september, in review

on a swing ride at the kids' faire

we are nearing the one year marker on our challenge to buy nothing new. during this month, we celebrated birthdays (3 actual birthdays this month and one additionally celebrated). so many of our friends and family were incredibly respectful and responsive to our choices and requests during this month of birthday celebration. i am touched and grateful.

with regards to gift giving, receiving, and product safety, i have questions for you all...

• if you are choosing natural toys for your children, how are you handling the new plastic toys that are gifted to you? how do you take them away from your children and how do you avoid offense to the giver? we are still okay with some plastics, but there are many on the "toxic: avoid" lists.
  
• do any of you use a reputable online resource for looking up the safety of products? i would love one website that allows me to either look up products we own and check for safety and allows me to look at lists of safe items, so i have a better idea of what to purchase or avoid. (i use the environmental working group recommendations for food and body/health products, so it is material items such as kitchen items, dishes, toys, etc. i am most interested in. the environmental working group does have these guidelines, which are helpful.)
  

thank you.

this month:

bought/acquired used:

• wool blanket ($2. $30+ new)
  
• 2 sewing patterns (29 cents each. $4 each new)
  
• 3 pair kids shoes (including merrells and converse, for $2/pair. $55 and $30, respectively, new)
  
• fleece jacket for a young friend ($1.50. $10+ new)
  
• collection of knitting needles (trade. thanks, lisa! she said she paid ~$4 for a huge bundle. $50+ new)
  
• fleece sleep sack (free. $20 new)
  
• car ride on toy (free. thanks, hillary and bea! $40 new)
• bigger bike for lala (free. thanks, hillary and bea! $50+ new)
• 2 large glass kitchen jars ($3. $10+ new)
• 2 durable glass bowls ($1. $7 new)
• vacuum cleaner (ours died. $15. $80+ new)
• piano keyboard ($8. $50+ new)
• bag full of clothes and shoes for finn to grow into (free. thanks, karen and leo! $200+ new)

gifted to us:

• gifts received from others for lala's birthday: dollhouse furniture (for several rooms), doll, 2 stamping sets, puzzle, dollhouse dolls, books, coloring markers, wooden bird house, shirt, PJs,
  
• gifts received from others for finn's birthday (via party...not yet his actual bday): wooden cars, wooden ball, wooden shape puzzle, wooden beading set, wooden boat,
  
• an outgrown outfit and a case of children's toothbrushes, from our dental hygienist neighbor and her daughter
• toothbrushes, spatula, potted plant, pencil, and mini pumpkins "free" from a kids' faire (paid admission)

bought new:

• art items for party favors

groceries:
i did not write out purchases in detail. our spending was $523.37 for 5 people.
and included a number of items i would not have normally bought (at stian's request. he cooked the bulk of the meals the second half of the month, all amazingly!) it also included more organics than previously.