Now that I’ve finally starting recycling on a regular basis I’ve started thinking about composting. Though I’ve noticed a huge reduction in the amount of garbage we’re producing, it’s still not as good as it could be.

My husband and I cook quite a bit and I’d say probably about 60-70% of our garbage now is probably compostable.

I’m really interested in starting a compost bin but I have a couple reservations about it. The biggest one being the smell. I know if you do it properly it’s not supposed to smell at all, supposedly. My sense of smell is really sensitive and I find it really hard to believe that rotting organic matter in a closed bin isn’t going to have some sort of odor. Another reservation I have is attracting bugs.

One of my biggest issues previously with the idea of composting was what to do with the compost itself. I didn’t have a garden or a lawn, just a couple house plants. Now we do have a courtyard and some trees, it’s a shared outdoor space but at least I have a use for the compost.

I’ve started doing some research again on the subject and found this great website that talks about composting in the city. I wonder if there’s a similar program in Chicago…

The New York City Composting Project

The Chicago Recycling Coalition has some great info as well.

Another website with a lot of info on composting is MasterComposter.com

A link to some books on the subject

Finally we are mostly settled into the new place. We at least have everything out of the old place now and have handed off the keys. Still a few things to find places for and organize but for the most part it’s starting to feel like home.

What a crazy couple weeks. Well couple months actually. I’m glad it’s over!

Here are a couple things I learned while going through the home buying process for the first time.

1. It is not nearly as regimented and absolute as I thought it would be. Be prepared to fly by the seat of your pants a little.

2. Communication is key. Make sure the people you are working with are organized and good communicators. We were lucky to be working with some great people but the seller’s agents were a little frustrating.

3. Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone a little as far as location of properties. I’m really glad we decided to check out this neighborhood. It wasn’t on the top of my list but as it turns out I couldn’t imagine a more perfect area for us to live in. 

4. Be prepared for extra costs at closing! This was a really big one for us. Make sure you have some extra ‘just in case’ money hanging out. 

5. Relax, try not to get too stressed out about all the paperwork and emails. It’s crazy and daunting and overwhelming but it’s all worth it!

6. Get movers! It’s so worth the little extra money. 3 1/2 hours and we were all done. There is no way we could’ve moved all our stuff up to the 3rd floor without them.

7. Educate yourself on the home buying process as much as possible. Do your own research on different types of loan programs available, and what to look for at inspection etc. Learn as much as you can before you get started, it’ll really help.

I love the new place but I’m a little sad about saying goodbye to the old one. Yesterday when we left I got a little teary. I felt silly about it but that place will always have a special place in my heart. 

I’m excited for this weekend! I have a good friend coming for a visit to keep me company while the hubby is out of town playing some shows. I’m looking forward to relaxing, watching movies and enjoying the new place.

Over the past year or so I’ve been slowly phasing out my non-stick cookware. After reading about, and having my own suspicions about the safety of non-stick coatings I decided that I was done with it. Even if the health risks are minor there are so many other options out there why not try something else.

I’ve gotten a few different types of pans to replace the old ones, some have been better than others. We got a few pieces of really nice anodized aluminum cookware as gifts and I wasn’t really impressed at all. They are great for some things but food sticks to them like crazy. They also require too much babying. I have to keep referring to care card that came with them to remember the proper way to clean them.  They end up sitting in the cabinet most of the time. 

We got a couple stainless steel sauce pans that I’ve been really happy with. They’re easy to clean even when something happens to stick like rice or oatmeal. I’ve been pleased with them overall.

The 2 stars though have been the cast iron and enameled cast iron pans. The one draw back is that they are really heavy and I’m kind of a weakling but they work great. We have an enameled cast iron braising pan and use it all the time. Really easy to clean, food doesn’t stick to it. Same thing with the regular cast iron skillets.

If you’re looking to change your cookware to something a little greener, here are a couple things to keep in mind.

Avoid pots and pans made with perfluorochemical (PFCs):  PFCs are the chemicals that make your pans “nonstick.” PFCs is a collection of substances that among other things, keeps food from sticking to pots and pans. PFC’s aren’t just used in cookware, they are also used in cosmetics and a variety of other applications. PFCs may be worse in dishes than other applications because there are many health hazards of having PFCs in your body, and PFCs last forever both in our bodies and they won’t degrade in the environment. You don’t want to cook on and eat off this stuff.

The best choices of cookware are stainless steel, glass and cast iron. 

The worst pots and pans: Non-stick pots and pans – anything with Teflon coating.

What if you already own non-stick cookware?: The best thing to do is upgrade your cookware, but if you do hang on to your non-stick pieces, don’t heat them to above 450 F and get rid of them if the non-stick coating starts to peel off.

The Environmental Working Group website has a lot of great info and research on a variety of topics.

I think these kinds of things are a little scary. People should pay attention to the things they buy and take just a second to think about the impact of that product. When in doubt go for the least processed, least engineered, most natural option.

So the idea of going without buying anything made in China isn’t something I came up with on my own. It’s been a couple years in coming. My parents constantly complain about how it’s so hard to find things made here in the United States. Then there’s all the recalls, lead paint in children’s toys, contaminated baby formula, toothpaste and pet food. And last summer a friend mentioned that her husband was trying it out for a year. 

There was also a book that came out a couple years ago about a family who went without goods from China for a year.

On top of that I’ve been becoming a more conscious consumer. I read labels, I try to make good choices but sometimes it really seems impossible to buy things made in our own country.

One thing my dad said when we got our economic stimulus checks last year was “All those people who have lost their jobs because the manufacturing plant they worked at moved to China are going to take those checks and run out to WalMart and buy a bunch of junk made in China. Who’s economy are we stimulating anyway?”

He’s right in a lot of ways. 

So in addition to taking the Buy Handmade Pledge I am going to not buy anything made in China this year. The two kind of go hand in hand. I know even with my best intentions at heart I won’t be able to buy everything handmade. So in those cases I will try to find an option that is made in the US, or at the very least not made in China. I’ve got some options that way, a little safety net so I don’t completely fall off the wagon.

My motivation for doing this is rooted more in trying to support our local economy and give my neighbors jobs they need to feed themselves and their kids. I don’t really have anything personal against China I just feel that enough is enough. We really have to make an effort to invest in our country and our people. A good way to do that is by thinking just a little bit about where we spend our money. 

If you’re interested in joining me in the challenge please leave a comment.

This will be a really good test for me. Is it possible to stick to my guns and not buy anything made in China this year? Will I be able to resist the call of Target? I’m gonna try.

The thing that I think is the most challenging about it is the cost. Things from China are inexpensive. Whenever I move into a new place I always want to redecorate and get rid of the old, replace it with new things. 

I’ll just keep repeating the mantra “You don’t need more tchotchkes.” Eventually it’ll sink in.

I have to get better at thrifting, or at least make an effort to check out those places first before running out and buying new things. I’ve built up so much thrift store karma over the past few months I’m bound to find some great stuff.

My only issue with thrifting is my lack of patience. I’m working on that one though. It’s a process.

A couple things I found this week that I’m enjoying:

Reusable Produce Bags - from Qwerty O on Etsy

I ordered some of these and am looking forward to putting them to use.  I already have some really great nylon shopping bags that I use but it started bugging me that I was still bringing home a bunch of produce bags. The two were kind of canceling each other out. Etsy has a lot of different people selling reusable produce bags but these are the most inexpensive and the proceeds from the sales of the produce bags are going to help Susan’s (Qwerty O) daughter Kristen save some money for college.  A win win if you ask me!

Another Etsy find..

Hand Stamped Copper Pet Tags - from jmanigrossi

I’ve been looking for a new tag for Saul and thought these were really unique.

We got our apartment rented, yay! That’s a load off. It didn’t take long at all so that’s good.  Now we just have to sign the papers and get the keys.

I’m really excited about starting the new chapter but I’m also a little sad to leave this place.  We’re both getting nostalgic.. This was the place we lived in when we got married and bought our first piece of ‘grown up furniture’. It’s where we had our wedding party, and got our dog. If we owned this place I think we’d probably stay indefinitely but it’s time to take that big step.

So in less than a month we move in to the new place. We’ve gotten a lot done but there’s still so much to do. The biggest challenge is getting rid of stuff. I’m kind of a hoarder. Recovering hoarder. So it’s a little bit of a battle. I always have this little voice saying, maybe you’ll use that someday. I rarely ever do.

Working, packing, motivating, strategizing. Trying to spend more quality time with the hubby. 

I’m really excited for the move but a little nervous too. 

I’ve spent so much time and energy over the past couple years focusing on this goal of buying a house. Searching for properties, doing research on neighborhoods, getting our finances in order, all the hours spent on emails back and forth, going to see places etc. Now that we’re kind of done with everything I don’t really know what to do with myself. What’s the next all consuming obsession?

So I’m looking for a really time consuming hobby. I’ve started working on photography, but I think I need something else too. I’ll probably get back into baking and playing around with cheesemaking. I will make some cheddar this year!

2009 is going to be a really good year!

We have gotten so much snow this winter. This is the most I’ve seen since I was a kid growing up in Wisconsin. 

It’s nice though. Winter is supposed to be snowy not just gray and cold. Snow makes it fun.

We finally found out that we got our financing for our new place!  Not knowing whether or not we got the loan for sure was making me crazy. So that’s a huge relief. Not we just have to rent our place and get packed.

Yesterday we took on the mammoth task of washing every piece of fabric in the house, clothes, bedding, rugs, towels.. I’m glad it’s done but what a pain. I’m excited we’ll have our own laundry. No more walking down the snowy stairs to the creepy basement to find that the one washer that 7 apartments share is being used, waiting until it’s done and swooping in before anyone else gets in there. I will not miss that at all!

Next on the list of stuff we have to sort is our storage space. That’s going to be fun. 3 years of crap to go through.

I have been shocked by just how much we have. And doubly shocked by how much of that stuff we don’t use or need. Last year we went through all our clothes and cleared out the things we didn’t wear or like any more. I think we got 6 or 7 bags of clothes to donate from that project. This past summer I went through and purged my clothes again and got a couple bags more. Yesterday we got yet another 4 bags. Where are all these clothes coming from? We hardly buy new things. I bought maybe 8 or 10 new items this year…

I think we finally have our clothes clutter under control. The new place doesn’t have a ton of space for clothes storage so we have to just get rid of the things we don’t wear on a regular basis. I don’t want to have a messy cluttery looking clothing rack in our bedroom so we are downsizing. It doesn’t bother me really. I get lost in the clutter really easily. It’s also a little depressing to look at a rack of clothes and think about how much money you’ve wasted on clothes that don’t fit or you thought were cool in the store and when you got home you changed your mind. 

It’s all about efficiency.

Keep the stuff you need and don’t take up space with the things you don’t.

The place we bought is from the 20′s. People didn’t have 400 sq ft walk in closets. 

We’ve been watching all these house hunting shows on TV and it amazes me how many people complain about the size of bedrooms. I understand the complaint if you can’t fit a queen size bed in it and have room to walk around a little..

Do people really feel it’s necessary to have massive master suites?

Do people really hang out in them?

I can understand wanting a large bedroom if you have a roommate and you want to have your own space to hang out. Is it really necessary to have a giant bedroom with a giant walk in closet to store all the clothes that you never really wear anyway just so you can show your friends how much space and stuff you have? 

Just wondering.

I’m happy we won’t have a giant closet again. Right now we use our 3rd bedroom as clothes storage/ utility closet/ a home for all the other things we don’t quite know what to do with and it’s a nightmare. It’s a constant source of annoyance and frustration. I’ll be happy to have some normal sized closets to work with. 

We close in a little over a month! I’m excited to start the new adventure.

A few months ago I bought an iPhone. It’s a really cool gadget but not so great at being a phone. I like the look of it. I like the features mostly. Being able to check my email anywhere is great (kind of) but it sucks as an iPod (the sound quality is really poor) and I can’t talk on it anywhere in the house except for right next to the front window.

So I’ve decided to get rid of it and just use my old phone. My old phone still works perfectly fine, actually a little better.

The grass was not greener on the other side of the fence.

I think the thing that triggered it was a couple weeks ago I got an email from Apple announcing the new iPhone. The tagline was ‘Twice as Fast. Half the Price’. It pissed me off. So now even though I just bought this thing 12 weeks ago, and paid quite a bit of money for it, I feel like a have a piece of junk because it’s not the shiny new version. Grr. I hate it so much. So screw them. I’ll have my 2 year old Motorola PEBL (which I really love) and send picture messages to everyone I know (can’t do this with the iPhone) and I’ll talk in every room of my house and I will be perfectly happy.

Marketing messages are really hard to ignore sometimes even when you’re fully aware that it’s all a game. I get sucked in. Apple is the worst for me. I don’t really care about cars or clothes or most material things but computers and iPods… They get me. I didn’t realize how much until I got that email and I felt that sinking feeling and the ‘Man I really want that one’ thing started going through my head.

I’m breaking the cycle. I already feel better…