Even if I only had two kids or just a dozen children, I’d shop entirely at yard sales. I get down on myself for not sorting my trash enough, for not having more bins for milk cartons, cereal boxes, glass jars, and tin cans to recycle, when in reality I pre-cycle by not buying drink bottles and excess stuff, but I could do way better than I’m doing right now. That’s one of my next goals as I reclaim my life once again now that my children are older and allegedly less demanding.

Now yard sales…let me tell you about my adventures each Saturday. I feel as if I’m flying under the radar of our capitalistic economy, purchasing at pennies on the dollar what others have discarded, thereby reducing my own personal envrionmental impact on stuff that then didn’t demand all the pollution involved in making something new just for me, taking the sting out of my own carbon footprint.

Think about our clothes alone, the entire fashion industry is an environmental nightmare with synthetics, dyes and chemicals. Just consider the amount of water that runs through each factory to make each frilly dumb outfit that won’t even be in style soon.

I refuse to participate in that treadmill.

I bought 30 collared shirts today, all name brands like Polo and Izod, gently used (about as much as if I’d bought it new and washed it once), for my dozen or so sons that are growing so quickly. I did this all for less than a $20 bill as I also bought a plant in a beautiful ceramic pot, two footballs and a scooter.

My children dress beautifully and proudly knowing how little we have invested in their attire overall.

I went back to one yard sale around noon, knowing they didn’t want to drag all that stuff back inside and they gave us forty something books, more ceramic pots, and toys for Tabby, my youngest daughter.

Nothing in my kitchen came new from a store, very little in my entire house was purchased conventionally and I like it that way. I like being removed one degree from our consumer society, I like teaching my children how to live inexpensively and more in tune with the environment.

They enjoy this too, a dozen of them accompanied me today, other times it’s my grown kids wanting to go, but every single time we get great deals, and come home happy.