Ok...after watching Oprah today...I have come to the realization that we waste too too much!! And i don't just mean my family....everyone....now I know that there are many things that we have that are ridiculous, and we could have made do with less....smaller home, older cars...etc....but take what we have now and from this day forward...use less....Oprah says her staff uses $41,000 worth of paper cups a year for coffee...so now they are required to bring coffee mugs....stuff like that...anyway, from this day forward I am going to do my best to teach my kids about waste....I know I could survive with only an hour of tv a day per person, but when I told Juice that...he said "see what Oprah does! She gets everyone all worked up!" so I guess that meant he couldn't do it....not that he has that much time inbetween work and the kids, but still....I think the first thing I will do is go through my clothes that I don't wear and donate them, and then go through the playroom....(when the kids aren't around)...I already have 4 bags of toys in my trunk to take to the homeless shelter...guess it's a start!
Here's the contract Oprah had her guests sign...maybe a little too strict for my family...but interesting still....they said when the kids turned off the tv and video games, they walked around theh house like they didn't know what to do with themselves.....GO OUTSIDE!!!! I am a firm believer in kids playing OUTSIDE!!!! Esp. when it's 40+ degrees outside...
Dear Family,
Thanks for agreeing to live with less for a week. Your challenge starts now!
This week, you will be eating at home every meal. No more eating out, no more takeout. And you have to eat your leftovers. If you throw food in the trash, you've got to 'fess up.
For one week, you're going to give up the bottled water habit. Get a water filter—time to get to know your tap.
No more disposable plates, cups, napkins or paper towels. Try cloth—you might like it!
For entertainment, you'll have to rely on each other. For one week, I'm asking you to give up your iPods and video games, and your computers only get turned on for homework. TV is limited to one hour per night—one TV only.
That thermostat is going way down…to 69 degrees. If you get cold, put on a sweater.
Give your washing machine a break—try to wash only clothes that are TRULY dirty.
When you leave a room, lights out. Ditto for fans. When you're done using an appliance, unplug it. Don't forget your computer and cell phone chargers too.
Showers are going to be shorter—eight minutes max. Use a kitchen timer to help you keep track.
Want to go shopping? Head to your closets. That's your wardrobe for the week. The mall is off-limits.
You final challenge—no buying anything other than food for seven days.
Good luck,
Oprah
2 comments:
I just finished watching this (recorded from my tv) and I feel the same! We don't have enough to waste all that much, but it made me nauseated to see how much was wasted in those families' homes when we (and so many others) are struggling just to get enough to get by. We're def going to start going without TV as much, that's the one thing we REALLLLY use too much of! Good luck!
I just watched this too! Makes you think a lot doesn't it!!
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