the Friday resolution: recap

Well, maybe not so much Friday as Robinson Crusoe.

This week's resolution is, very simply, to consume less. That is, to consume less in a simple fashion, simply. If you consume more in a non-simple, that is in a fancy, luxury, Marylebone High Street way, you undo all the good work of consuming less. No Aveda for me. Just at the moment.

This decision has been brought to you by, I mean was sparked by, many small realisations and catalysts. Money. The rubbish. The warmest winter in history. My clothes keep shrinking. My bank account keeps shrinking. The rent, I mean the sea level, keeps rising, and I'm tired of feeling tired all the time. Restaurant food palls, and restaurants also seem to be answerable to no one for their waste. I mean, recycling? And I saw a guy parking the Yum Yum's van outside the new Mexican place and then he got out and gobbed a great big gob of spit onto their newly refurbished flowerpot area. Ew! People who consume less don't have to worry about that kind of stuff! Nothing to do with them, mate.

I do love the lovely cheeses from Fresh & Wild, and we can continue to have nice bread, but I must resolve to eat less of it. And the spiced plum pickle. I resolve to buy less wine for the house, as by definition I'm drinking it alone if I'm here. It's 900 calories a bottle. (Mind you that's not so much compared to those little truffles they sell... but let's not talk about those.)

And I further resolve to knock all the restaurants on the head. Did I say that? Last night I met up with some adorable old friends, and it set me back £23. I can't keep doing that, however adorable they may be or however delicious the kofte.

I resolve to buy fresh, seasonal food - meaning we eat spring greens rather than baby Kenyan green beans. Leeks. Carrots. Potatoes. Good old English grub. Shepherd's pie. All these things cost less and consume less food miles. (Except I will have to still buy aubergines. I already don't buy courgettes out of season, anyway don't really fancy them after the summer. But aubergines. Dear me.)

I resolve to try and remember to carry a spare shopping bag with me at all times, so I won't need plastic bags in the supermarket. I can't promise to remove all packaging at the checkout, much as I like the idea: agitprop isn't really an essential part of my busy working day. Though maybe it should be.

I resolve to walk to Seven Sisters station at least a couple of times a week, which means I also resolve to get up earlier.

On my way to the station I can drop off the recycling. Of course, living in a flat and having to take the recycling to the bins means I can't be given discounts for the more I recycle, and may well end up - this is Hackney - being charged a penalty because the council isn't picking any up here. But even that isn't a reason not to take the recycling up to the bins on my way to work!

I've been turning the heating off a lot. Partly because it's not that cold. Partly because of the huge bills you get slapped with from British Gas if you so much as think about turning the heating on. Partly because I've been reading about the ice caps.

Oh where is the LO-OVE?!?

Simplifying is really complicated, isn't it? And every time I decide to stop buying things, something comes along that I need: like right now I need some new tights. And a new foundation (in oh how many ways! but no, just some make up will do for now: Maybelline). And my day-to-day boots are going. They are three years old. But I'm skint. And fat. And I owe council tax, which I'm sure I said already, so by consuming less I mean I must pay the council tax, which is like consuming more. Once I've done that I won't be able to consume anything.

So, to recap:
eat less
drink less
walk more
recycle
pay council tax
no new clothes - shrink to fit old ones
seasonal local food
heating off (saves money and re-caps, or at least less de-cap)

Oh, and by the way - if you leave chargers, i.e., phone chargers, in the socket between charging, they really do leak out electricity all over the house, costing you money AND shrinking that polar ice cap!

Looks like I'm going to be having fun fun fun! (Daddy took the T-Bird away.)