible variety though so I promptly pulled them out. Hmmm, maybe it's time to change the soil in that particular pot... I might re-pot those seedlings and do that this weekend.

A vegetarian Christmas dinner

2008-12-11T00:30:00.001-08:00

SINCE I'm the only vegetarian around the family Christmas dinner table, unfortunately I can't have a completely meat-free menu. At this stage in life it would be unexpectable for my family if a dished up Christmas dinner without the ham, much as I'd love to do. But it doesn't mean I have to bend my principles and here's a couple of tasty vegetarian (and also vegan friendly) recipes I have tried out in previous years.

VegWeb is a great place to start when looking for vegetarian and vegan recipes and while browsing the site I found this Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie (pictured) which is a really easy no cook recipe, similar to a cheese cake in method and texture.

I can't find the exact recipe I used that time but here's a similar one. I don't know where to get the ready made graham cracker crust she talks about in the recipe but I found malt biscuits crushed and mixed with vegan butter (i.e olivani) works fine. The recipe also has a chocolate topping, which I didn't. Instead I grated some of the remaining dark chocolate (fair trade and organic) over the top and decorated with chopped strawberries.

My other recipe can be a side or main dish. It is imaginatively called Mushroom Stuffed Filo Parcels: -
You will need: 6 medium sized field mushrooms (flat), Oil to fry mushrooms, 1 packet of fresh or frozen filo pastry, 25 grams of vegan margarine (melted), cranberry sauce.
And for the hazelnut stuffing: 1 packet vegetarian stuffing mix (or bread crumbs), parsley, lemon, thyme, 1 small onion (finely chopped), 1 stick celery (finely chopped), 15g vegan margarine, 25-50g roased hazelnuts chopped (I couldn't find hazelnuts but found pine nuts worked fine) and soy milk for binding.

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius on fan bake
Fry mushrooms for 3-4 minutes on each side until tender, then cool
Make up the stuffing mix of your choice
Fry the onion and celery in the margarine and then add the stuffing mix and nuts. Add a little Soy milk if necessary to bind together. Leave to cool
Fill each flat field mushroom with the stuffing mixture
Take 3 sheets of filo pastry at a time. Cut in half so you have 10-12.5cm squares
Take one square and brush with melted butter or margarine. Place another square on top at an angle and brush again. Do the same with the third sheet.
Place a stuffed mushroom in the middle of the filo and top with a teaspoon of cranberry sauce
Bring the edges of the pastry up together and pinch them to form a little parcel (moneybag shape)
Repeat with rest of the parcels. Brush with melted margarine and place on a greased baking tray
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden. Serve dish hot with extra cranberry sauce. Serves 4-6.

NB: If you don't want to cook the parcels straight away you can put them in a sealed container and store in the freezer and whip them into the oven when you're ready for them.

Vegetarianism

2008-12-10T00:23:00.000-08:00

FOR the past couple of years I have been an on-again-off-again vegetarian and leading up to last Christmas I was trying to be a vegan - that lasted until Christmas dinner when my uncle brought out the freshly caught smoked trout.

Now I'm almost a vegetarian except I just can't seem to give up fish and chicken. Beef, mutton, even pork, I've never really liked that much anyway so those were easy to give up. Now some readers are probably now going to say "why bother giving up chicken and fish, you're crazy!". But the thing is, while I still eat chicken, I feel guilty every time - like someone on a low-carb diet might feel guilty munching a donut. If the guilt of discriminating chickens and fish but eatting those and not other meat wasn't enough the environment is another reason to quit meat - although I know this is a very contentious if not controversial issue.

So that leaves two options: (a) I Tell people I'm a vegetarian but still eat chicken and fish sometimes but that always leads to the "but what makes the other animals so special?" line. or (b) Just tell people I don't eat meat, which is like saying I'm fussy. Not a good look, especially when you're a guest and someone's place for dinner.

Now I'm thinking of trying hypnotism to give up chicken and fish. I mean people do it all the time for losing weight and quitting smoking. Why not use it to quit chicken and fish? If there was a way that a hypnotist can make it so that I don't like the taste of those meats. Okay so where do I find me a hypnotist?

Has anyone tried hypnotherapy for anything? What was your experience?

In my garden and homegrown Christmas gifts

2008-12-08T01:05:00.000-08:00

PLANTED some eggplants (aubergine) in the weekend. Two types, as well as five of the standard large fruiting type I also got a miniature bambino (or black egg) variety which has a smaller fruit. It's meant to be good for growing in pots so if you're short on space this will be a good plant. I've got it growing in a tyre. The garden centre only at the bambino one. I only just happened to be in the supermarket and they just happened to have some Awapuni eggplant seedlings. Must've just arrived because when I was in there again the next day there were none left so obviously a popular choice for the vegetable garden.

This is the second time I've attempted growing eggplants. Last year I didn't have much luck on the fruiting although the plant and leaves were huge! So obvious something missing from the soil. Any advice on what kind of organic fertiliser would help encourage fruit? I think potassium but not sure. I know for tomatoes pot ash works, can I put that on my egg plants too??

Just got a press release from Awapuni nurseries, which suggests gifting potted herb or flower seedlings this Christmas:

There’s no doubt the country is experiencing an economic downturn and,
with Christmas on the way, many Kiwis could get in over their heads buying
presents.

Awapuni gardening guru, Tod Palenski, says the solution is to invest
time and creativity not cash into gift giving this year.

“Christmas is about showing friends and family that you love them, and
nothing says that better than giving them something you’ve made
yourself.”

Tod says last year his children have made inexpensive gifts for their
grandparents by painting terracotta pots and planting them with
seedlings.

“Teracotta pots are very economical, and if you paint them with
testpots you’ll create a waterproof seal which helps prevent the pot and the
soil from drying out. "

When your budding Picassos have finished and their masterpieces have
had a chance to dry (and the kids have cleaned themselves up), Tod recommends
filling them with a quality potting mix containing a slow-release fertiliser.

“A slow-release fertiliser will feed the plants for up to four months
and will ensure the best growth possible.”

The final step is the fun bit – choosing and planting seedlings. If you
can’t face braving the maddening crowds at the supermarket, Awapuni has the
solution – online shopping. Their entire range is available on their website
(www.awapuni.co.nz)
and can be delivered to your door in a matter of days.

“Choosing what to plant is probably the hardest part, but the key is to
think about the recipient and what they’ll like the most.”

For girly-girls, grandmas and older aunts, Tod recommends pretty,
traditional seedlings, like Awapuni’s portulacca, impatiens and
petunias.

“Aspiring cooks and foodies will appreciate a mini garden of herbs,
planted in a large square or rectangle pot, which they can use in their gourmet
creations. Basil, coriander, parsley and mint all grow well in pots – and you
could even throw in a few cherry tomato plants.”

For friends and family who like to make a statement, pots painted gold
or silver with seedlings of bright redskin dahlias, dwarf asters and lobelia
make a dramatic statement, and look great as a Christmas table centrepiece. To
plant the seedlings, poke a hole in the soil with your finger and gently place a
seedling in.

“Awapuni’s Pop’n’Grow range makes this easy because each seedling has
its own individual root system, so you don’t break the delicate roots separating
each plant. They’re child’s play to plant and grow!”

Tod’s top tip this Christmas is to make the gifts as close to the big
day as possible, so they’re fresh and lively looking.

“Wrap them in foil wrapping paper or cellophane so the wrapping doesn’t
get soggy, and take care not to over-water them.

“This Christmas, spend some time, not a fortune on your presents,” says
Tod.

“Friends and family will appreciate the effort you’ve put in and
they’ll have a gift that lasts. Besides, anything’s better than another pair of
socks or packet of scorched almonds!"

Meanwhile, also going on in my garden at the moment: My moneymaker tomatoes are showing their first fruits - although still green. One of my strawberry patches has already been supplying me with berries although the other one doesn't seem to be doing so well. I suspect it might be too shady (I have them under the rimu trees).

Silverbeet's gone to seed, but I've got some coloured seedlings just starting to sprout in pots as well as marigold seeds which are yet to come up yet. Planted some Mrs Burns heirloom lemon basil. My Maori potatoes are growing very slowly. I should probably remember to water them a bit more regularly. Parsley is going to seed. Both zucchini plants are flowering and I noticed the beginnings of fruits today. Pa's tomato and pepper patch is thriving.

Finding time for DIY and greening Christmas

2008-12-05T23:42:00.000-08:00

OF COURSE Murphy's law would have it that when I decide I'm going to make all my Christmas presents this year then I just can't find the time. I have plenty of ideas involving harakeke (flax) weaving, knitting, painting, planting and baking but have been hectic at work and keeping up with my share of the housework that I can't find time.

I have made a start though:

I've almost finished knitting a beanie for Nan (to replace the one I knitted ages ago which a certain aunty borrowed and obviously liked it so much) so I thought I would make her another one. Only I ran out of red acrylic yarn and haven't got to the shop to my anymore yet.
A knitted beanie and a dozen secondhand golfballs for Pa.
I've got most of the photos printed for Mum and H's present but haven't put it together yet.
Still got to order brother P's present.
Not sure what I'm gonna get Dad and S yet or T and M (step siblings). I might pot up a herb for S...no not that kind of herb.

It seems I'm not the only one dreaming of a green Christmas. It seems Forest & Bird have the same idea. Infact, they've blogged about it here with suggestions like growing your own vegetables and fruits, buying local and getting green gifts. Some good suggestions so check it out if you haven't already.

WEEK 26: Revisiting the List

2008-12-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

WHEN I started this challenge I compiled a list of things I wanted to buy when I finished the Buy Nothing Challenge. Now that I've completed the final week I think it's appropriate that I revisit the list and, after nearly six months, see what I think I might still want.

The List:

Auxillary chord - I will still get this so I can listen to my Ipod on my car stereo and other stereos.
ASUS EEE mini PC - I will still get this, but I've been looking around on Trade Me and I reckon I could pick up a good one second hand since they've been out for awhile now.
Chocolate - Although I LOVE chocolate, I'm currently boycotting the too main brands (Nestle and Cadbury) as according to Greenpeace's GE Food guide they may contain GE ingredients. At the moment I'm satisfying my sweet tooth with a spoonful of Molassis every morning (good vegetarian Iron source too) but I suspect I'll eventually get back to having a Whittakers Peanut Slab every now and then.
Tiki Taane CD - I've decided I'm going to start using iTunes and other legal download services and ditch the petro-plastic CD's in favour of virtual mp3 versions. Much less clutter in my bedroom and much better for the environment.
Car subs and speakers - I don't think this is necessary. I will hold off from this purchase for a while.

I've also added one extra thing that wasn't on the list. A Canon 45oD SLR digital camera. As I have started getting into photography lately and would like to have a decent camera. At work I use a 20D and since I'm used to Canon might as well as stick to that brand.

Been there, done that, bought NOTHING

2008-12-01T00:40:00.000-08:00

AS I come to the final week of my six month Buy Nothing Challenge I can happily report that my Buy Nothing Weekend (incorporating International Buy Nothing Day on Saturday) went very well. It also helped that I only went into town once during the weekend to pick up my cousin, and pretty much stayed home for the rest of it. But with the exception of filling up the car with petrol, and going through the car wash (something I've been putting off for ages and just couldn't anymore because the cars so filthy), it was a successful weekend full of buying nothing.

I finish this challenge on December 5, this Friday, and while I know that I have still bought some things in the six months since June 5, I have probably made even more sacrifices and my bank balance also looks much healthier.

One such area of note is my wardrobe. Because I started at the beginning of winter I hadn't actually done very much shopping at all for warm clothes and as a result of not being able to buy any new clothes I developed a new appreciation for the clothes I did have from last winter. Suffice to say the few jerseys and jackets I have left from last winter got a very good wearing this winter. I also found that I have been wearing more of my clothes, and in different combinations, in a bid to get more variety out of my existing wardrobe to make up for the fact that I haven't been buying any new items. I still have my favourites though and those things probably got the most wear to the point that the materials possibly wearing a bit thin now from the amount of washes they've had.

I have learned to shop around more and think about what I want, impulse buying less. I have had six months of window shopping to practice that and most of the time my willpower has been strong enough to resist any impulse spluges.

As I countdown down to the final day of this challenge, I feel that I need something new for the new year. Then after reading Almost Mrs Average's The Rubbish Diet blog, and Mathew and Waveney's Rubbish Free Year attempts I think I've found one. I am going for a zero waste Christmas and a DIY Christmas Challenge. I'm going to try and make most of my Christmas presents, grow herbs and vegetables for my contribution to the family Christmas dinner and aim for a Zero Waste Christmas, or at least reduce our waste this year. For anyone else wanting to reduce their rubbish in the new year, Almost Mrs Average has blogged eight simple steps to slim your bin.

I really don't like to blog about my personal life but there is one other thing that's going to make this Christmas tough on myself and the rest of the family. This will be the first Christmas without my little brother who committed suicide in April. It makes it harder that since then the whanau has been getting more and more fragmented in the short time between then and now. It would be ideal if all of us extended whanau, cousins, Nan and Pa, Mum and Stepdad and bro were all having one big Christmas together. But as it is, it looks like this will also be the first Christmas where noone has really planned to host a big whanau get together and each little family seems to be doing our own things. It doesn't help that some of the fams have moved to different parts of the country or overseas, which is fine, I don't expect us all to live out of each others pockets forever. The timing just sucks is all.

Sorry for that big spiel. It might not seem like much to you reading this but this is actually the first time I have written those feelings out in the public like this. Actually, the first time I have written it at all. Once I started it just all started to pour out so if it doesn't really make sense to you it doesn't matter. The important thing to me is that I got it out, kind of a release.

-M

WEEK 25: Buy Nothing Day/Weekend, R U up 4 it?

2008-11-27T00:48:00.000-08:00

THIS Saturday, November 29 is International Buy Nothing Day, a time to take a holiday from consumerism. A mild shopping detox perhaps. As you know from reading this blog, I have been attempting to extend the buy nothing day theme to six months and have just one more week to go.

The official BND uk website states that Buy Nothing Day is the biggest 24-hour moratorium against consumerism. People around the world will make a pact to take a break from shopping as a personal experiment or public statement and the best thing is - IT'S FREE!

My challenge to you out there is to extend Buy Nothing Day to Buy Nothing Weekend. So from Friday night when you get home from work, buy nothing until you get back to work on Monday morning. Because it's only a weekend, there are not exemptions, but you are allowed to prepare. Stock up on any necessary groceries so you don't run out, like milk, bread, toiletries etc.

Here are some things you might want to do for free to keep you occupied while buying nothing this weekend?

Read a book - you know that one that you've been wanting to read for ages but can never quite find the time
Start making Christmas gifts - get crafty and prepared for you DIY Christmas
Gardening - Plant some more summer crops, water or weed
Housework - Catch up on your housework (ofcourse if you're not, like me, too busy doing the above three options)
DVDs - Hire some movies out on your way home on Friday and just veg out in front of the telly.

So what do you say, R U up 4 it?

Give green and save green

2008-11-21T01:10:00.000-08:00

TREEHUGGER'S 2008 Holiday Gift Guide is a great place to start when looking for the environmentally-friendly presents for friends and whanau. It features more than 100 green gift ideas under several catergories in a bid to meet the likes of many different tastes - even your non-treehugger mates and rellies. Catergories include fashion, pop-culture, foodies and DIY but Check out the full range here.

WEEK 24: DIY Christmas Challenge

2008-11-20T23:58:00.000-08:00

IT'S that time of year again. Christmas is but a month away and as I wind down to the end of my six month Buy Nothing Challenge I am starting to think how I can implement my new-found philosophy into the silly season. And along the lines of Kiwi ingenuity, innovation and our love for the old DIY (do-it-yourself) the idea of a DIY Christmas sprang to mind.

I had already decided that this year I'm going to make Christmas gifts this year and have been thinking of other ways I can implement DIY, self-sufficiency and eco-consiousness into this Christmas. Here's some ideas I came up with:

Homegrown - Starting growing as many of the fruit, veges and herbs for Christmas dinner out of the garden. Things like basil, rosemary, chives, lettuce, beetroot, potatoes, tomatoes.
Bake bread - Learn how to make Maori Rewana bread.
Re-gifting - Got an old book, CD or something else that you don't like or want anymore that's still in really good condition. Re-gift it to a friend or family member you think might appreciate it more.
Get crafty - Unlease your inner artist and make something. Everyone has a talent whether it be painting, weaving, sewing, baking, knitting. For added creativity, move away from the traditional art canvas and mediums and do something like painting a flat stone or making a collage or photo frame of driftwood, shells and other items collected from the beach.
Photos - Capture a moment in a photograph as a treasured keepsake and put it in a lovely handmade frame (see above) as a way for the recipient to remember and treasure a special memory.
Recycle - Keep old Christmas wrap and reuse the following year or use old-newspapers with interesting designs on them. A work friend told me that when she was a poor uni student she collected copies of a Chinese newspaper offered free around the campus, captured by the interesting form of the characters, and used it as wrapping paper that year. Or you could ditch paper wrapping all together and use fabric, I find CanTeen bandannas that I buy every year during the annual appeal great. And it's supporting a cause.
A helping hand - Give a gift voucher offering a pamper service such as a free massage, babysitting or breakfast in bed.

Those are some. Anyone else is keen to take up the DIY Christmas Challenge? What other ways can I have a DIY Christmas?

WEEK 23: Succumbing to cravings

2008-11-15T17:23:00.000-08:00

APOLOGIES for the late blog post. Have been away since last Thursday at the Takitimu Festival. A gathering of several Pacific nation's all linking to the Takitimu waka including Cook Islands, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. It was great to see the Nesian Mystik boys rocking it on stage (last time I saw them live was far too long ago) and can't wait to download their new album Elevator Musiq. A shame the 3 Houses Down couldn't make it but Spacifix made up for their absence with a great energetic set!!

But back onto the task of this blog which is the Buy Nothing Challenge - week 23. Things are progressing smoothly to the light at the end of the tunnel - about 2 weeks away by my guessculations. I did however, for the first time in the duration of the challenge, succumb to the evil temptations of the office snack box this week. I walked passed it and, only meaning to look, had my eye caught by the bright red wrapper of a KitKat Bar - it's foil wrapper winking at me in the light. I just had to have it and IT WAS SOOO GOOD!!! But I think I've satisfied the craving now. Had no further cravings for sweet foods during that week.

I did however stop at Burgerfuel on the way back from the festival yesterday for my favourite V8 Vegan Burger washed down with a caramel soy malt shake. mmm. But considering the chain appears to establishing a reputation for being environmentally responsible, healthy and organic I figure this isn't so bad. It's the only fastfood chain in New Zealand - to my knowledge - that sells Phoenix Organic fizzies as it's main soda drink.

My other semi-materialistic purchase during my weekend away was a bottle of overnight tea-tree blemish repair gel from the bodyshop - which I recommend even only after using once. This I do not think was so materialistic as my acne has been breaking out and it was sort of necessary for my self-esteem to clear it up. Plus the Body Shop also promotes eco and social responsibility and is against animal testing and also use natural products. The lovely lady at the Napier store also informed me that they take back all their packaging for recycling too.

Random sustainable tip no. 685: "If you have an option, always choose products that come in glass rather than plastic containers. Glass is far less resource-hungry to produce and easier to reuse and recycle than plastic."

Election '08 Digest: "Oh what a night!"

2008-11-09T23:15:00.001-08:00

WHAT a weekend it was this year's election - Helen Clark and Labour are out after 3 terms and 9 years, John Key and National are in, and now Aunty Helen's resigning from leadership and the Labour Party could have a new leader before Christmas.

So the election didn't quite go the way I wanted it to go this time and I'm sorry but I have to say it what were you thinking New Zealand?! I get it that a lot of people just wanted change but what good is change if the other option isn't anything much better. Change for change's sake just isn't worth it. Why is it that New Zealand has a left-wing government for nine years and then when the rest of the world finally catches on and moves to follow suit we're like, can't have that, and swing back to the right again.

I could keep on going on like a sad sack about why Labour should have gotten in and National should still be opposition. But I'm going to face facts and well I guess the majority has spoken. I'm just going to ask Mr Key: "Please, please don't undo all the good things Labour has done for us over the past nine years, mainly fixing the mess of the previous National government. Please don't touch my KiwiSaver. Please don't sell off the government's assets again. Please don't let ACT bully you into dropping ETS or any of the Climate Change policies for that matter. And most of all, please don't drive the country into the ground."

The whole world is facing tough times ahead with the global financial crisis, mainly thanks to American, and call me sceptic but for some reason I just don't think National or Mr Key are the right people to pick us up out of it and move forward with a strong country. I would be very happy if I am proven wrong but as it is, I give the country 3 years and am willing to stake a claim the voters will go crawling back to Labour at the next election.

On another note, congratulations to the Green Party on getting it's best result, the third biggest party in the house this term. And of course to the Maori Party for it's almost clean sweep of the Maori seats (only missed 2 I think).

WEEK 22: Baking bread

2008-11-06T00:46:00.000-08:00

ALTHOUGH I grew up in a household where baking bread was a part of life I must admit that I was never actually that enthused by the process, any type of cooking for that matter, until just recently. Mum makes rewana bread with a bug that has been in the family for at least three generations, going back to my great-grandmother - possibly even back to her mother.

Anyway, doing Pioneer Week this week has got me all enthused so I decided to give it a go. Starting with an easy as beer bread recipe I found on the internet after seeing Te Radar make it on his TV programme Off The Radar. What stood out to me was the simplicity of the recipe and the fact that, unlike most breads, you don't even have to knead it! And so I got on to Google to find a recipe and made my first batch this week which was so delicious and as you can see in the photo it has been well-eaten.

Here's the real easy recipe I used although there are lots of varieties if you just run a search on Google or any search engine.

BEER BREAD

1 x 330ml bottle beer (I use Tui, but really whatever is your preference)

3 tablespoons sugar

3 cups self raising flour (or 3 cups standard flour and 3 teaspoons baking powder)

Make well in centre of dry ingredients. Pour in beer. Mix well and put into loaf pan. Bake at 190 degrees for around 50-60 minutes and VOILA! Fresh bread.

Countdown to Buy Nothing Day

2008-11-05T19:50:00.000-08:00

International Buy Nothing Day - Friday, November 28

As my six month challenge begins to wind down, the end of this month will see a climax for my buy nothing challenge with International Buy Nothing Day.

Buy Nothing Day originated in Canada in 1992 from the brain of artist/activist Ted Dave, as a way of addressing the overconsumption he saw by the rich countries of the world. The event has grown to encompass around 10 countries, including England, Holland, Canada and the US. New Zealand jumped on the buy nothing bandwagon in 1998.

My sixth month challenge is kind of like an extension on the one-day event except for Friday, November 28 I will be totally abstaining from consumerism - no exceptions. I encourage everyone who reads this and post and the links to have a think about the overconsumption habits of western countries all over the world and, even for just the one day, think before you buy.

WEEK 21: Getting ready for Pioneer Week

2008-10-31T00:47:00.000-07:00

Sustainable tip no. 788: DRESS TO IMPRESS: Make your own mayonaise and once you've sampled its fresh vibrant flavour you'll be reluctant to return to preservative-laden commercial varieties.

Beat 2 egg yolks and mix them with 3/4 Tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder and 4-5 lemonjuice or white vinegar. Then beat in 250-350ml olive oil, a drop at a time, making sure that each drop has been absorbed into the mixture before adding more. Keep refridgerated and use within 3 days.

--------------------------------------------

COOKING from scratch is one of the main rules of Pioneer Week which starts on Monday and which I am taking part in. Hence the appropriateness of the mayonaise recipe above taken from the book 1001 Ways You Can Save the Planet. Growing your own veges also helps not only for that but to achieve self-suffiency and promote a sense of belonging in this endless consumer world. With the Global Financial Crisis at the moment, it's also a great way to save money in these cost cutting times. Think: Homegrown Christmas. At least the fruit and veg side of it anyway. If you eat meat and you're fortunate to live on a rural property you could even keep some animals for the meat side of Christmas dinner.

Kiwi comedian personality Te Radar presented a delicious example of a homegrown Christmas a few weeks ago on his TVONE series Off The Radar. He even made cheese! Something I wonder about sometimes but don't think I have the patience to actually attempt (no matter how easy people claim it is to make!).

Another week of not buying the unnecessary and I realise that there are only five weeks left. Which is totally great as I am looking forward to shopping for some new summer clothes! But I have decided one thing as a result of this challenge to make myself and others more aware of some of our day-to-day impulse buying habits is that I will try to buy secondhand items where possible. I've become a firm believer in the concept that "one man's trash is another's treasure" but it also means not having to worry about excess packaging and of course it's CHEAPER - with all these talks about a recession here it's only wise to be looking for cost-savings in all areas of life.

WEEK 20: Light at the end of the tunnel

2008-10-23T02:31:00.000-07:00

Random sustainable tip no. 311:

"Wear hemp. Hemp has been unfairly labeled with a hair-shirt image, which it doesn't deserve. It's a very ecologically friendly crop, which doesn't need pesticides and herbicides to thrive and is now used to make a wide range of clothes and other products ranging from frisbees to bags."

I CAN see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm nearly there, I've nearly made six months. Six weeks to go!

If you're wondering about the image I have with this most, well next week I'm taking part in Pioneer Week which has been organised by fellow enviro-blogger Crunchy Chicken http://crunchychicken.blogspot.com/. The main basie of the Pioneer Week challenge is about cooking from scratch and living basically, i.e being thrifty, which kinda ties in with what I'm doing with this Buy Nothing Challenge too. Read about pioneer week here: http://crunchychicken.blogspot.com/2008/10/hitch-up-your-wagon-for-pioneer-week.html and sign up if you're keen. I thought it sounded like fun anyway. The next thing is convincing the rest of the household (Nan and Pa) to take it up too. That shouldn't be too hard though since we pretty much do a lot of the stuff anyway.

Here's a brief outline from Crunchy Chicken's blog outlining the rules and what this is all about:

1. Food: During Pioneer Week, you must make all your meals from scratch. This isn't really as hard as it sounds particularly since you have a few weeks to prepare. But, anything

prepared ahead of time must be made from scratch.

2. Energy usage: Keep your energy usage low by keeping the heat low or off, use only one light in the house at a time (or at least turn off the lights when you are not using them) and line dry your clothes. Since you'll be doing a lot of cooking at home, try to coordinate when you are using the oven to take advantage of baking and/or roasting items at the same time. I don't expect you to unplug your fridge or freezer, so don't worry about that.

3. Conserve water: Since we don't all lug our water from the stream for home use, we'll have to do a few things to help conserve water.

4. Transportation: Walk as much as possible. This will force you to support more local stores if you can't drive across town.

5. Rethink your entertainment: Instead of spending the week passively watching television or movies, try to engage more with the people you live with or neighbours within walking distance. Get the family back into playing games, music or just sitting around talking and telling stories. If you aren't in the mood for socializing try picking up that long lost craft hobby or start a new one.

6. Watch your wallet: Think of this as a Buy Nothing Week. Since you'll be pretty much eating at home or at home all week, you don't really need to buy anything, now do you?

WEEK 19: Save here, spend there

2008-10-19T23:54:00.000-07:00

Random sustainable tip no. 62: Glug down some organic milk - If you're trying to go organic milk is a great place to start. The price difference is marginal but the health benefits are significant: organic milk contains much higher levels of nutrients - for example, up to two-thirds more omega 3 - than intensively farmed milk.

LAST weekend I attended the National Maori Writers Hui in Wellington for the first time which I found very interesting and met lots of interesting people. For example, novelist James George and poet and playwright Albert Wendt.

Being a weekend away I think I did pretty well trying to buy nothing. Apart from food and a lotto ticket (it was a $30million jackpot OK, not that I won anything anyway) I only bought two things. The first was a scarf for my brother, one of those ones that all the kids are wearing at the moment, especially krumpers. I guess I can kind of rule that one out because it wasn't for myself. The other one was really self-indulgence. I bought a copy of James George's book Hummingbird so I could get it signed since he was there at the hui. I mean, why waste an opportunity. I would've bought Albert Wendt's The Songmakers Chair for him to sign too but too many other people at the hui had the same idea and I missed out on that one. But I figure since Mr Wendt is apparently a close family friend I may be able to get a copy of one of his books at a later time and use the whanau connections (Uncle Karanita, Aunty Lyn) to get it signed XD.

Fighting POVERTY the self-suffiency way

2008-10-15T01:45:00.000-07:00

Sustainable tip #417: "Take a meal on the wild side. You may be suprised how much food is growing all around you. If you're uncertain what to look for, carry a good identification guide to the wild plants in your region. Select youn, fresh plants from un polluted areas, and don't take more than will quickly grow back. You could try making garlic pesto, elderflower wine, blackberry jam, nettle soup, crab apple jelly, horse radis sauce or sage tea... Your food will be guaranteed free from pesticides and preservatives - fresh and very local.

WITH the recent world banking crisis and the world on the verge of a recession, many people maybe finding it harder and harder to stretch their paycheck to the end of the week. Maybe it's time to keep your wallet closed for a while and start saving some pennies by living a bit more self-sufficiently - grow your own food. Even if your live in a innercity apartment with no front or back yard, this is possible thanks to the wonderful invention of container gardening.

Today is International Blog Action Day and the theme is poverty. Poverty is not just something suffered in the third world but right here in New Zealand there are families that are struggling to put three square meals on the table everyday. Kids who go to school hungry because the cupboards at home were bare and with nothing but the free piece of fruit they get at school if they're lucky enough to be in a Decile One facility on the government's Fruit and Schools programme for the whole day. Funnily enough, Mum or Dad probably still have enough money to keep their ciggies and booze stocked or to play the pokies.

Growing your own food is one way of saving money in the face of the current economic climate. It's easy these days and having a vegetable garden is even becoming fashionable thanks to people like Jamie Oliver and NZ Gardener editor Lynda Hallinan. I grew up in a household where we always had a vege garden, so I guess it might come a bit more naturally to me than others. But to be frank, I only really go serious about it this year and I am a really lazy gardener. Serious. I just chuck stuff, water it sporadically, and hope it grows. I don't even hardly weed!!

For a beginner gardener though here is a list of some easy, no fail, veges to grow to get your plot started this spring/summer:

- silverbeet/swiss chard: For a bit of colour buy the technicolour variety which can come in bright red, orange, pink or yellow as well as the basic green and white.

- strawberries: Probably a bit late to plant from seed now but most garden centres will have mature plants for those who've left it to the last minute.

- cherry tomatoes: Chuck some seeds in a pot inside or outside and pick the bite size fruit as it ripens. Real easy and great novelty factor if you have young children and want to teach them a bit of gardening.

- lettuce/mesculun: Sow a tray of seeds every couple of weeks to keep a constant supply for salads. Real fast germinating and guaranteed sucees like with silverbeet, easy as to grow.

- zucchini/corgettes: Fast germinating and once the plant gets going can supply you for months, just keep picking them daily so they don't get too big and grow into marrows.

I live on a semi-rural property with a reasonable sized plot and space but not all people will have that luxory so here are some tips for growing veges in small spaces:

- containers: plant pots, ice cream containers, old milk containers, old tyres. Whatever you've got. Zucchini's might not be achievable for most apartment dwellers but all the rest can easily be grown in pots or trays.

-square foot gardening: See http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ is a type of French intensive gardening described on the site as "A Raised Garden Bed Using The Square Foot Gardening Intensive Planting Spacing Out-Produces all other Gardening Methods Including French Intensive, Lasagna, Wide Row, Grow Boxes, Hydroponics and all types of Organic methods."

-raised beds: You don't even need to have a lawn or dirt for this one. Build up the sides with some timber offcuts from a building recyclers yard and fill with soil, compost, potting mix, straw, lawn clippings, coffee grounds - whatever you can get. Add some worms if you like. And start planting. The raised bed can be as big and as deep/shallow as you like.

-hanging baskets: This option is especially good for strawberries and cherry tomatoes. Plant them and let them cascade down the sides of the basket.

So get growing everyone and dig yourselves out of poverty and save some pennies by being self-sufficient. Make Poverty History.

WEEK 17: Alcohol is a necessary expense!

2008-10-02T01:16:00.001-07:00

YES it is! Or that's what I am going to try and convince you through this post anyway.

It all started with last Friday night, my first gig of the Spring '08: House of Shem, Napier! It all started with the backpackers involving a bottle of Bernadino, several Irish tourists and a dirty drinking game oh and a round of Pool. Then things moved on when I made my way down the road to the bar for the gig and downed another couple of wines. The gig doesn't count in my confessional as it's part of the exceptions. Danced the night away to the reggae sounds to the wee hours, talking to random people. Almost ended up in a car with some chicks heading over to Hastings to keep going but yeah, thank God, because I wouldn't have a clue how I would've got back to Napier afterwards!! So why was alcohol necessary I hear you ask... Ain't that obvious. Everyone knows going out is like no fun without a couple of drinks. Why else do you think the Germans drink it by the litre (see photo). But seriously, it IS absolutely an exception from the Buy Nothing rule because I like said so. so there :P (That was SOO mature of me wasn't it). What can I say, I promise to be better next time.

Sustainable tip no.98: Give it like you mean it. Make a friend a present out of something significant to you - perhaps a book from your c0llection that you have read and particularly enjoyed.

WEEK 16: Back on the wagon

2008-09-25T02:53:00.000-07:00

Sustainable tip no. 298: Grow your own: If you don't have land of your own, find out where there's a plot available in your local alloment (community) garden. Or if there's not allotment nearby, plant in pots - you'll be amazed and what you can grow. With a few hours attention each week, this little patch of land could change the way your family eats, get you super fit and wean you off supermarket vegetables for life.

AFTER my slip off the back of the wagon last week, I am safely back on board and been a good little girl hearing to the challenge. I've also been back in the garden tending my spring crops. It's is nowhere near self sufficiency levels, but it is a start:

- I have two small strawberry patches, about 10 plants all up, which are starting to get bigger and I've even seen a few flowers on some so I should be in for plenty of berries this summer!

- Beetroot I grew from seed is starting to thrive on its own since I transplanted the seedlings outside, exposed to all the elements. Along way off being ready to harvest but they have got their adult leaves now.

- Tomayto - Tomarto: Got two varieties of tomato sown soo far. Still wanna get some heirlooms in and beefsteaks as those ones a good for cooking.

- I have loads of silverbeet of different colours and variety including perpetual spinach which I'm pretty sure is actually a type of silverbeet. Oh and not too mention the native spinach.

- Salad greens are still going strong in the pots in the car port, as is the florence fennel which is about ready for transplanting, and the radish with one plant looking like it's starting to grow a decent size radish.

- The celery rows are starting to thin out a bit. might have to think about what to put in its place when I pool it out, and also possibly need to add some mulch/compost to feed the soil as it is really clay-hard.

- The brassicas such as cabbage and caulis have got plenty of leave but no sign of anything forming yet.

Saving the world one conversation at a time

2008-09-24T02:22:00.000-07:00

AS you may have seen from the widget to the right of this post, I am taking part in Blog Action Day 2008 on October 15. The premise of the event is that on that one day thousands of bloggers blog on the one day in the aim of changing the conversation to a selected issue. The organisers are trying to get as many bloggers as possible involved this year so if you want to be part of a movement to change the world register at http://blogactionday.org/

This year's theme is Poverty. What does poverty have to do with buy nothing project or consumerism I hear you ask? Well actually quite a lot, and I don't just been people in poverty can't buy anything because they're poor. I'm talking about the whole capitalist system where the pressure to "keep up with the Joneses" and have certain "things" can drive people into poverty. And Don't be fooled the poverty is just a Third World issue either, it is everywhere, even in New Zealand.

To find out more, tune into this blog on October 15.

WEEK 15: Hanging off the edge of the wagon

2008-09-21T01:51:00.000-07:00

Sustainable tip no. 287: Give your "junk" a new lease of life - Just because you no longer want something doesn't mean it's junk, it could even make you some money. Try selling unwanted items online (eBay, TradeMe), donating them to a new home (Freecycle), or swapping them with neighbours via a community swap shop. These could also be sources of replacement items for yourself.

I HAVE a confession. I went slightly mad yesterday, in a shopping sense of course. You see I had been doing so well the past week. I have almost got the hang of packing a cut lunch everyday to avoid buying it - I only bought take-aways twice this week. Then Saturday came and the day just happened to be when the local service club's were holding their semi-regular Spring Auction. In that sense the random sustainable tip I have picked for this post is actually quite relevant.

Normally at Spring time people clean out all their junk. But I have a weakness, possibly passed down from my parents, for seeing the "junk" people have chucked out for the "bargains" they could be or that I'm possibly deluded it could be and accumulating it. I do my own spring cleaning too, but I probably reacquire around the same amount as I chuck. Anyway, I'm hoping that because it was all secondhand stuff and the fact my money was going to a good cause (it was a community fundraiser) and that I was giving these things a new lease of life that you, my readers (do I even have any readers yet? please let me know by commenting?), will forgive this mishap.

Adding to matters, I was also working the weekend so you would think with it being a pretty busy weekend full of winter sports wraps et cetera I would be distracted enough not to bother with an auction? In fact I was destracted by the auction. I actually forgot the "very important" local netball prize giving. (As you can see I am really into sport). I don't know how I'm going to explain that one to Ms K the chief at work tomorrow. "You see there was this classic vinyl collection and player I just had to have" mmm. No.

What did I buy I hear you ask?

Well I just couldn't wait to get to this part where I deluge my bargains

- 2 boxes of vinyl albums for $2 which I still need to sort through (and rehome/donate to the Sallies the ones I don't want)

- 1 record player for $12

- 1 china tea set for $5

The china tea set, decorated with dragons, is the purchase I'm most proud of. With the exception of one slightly chipped cup, it is in prestine condition. And when I got home I discovered that my Nan had the exact the same set but in a different colour - albeit some of the parts were missing. Turned out hers was a gift a friend had picked up in China yonks ago, back in the days when Pa was in the Navy. While it probably wasn't the luxurious of tea sets, she reckoned it was most definately worth more than the $5 I paid for it. To think no one else wanted to bid for it!

Well that's all for me and hopefully I will do better after this week. If anyone reading this was one of those netballers receiving a prize in yesterday's prizegiving, I hope you're not too upset that your final day was overlooked by me because of "a bunch of junk". After all, one man's junk is another's treasure.

WEEK 14: Unexpected benefits

2008-09-13T00:36:00.000-07:00

AN unexpected perk from having a crack at this buy nothing thing is that I have lost 8kg in three-and-a-half months.

Before I started the project I was about 72kg (not exactly obese but a little bit too much puku for by 5"10 frame) and simply buy cutting out (most of the time) the crap fast food I usually buy I am now 64kg - much closer to my optimum weight which is 60-65kg. Lovely flat puku to boot now too (not the one in the picture, that's a random internet image - sorry).

Over halfway through the challenge I think I am starting to develop a bit of a routine in that I haven't really had huge cravings to impulse buy. This is probably the longest I haven't bought a new item of clothing and while I still window shop and browse racks I have managed to say no and remain content with my existing wardrobe - which is quite extensive by the way. Another habit that I've changed is that I now completely ignore the confectionary section of the supermarket and - except for one or two occasions early on in the challenge - I am no longer tempted to grab a chocolate bar or magazine at the checkout and add it to my groceries.

There was still a couple of weak moments this week though:

PURCHASES THIS WEEK:
1 book of stamps - I think technically though this counts as a service, although I have to buy a sticker and envelope to take advantage of the postage service. Actually I didn't have to buy the envelope though because I had a stockpile of new and used ones at home.

1 vege burger, 2 x chicken and chips, 1 punnet chips - I was pretty slack packing my lunch this week. No excuse for this really.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sustainable Tip no. 61: Less is more - It requires much more land, water and energy to derive food from animals than from vegetables. For example, in the USA it takes 140 litres of water to produce a kilogram of wheat, but a whopping 4400 litres to produce a kilogram of beef. If life without steak and chips sounds just too bleak, try cutting down your meat consumption to one or two meals each week, and use the money you've saved to splash out on locally raised, organic meat speciallities.

WEEK 13: Still rollin'

2008-09-03T02:09:00.000-07:00

APOLOGIES for missing the last few weeks of blogging. Had a lot going on. My Nan had a heart attack and had to have stents put in, she's all good now, just ordered bed rest for the next few weeks and me and Pa been busy playing nurse. Also had whanau visiting and the grandparents friends so not much time for the computer you see.

Despite all that, I've managed for the most part to continue with the project. Have been missing clothes shopping, though there are some added benefits from not buying a new outfit every week - which is what I used to do before starting this. Aside from saving money I've started wearing clothes I haven't worn in ages to try and be creative with my outfits. There's a saying that people only where 80 percent of their clothes (or is it 20 percent), well because I haven't bought anything new in 13weeks (probably slightly longer actually) I'm starting to get closer to the 100 percent.

Just to add a splash of colour to my blog, I'm going to start putting tips on living sustainably randomly selected from the book 1001 ways you can save the planet: practical ideas to heal and change the world. Here's the first, but in future entries I will be adding it as a quote to the start of blog entries:

Tip no. 477 "make a mini pool - if you haven't got space for a pond, try filling a container, such as an old enamel or ceramic sink, with water and putting it in a quiet place in your garden. Add a few stones at one end, so that frogs, toads and other creatures can get in and out easily."

WEEK 10: Coming into the halfway marker

2008-08-18T01:53:00.000-07:00

I HAVE been attempting to buy nothing unnecessary for two and a half months now so I figure it's time for an update. While I have been excellent on giving up most things there are still things I don't really need to buy that I have still succumbed too and end up adding to the growing landfill piles. Remembering also this is still early days into the project so I still have another three months to get it right, so to speak.

Areas I have succeeded in:

Clothes - Before starting this challenge I was buying at least one new item of clothing each week. This is the longest I have gone without clothes shopping. It has also resulted in added bonuses such as saving money and I'm also getting a lot more wear out of the clothes I already own.

Cleaning products - Since I had bulk cleaning products before starting the challenge I haven't had to buy any new ones yet. When I do run out though I plan to use the two miracle products baking soda and white vinegar for all my cleaning needs.

Hair products - I have never been one to use a lot of hair products anyway as my hair texture is so fine that nothing works for it anyway so this one wasn't too difficult. Plus I still have a huge bottle of hairspray I bought like three years ago that I hardly touch but is there for emergencies.

Make-up - I've decided once I get through the existing foundations, eye liners et cetera that I own I am not going to buy any more cosmetics save from the basic cleanser, toner, moisturiser sets which I do actually need because I get mild acne. This shouldn't be too hard seeing as I don't hardly wear makeup anyway. Eyeliner will be the hardest because when I do wear makeup that's usually what I opt for.

Now the list of things I've bought (or still planning to cut out):

Take-out - One of the hardest as cutting lunch for myself in the morning is one of the hardest things I'm having trouble making time to do. Not to mention that lately I've been sleeping in and skipping breakfast leading me to get a bad case of the munchies by about 10am.

Seedraising mix - Springs coming up and I have tomato and basil seeds to plant. Now I could've sown the seeds straight in the garden but there's still frost and I wanted to get a good headstart so I think this was a pretty valid purchase.

Baby hoodie - It was a present for my step sisters son's first birthday.

Photo prints - For my Ship For World Youth application which hopefully I should be receiving a call about next week to say I've been shortlisted. Watch my other blog space: http://flightofthekiwi.blogspot.com/ for details.

That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. While I haven't been 100 percent successful in buying nothing I do think the fact that I'm doing this challenge has made me step back and take a look at what I'm buying. Apart from food, I haven't impulse bought anything since I started the project and I have been doing a whole lot more window shopping and internet browsing. I have been looking at things and thinking "do I really need this?" can I live without it?". Which is good because I keep coming back to my objective which is to make people more aware of their consumer footprint and their disposable habits.

At the end of the day this challenge is only six months and the long term effect is more about promoting good habits such as buying quality rather than quantity.

November 28 is International Buy Nothing Day. I think it is
quite appropriate that I promote and endorse it through this blog from a New Zealand perspective. If anyone has anything planned for New Zealand Buy Nothing Day then
please don't hesitate to let me know and I will add it to a future post. Check out this link
to a video promoting this year's Buy Nothing Day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz6AQopiEHc

I would upload it as a post but I still haven't quite sussed how its done yet. If someone might kindly be able to assist me with that I would be extremely grateful!

CFLs - the good, the bad and the ugly

2008-08-12T02:22:00.001-07:00

FIRST up this post as nothing to do with Buy Nothing but the other part of this blog is about sustainability and the issue of CFLs has been on my chest for a while now. Why is it that we are so quick to take a product like the CFL light bulb and treat it as the "miracle cure" for energy saving without checking out the product thoroughly first.

I, myself, admit to being one of those people to jump on the CFL bandwagon blindly. But having found out more about it I am beginning to think that they're not such a good idea. That for the sake of the planet we're better off using incandescent lightbulbs.

Reason #1: CFLs contain mercury
Yes CFLs are meant to last like 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, but what we weren't told straight up was there are huge issues around disposing of them correctly. CFLs contain the hazardous element mercury, and while it's only a small amount, if extra cautions are not taken when they're disposed of there's the risk of the mercury leeching into the soil. And how many people actually KNOW how to dispose of the bulbs correctly? How widely published is this information?

After a search, I did manage to find these guidelines on the One News website on what to do with a broken CFL:

"If a CFL breaks the mercury is released and that has caused America's Environmental Protection Agency to issue strict guidelines on how to clean up a broken bulb.
First, air the room for 15 minutes. Then, using rubber gloves, scoop up the fragments and put them in a sealed container. Use sticky tape to pick up any tiny pieces - try not to vacuum because that can spread the mercury around.
The EPA even says you should throw out, not wash, any clothing that comes into contact with the broken bulb. And don't try to recycle old bulbs."

Pretty heavy stuff don't you reckon?

Reason #2: Sometimes they don't last as long as they say they do
I'm even a bit dubious about the claims CFLs can last up to nine years. Our oldest bulbs at home were installed maybe two years ago tops and we have already had to change THREE because the bulbs have blown! And these ain't even the ones in rooms we use all the time. And again with the special disposal methods? What are they again? If anyone does know who may be reading this please fill me in because I don't have a clue!

Reason #3: Fire risk
I also just saw on One News tonight that there can be a fire risk from flickering CFL lightbulbs. We have fluorescent bulbs at work which are basically the same thing and I know those flicker a lot when the power the bulbs.
Read about The Warning on ECO bulbs here: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4656248a11.html

In short, CFLs might save money on power and might be being dubbed as a key solution to Climate Change because of the energy efficient properties. But in New Zealand where the majority of our electricity production is Carbon Neutral anyway, does it really make much difference. Is the real HUGE contributor to Global Warming in New Zealand not the agriculture industry and pollution from petrol run vehicles? So shouldn't the Government be focusing its policies more on dealing with those two SIGNIFICANT issues rather than putting up all this fuss over a tiny little lightbulb.

What's more important? Saving money or saving the world?

WEEK 9: Take-out addiction

2008-08-07T02:05:00.000-07:00

THE hardest thing for me to give up in this Buy Nothing project has been buying my lunch. I have managed to break the consumer habit on all things except for food. I'm afraid I'm not really a morning person, the snooze button on the alarm clock is my friend and it often leads to oversleeping and then rushing around like a mad woman to get off to work on time! I barely have time for breakfast yet only to prepare a lunch!

I know I could always come home for lunch, but since I live 7km from work it's hardly economical with the price of petrol these days so I figure it would be way more efficient on the wallet and for the planet if I just buy some chips and the takeout down the road.

It's not about not having time, it's about MAKING TIME. It's not that hard to prepare a lunch the before I go to bed and put it in the fridge. I used to do it at college and when I was a more student.

I guess I just have to try harder.

WEEK 8: My main weakness

2008-08-04T03:23:00.001-07:00

NEVER let your stomach do the thinking for you because it always results in a bit of a bulge. Ever since I decided to loosen up on the rules to allow for any food purchases on this project I seem to have gone a little crazy. It's like, to compensate for material things I'm not buying I've been overindulging on food. I'm back to buying lunch almost every day, even lapsing my vegetarian status to allow chicken and pigging out on KFC every time I go out of town and see a KFC store. But no more, I'm toughening up and I am tightening up the rules back to intended - essential food purchases only. So that means back into the garden and supermarket and cooking from scratch. In saying all this though, I have managed to stay away from the snack box at work and, with the exception of a couple of Turkish Delites, the supermarket confectionaries by the counter.

Short entry this week even though it is for the last two weeks but hopefully I will be back to normal next week.

WEEK 6: Buying sins

2008-07-17T01:42:00.000-07:00

FIRST of all I'm going to admit it: Committing is not my strongest point. Infact, one of the hardest things of this Buy Nothing Project for me has been trying not to get bored of it. I guess I just don't have a very good attention span. And is also probably why less than two months into the project I've already had two little spluges. The first I told you about. The second was last weekend. As you would have noticed I have not written an entry for week 5 so this is a report from the past two weeks.

Week 5 went smooth as! Easy breezy! Then the weekend came and it was my nephews first birthday party. It's pretty hard to get a one-year-old a present without buying something and anyway how could I resist! So I compromised and thought since the whole purpose of this is to become more aware of my "consumer habit" I decided I'd get a sustainable present made in New Zealand to reduce the carbon footprint. I ended up buying a cute little hoodie from what I thought was a reputable New Zealand company but then on closer examination of the label after I'd bought it I realised it was only designed in New Zealand and infact made in China. So that idea went out the window.

For the rest of the weekend I kinda went off the rails for awhile filling up on junkfood, maccas, kfc and burger fuel (try their beer-battered chips, delicious!). Since the weekend though I think I'm over my spluge and feeling a lot more confident about this project. Who would have thought it could be so hard to buy nothing?

Back to the topic of this blog: buying sins. Everyone has them, little things that you really only need to buy once and if you look after it shouldn't need to replace for atleast a few years but no matter how well you intentions it always seems to get lost/misplaced.

For me its tweezers and nailclippers. I've probably bought atleast four of both in the past year and right now went I really need my nailclippers I can't find nada! For the past couple of days I've had this really annoying lose chipped nail on my right index finger that's always catching on things when I do anything and is so annoying. It's really a good thing I'm left handed 'cause it probably would be much worse. Can I find a nailclippers to clip it off! No way! I had to resort grabbing a pear of tweezers - suprise suprise I could find them - and ply it off the corner of my nail with that! ouch! I'm was tempted many times this week to buy a new pair of nail clippers because of that but so far have managed to hold myself back.

WEEK 4: Consumer cravings

2008-07-03T22:51:00.000-07:00

ONE month into the project and I'm already craving to buy and have compiled a list of materialistic things that I absolutely "need".

The point of writing the list is not so that as soon as December 5 hits I'll be off to the shops to buy everything on it. By writing down all the things I think I want now and publishing them here then in five months time I can revisit this list and see what I actually still "really really need".

THE LIST

- AUXILLARY CHORD

so I can plug my Ipod into my car stereo that I got last Christmas but only got round to getting it installed a couple of weeks ago!

- ASUS EEE PC

a mini laptop that has webcam, mic, wireless internet everything! and it can fit in a handbag!

- CHOCOLATE

one major thing I have been missing - Bueno, Bounty bars especially!

- TIKI TAANE CD

Past Present and Future.

- CAR SUBS AND SPEAKERS

to go with my new stereo.

Okay, that list isn't as big as I thought it would be. But you never know things might get added to it in the few weeks. Five months to go after all.

WEEK 3: Gifts for nothing dollars

2008-07-03T02:33:00.000-07:00

THIS blog entry is a week late because I had the flu most of last week and when I haven't been confined to bed I have been busy catching up on stuff I had put off because I was stuck in bed. One good thing though being sick is that I have not had the opportunity to buy anything. Except of course medicines but I think those should be exempt from the project because it's probably not a good idea for anyone to let their health suffer if they can avoid it.

Anyway, as promised the list of things to buy loved ones for absolutely nothing, nada dollars:

1. Bake them a cake/muffins/biscuits and decorate it all pretty in the persons favourite colours all theme. (this should cost nothing as you've probably already got the ingredients in your kitchen)

2. Potted plant - Grab a cutting of some herb or plant from the garden and chuck it in a pot. At the moment we've got dozens of little Karaka seedlings coming up around the big tree which could be potted and given away to people.

3. Everyone loves a bunch of flowers - Go for a wander and pick some wild flowers, some garden flowers, "borrow" some from your neighbours garden or the council gardens and make up a pretty bouquet.

4. Make a card - Get into your crafts box with cardboard, tinsel, cellophane, old magazines whatever. Get creative and create a unique card.

5. Knit - This one might take a bit of preparation but even the most basic knitter can manage a scarf or a beanie. If you're confident try a jersey.

6. Give an experience as a gift - Things such as a free massage would be great for Mum's or partners etc, offer to babysit for a mate or relation, a voucher to go bungy jumping for the adrenaline junkie or a facial your mum, sister, girlfriend etc.

7. Dinner - Put on a nice candlelit dinner be it an intimate setting for your partner or a family occasion.

Well that's about all the ideas I've got for now. If you end up using any of them and they go down well for you then please do let me know.

WEEK 2: Baked goods

2008-06-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

AFTER my little pitfall at the start of the week it's pretty safe to say I'm back on track. One of the added benefits of not buying "junk food" lunch at work every day is that I seem to be losing a bit of weight and feeling trimmer and more energetic as a result (not that I was ever fat, but everyone has at least one part of there body they're not proud of). Also the Provender snack box at work and the local cafes twice-weekly muffin run have experienced a minor economic recession since I stopped buying from them and bringing in food from home.

Since I started the buy nothing project I have also become a bit of a baker - mainly so I have more options for work lunches. Not everythings been a success but it's still a start for a novice like me.

In the last couple of weeks I managed a Carrot Cake, a batch of Cinnamon Spiced Muffins, and two lots of Afghans. The carrot cake and the muffins were delicious and enjoyed by the family as well but the afghans I'm sad to say were a bit of a flop (I swear I must be the only person in the world to screw up afghans): The first batch was rock hard and the second batch was undercooked and the cornflakes chewy and soft instead of crunchy! I still ate them all though so at least they didn't go to waste. But me thinks me'll have to keep trying on that one 'cause I ain't giving up until it's right!

This weekend I might try a Chocolate Cake and maybe some Shortbread. I'm starting to feel a bit edgy from the lack of chocolate in my diet since I started this project and haven't been a regular customer to the staff snack box so hopefully the chocolate cake will hit the spot.

Before I go, next Thursday is my Mum's birthday. Since I'm buying nothing I'm going to have to use a bit a old-fashioned Kiwi ingenuity (did I spell that righ??) to come up with something. So next week's blog will have gift ideas for nothing. Any ideas??

WEEK 1: Two steps forward, one step back

2008-06-16T02:57:00.000-07:00

NOW, you're probably going to think I have ZERO will power but but before I tell you about my minor setback I'll have you know I did get through the first week without buying anything. What a total adjustment it is having to prepare lunch every morning, making sure I've got enough time to do everything before I go to work! Thank God for the box of Cuppa-soup I keep in my desk at work for "emergencies". It's also amazing how much money I spend buying my lunch everyday and it's only when I see it all still in my bank account that it sinks in. It's just so easy to go down the road and buy a toasted sandwich or some hot chips whenever you're hungry.

Anyway, I got right through until Thursday hassle free, even Friday was fine when I went to a movie with Mum and even managed to refrain from buying popcorn or any snacks (it helped too that there was a big queue at the theatre and by the time we bought our tickets it had already started!). Then on Saturday night I went to the Little Bushman concert in Gisborne, that was all cool. Concert was AWESOME by the way.

The pitfall came early Sunday morning when I discovered McDonald's is open after 3am and we decided we were getting a feed so I munch out on a McChicken and a Bic Mac and as you would know takeaways are not exempt from the BUY NOTHING PROJECT and it makes it even worse because I'm a VEGETARIAN!!

I'm about halfway through week two now and aside from the McD's -oh and I just remembered the Milkshake I bought on Sunday - it's been smooh sailing. Still another five-and-a-half months to go though!.

The start of something new

2008-06-06T03:07:00.000-07:00

YESTERDAY was World Environment Day and also the official start date for my six month challenge at buying nothing. Two days into the challenge and I have already got extra cash floating around with my savings account looking healthier.

Most people have said they admire the concept of what I'm doing but they don't think it is possible to go this long buying nothing. And as a self-confessed junkfood junkie and frequent shopper I know it won't be easy. However, if I can do this I hope that at the very least other people will take note. I'm not necessarily saying we should stop shopping fullstop, like I'm basically doing for this six months, but if I can at least inspire people to start thinking about their purchases more wisely and asking themselves, "do I really need this new pair of shoes?" or whatever.

As you would have read in my intro about the challenge to the right of this entry, I have also limited any spending on food to $10 a week. This week for under $10 I managed to get two bottles of soy milk (I don't eat dairy), one margarine, one packet of fettucine and a tin of tomato sauce totalling at $9.83.

The silverbeet and salad greens are the only things really thriving in the garden at the moment so really got to get on to that one. My Celery crop is coming along and looking promising but I think there's a little way to go before I start picking any.

Well, better keep on keeping on for the first week. I will post weekly updates to this blog on how I'm going with my first update next Thursday.