How To Plan A Frugal Wedding Without the Stress Factor

The following is a guest post by Timothy, a personal finance writer and blogger for Balance Transfer Card. I'll continue the wedding theme tomorrow on Thrifty Threads, with a bride whose wedding dress was thrifted.

Frugal weddings are all the rage now. More and more brides and grooms are subscribing to the idea that their biggest day in life should be one to enjoy - and not remember with remorse because the in-laws were arguing about something insignificant.

Common problem - major stress and tears

Weddings need not be a stressful affair. A wedding is about commitment and love, and it should be enjoyed by the bride and groom. Sadly, too many weddings turn sour because they become blown-out-of-proportion events for hundreds of people, leaving the lovebirds in tears by the end of the day. This isn’t exactly how you'd imagine your wedding day to turn out, is it?

Solution - go frugal

A frugal wedding can be a lot more fun than the traditional affair because it is usually more intimate and toned down, therefore more enjoyable by those who attend. Frugal doesn't necessarily mean you have to skimp on every luxury; you could decide to invite fewer people but make it an event to remember by spoiling everyone to your heart's content.

On the contrary, wedding vows can also be exchanged if you are budget-conscious while still keeping the fun factor high. Below are some tips and suggestions to help you do just that.

The venue

The venue is perhaps one of the most important aspects of a successful wedding. If the venue is too flash, your budget could take a brutal nose dive. If you don't want to eat bread and butter for the next 12 months you might want to consider a somewhat more affordable venue to celebrate with your guests. Don’t overlook friends or family with homes or backyards they might be willing to share.

The dress

Who needs an Armani wedding dress that is only ever worn once? If you want to go frugal, think vintage dress. They are easily repurposed by a whiz with a sewing machine and can save you hundreds of dollars in the process.

Wedding invitation

A great way to go frugal is right from the start - make your own affordable wedding invitations. Think scrapbooking mementos, homemade cards, etc. There is so much one can do with a bit of paper, pen and imagination. Try it!

Food

Instead of having your guests pig out on a sumptuous buffet that only goes to waste, why not consider a sit-down dinner instead? You'd be surprised how many food is wasted on buffet style dinners.Sit-down dinner menus are much nicer anyway because you get to enjoy your guests one-on-one without them having to fetch food from the buffet every 15 minutes.

Photographer

Cut down on the cost of hiring a photographer by booking one for a couple of hours only instead of the whole day. Present your wedding attendees with disposable cameras to grab some more fun moments while keeping the cost low. You will most likely end up with some wonderful pictures seen through the eyes of your guests.

If all else fails - elope

Eloping is a common trend for frugal couples. You can save thousands by eloping to a tropical island paradise with a couple of your closest friends. Then upon returning as a married couple, you simply throw a party for the family and start the celebration.

It's your day - make the most of it!

Readers, feel free to leave YOUR best frugal wedding ideas in the Comments section.

Update on last year's baby steps challenge: air dry laundry

Last June, I wrote this post about my baby steps challenge for the month: air dry the laundry. Two weeks later, when I wrote this update, I was convinced the habit would become part of my daily life.

Things didn't quite go as planned...

I faithfully hung our laundry out to dry for about three or four months, until the first "exception" sent me back to the dryer. I think it was getting ready for a vacation, or doing several loads of laundry after the vacation. And I never quite got back in the habit of air drying after that.

You see, we had a really rainy winter. But that's a lame excuse, because my friend Katy at The Non-Consumer Advocate lives in Portland where it rains about a gazillion inches of rain per year, and she's the Queen of Air Drying.

My husband had bought a really nice new dryer that saves on energy, so I didn't feel nearly so bad about throwing clothes in there as I did our 1970s relic that could power a medium-sized suburban mall.

When my husband did the laundry, I couldn't convince him to use the clothesline, and he often does the laundry.

You can see I had an excuse for every occasion. But when I really looked at what was going on, I realized a very simple fact: it actually does not work well with our schedule and house design.

Sometimes I work at home, and sometimes I work away from home. On the days I'm away, I can't put a load of laundry into the washer because the laundry room is directly below our bedroom and my husband is often still sleeping. And even when I'm home, I can't necessarily time things perfectly to get a load in early enough. It's terribly inefficient and expensive to run the washer during the day, so we end up doing laundry at night. And short of my husband suddenly turning into an early bird, I don't see this pattern changing.

So I give myself a big fat "D" on this baby steps challenge. I hope I was able to inspire someone else to pick up the habit I couldn't stick with myself. I don't get an "F" because hey, at least I tried. And I still do a lot of my favorite and delicate items by hand and hang them up or lay them out in the house.

Please leave your thoughts on air drying laundry in the Comments section. And if you need a laugh, click here to watch Stephen Colbert's "news story" about a woman who scandalized her neighborhood by, you guessed it, air drying her laundry! Gasp.

It's Meatless Monday

Check out my Meatless Monday post over at The Non-Consumer Advocate!

Katy is hosting a Food Stamp Challenge this month, and my post is all about how meatless meals can save you money. Going meatless on Monday will not only help you meet the challenge, it will cut your grocery bill year-round.

The bonus is that it's great for your health and better for the environment. Find out more at Meatless Monday.

Have you pledged to go meatless on Mondays? Are you doing the Food Stamp Challenge? Let us know how you're doing and feel free to leave your tips and advice in the Comments section.

Food Waste Friday plus Favorite Blog Post of the Week

No picture, no food waste. A little boring visually, but I'm happy about it.

I'm especially pleased because last night I expected to come home to several items that were about to end up in a photo, only to find my husband had eaten every one of them! I know I brag on him an awful lot, but he deserves it. And his skills go way beyond not wasting food, but he sure is a champ in that area. Much better than I am.

For those of you who are new to this blog, I wrote this post called Refrigerator Games over a year ago when I was first becoming conscious of how much food we throw away. All I did was create a section in our refrigerator with a label that says "Eat Me!" and I put all the food that needs to be eaten soon in that section. My husband goes to it for snacks and lunches, and the system works out well because not only do we use up almost all of our food, but he knows where to look for it. It focuses his energy.

Here are some of the items I was concerned about:

*Leftover veggie curry. I had eaten it twice already, so I froze the last of it to eat later when we're not already sick of it.

*Cooked snap peas. We had these in the refrigerator almost two weeks before I finally cooked them and then they were too stringy and bitter for me. My husband actually shelled them and ate the peas inside!

*A small amount of cooked black beans. Eaten by my husband along with the peas.

We've got a lot of lettuce in the crisper, so we'll have to concentrate on that to make sure it doesn't end up in next week's photo. And since we had our CSA delivery this week, I did a light shopping trip just to stock up on a few essentials and baking ingredients.

Check out Wasted Food to find out more about how wasting food is bad for the environment, and head over to The Frugal Girl for the roundup of bloggers trying to limit their food waste, one family at a time. You're guaranteed to see pictures there!

FAVORITE BLOG POST OF THE WEEK: I love this post by Debb Whitlock called Balance is Bull****! Debb writes a blog offering financial advice for women. Her philosophy is that you deserve access to financial information regardless of the size of your investment portfolio. This post about the illusion of balance really hit home for me. Many of us are trying to bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan plus all that stuff about not letting him forget he's a man, and it just doesn't always work like that. Check it out, it's very empowering!

Thrifty Threads

Welcome to another installment of Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is used or recycled, from Goodwill, a thrift store, a consignment shop, a yard sale, ebay, a friend's closet, or anywhere else you find used clothing.

Today's model is Nydia, who bought this cute summer dress for $4 at Goodwill. She looks great in that color! Nydia says she found it a couple weeks ago when she went in specifically looking for sun dresses. She bought the necklace for just 50 cents at a yard sale and the flip flops she got from a friend who lets her go through her daughter's outgrown clothing. She has super small feet, so she was able to score those for $1.

Nydia says she regularly shops at thrift stores and yard sales to save money, and it's become a hobby she's known for. I love her creative style of thrift shopping: this outfit was put together from an eclectic mix of used clothing venues. She's all ready for an outdoor summer party for just $5.50!

Nydia blogs at Zero House Payment Forever. She and her husband have been inspired by Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover to pay off 60K worth of debt and pay cash to buy or build their dream home. Wow! Nydia describes her blog as a place to vent her frustrations about saving while everyone around her is spending, as well as a place to hold her accountable to their goals. She also hopes that some of her crazy money saving tactics might help someone else. They're doing some serious saving over there, you should check it out.

Thanks Nydia for that cute photo, and for inspiring the rest of us to pay off our debt, plus go shopping for summer frocks! Or shorts, if you're one of my handful of male readers or a woman who isn't the frock type. Readers, it's your turn. Put on your favorite secondhand outfit, snap a photo, and send it to me at barton.angela@gmail.com. We all want to see your fabulous finds, so don't be shy! Please leave your best thrift store shopping tips and compliments for Nydia in the Comments section.

June challenge update

It's Day Nine of the challenge I set for myself for June: to take a walk every day. Click here if you didn't read that post.

I have managed to take a walk every day so far, even when I had to do it instead of the gym, or in addition to yoga. I love taking walks, so it hasn't been a burden, but a couple of times the scheduling took a bit of creativity. Like when it was already dark and my husband didn't feel like walking, so I told him to come looking for me if I wasn't back in half an hour. I'm not above an occasional manipulation, or appeal to his protective instinct. Because I really wanted to take a walk, and it was just a little past the time when it's safe to take a walk when you're a person of the female gender. I hate that fact, but it's just the truth. Anyway, my husband agreed to walk with me, and I don't think he felt at all manipulated. And we were both glad we got some exercise. Oh, and we just happened to see a coyote run by just a few feet away from us! I'm not really afraid of coyotes, but I would have been spooked coming upon one at night while walking alone.

What I've noticed and what has been useful about this challenge is how it's possible to make time for something in your schedule as soon as you make it a priority. You can almost always find a half hour or hour in the day if it's something that really matters to you, even if you're already feeling overwhelmed. I need to remember that, and make time for things that are important to me, but not urgent, like writing fiction. No one cares if I work on my short stories, so they're not urgent. But they're very important to me. Look for more 30-day challenges in the future: yoga, meditation, and fiction writing.

As far as the Food Stamp Challenge, that's going to be a lot more difficult. Spending $90 a month for delicious local, organic produce is worth it to me, but it doesn't leave much room for error with a budget of $202. I made a list of favorites I can make from pantry staples, but I already spent $53 last week and I don't know how I'll manage to spend just $59 for the entire rest of the month. But I'm still going to try, as long as I don't have to sacrifice our health. I spent $6 on a gallon of organic milk to make yogurt, so I won't need to buy yogurt the rest of the month. And I made rye bread, and I plan on making at least one more yeast bread, so I won't have to buy bread either. The budget breaker, if there is one, is going to be cheese. The suspense mounts...

If you're joining me in either of these challenges, how is it going so far? Let us know in the Comments section.

Thanks for your anniversary gift ideas!

Thank you readers! When I asked for ideas, as always, you delivered. Armed with your suggestions, I created this fabulous basket for my friend's parents' 50th anniversary.

I loved all your ideas so much that I wish I could have included all of them. I decided to go with baked goods and consumables, so I started with some dark German rye bread and Pfefferneuse (German spice cookies). I had never baked either one before, but they both came out delicious. The basket was sitting in a coworker's office since the holidays, and he was happy to let me take it off his hands. Then I picked up some strong coffee, marmalade, and sour cherry jam at World Market for about $10. I was able to incorporate the gold from the "golden anniversary" with the basket and the envelope for the card.

The gift was a big hit, and I was happy I was able to stay on The Compact. It took a bit more time and effort than just throwing down the money, but I love to bake, so that's okay. Although I advise starting yeast bread before 9pm if you want to get to bed before 2:00 in the morning.

Thanks again for your brilliant suggestions. Another event successfully navigated. I really think these "Compact-approved" gifts are the best gifts of all. When I think about my favorite gifts I've received over the years, they have all been Compact-friendly. Look for that post in the future. Meanwhile, what are some of the best gifts you've ever received? Please share in the Comments section.

CSA Delivery sans photo (sorry!)

It's Monday, which means I do a CSA delivery post every other week when we get our biweekly delivery. But today I'm leaving before the delivery arrives, and I won't be home until 8pm, so there's no way I can take a photo of the delicious local organic produce we receive. So I'll have to rely on my husband to put it away, and just tell you what we're supposed to get.

The most exciting thing is that we'll be receiving tomatoes. Yesterday my husband asked me why we can't buy the tomatoes at the store. He's a real tomato lover, and I'm glad I was able to tell him that we're scheduled to get them today. So we're really looking forward to some delicious heirloom tomatoes. We'll also be receiving: artichokes, nante carrots, green romaine, golden beets, red russian kale, rainer cherries, white nectarines, yellow peaches, albion strawberries, leeks, red onions, garlic, german butterball potatoes, and baby red spinach.

That sounds amazing! I can't wait to get home and check it out. I'm psyched about all the stone fruit and the strawberries.

I know a CSA post without a photo is a little lame, so I apologize. I promise a return to the CSA photos in two weeks, and next Monday I'll have a Meatless Monday recipes post. You can click here to check out previous CSA posts if you've just got to see a photo of delicious local produce.

If you're interested in finding out more about receiving a delivery of local organic produce, check out Local Harvest. You can also find CSA in your area there.

Even if you don't belong to a CSA, it's Farmer's Market time and it's worth going to stock up on all the delicious summer fruit and vegetables. Do you shop at a Farmer's Market? Do you get a CSA delivery? Let us know in the Comments section. And please leave your ideas on what to do with any of the produce we're getting in our delivery today. Any creative ways to cook carrots? I'm a little tired of them, and mostly using them in soups and curries lately.

Food Waste Friday plus Free Stuff

We had an ALMOST zero waste week, but when I pulled out the last tortilla in the package and saw there was a bit of mold on it, it wasn't worth eating. Especially since I'd already bought another package. I didn't have time to take a photo while I was making dinner.

It's funny, no matter how much I cut back on the amount of groceries I buy, we still seem to have a bit too much. My husband eats a lot of sandwich wraps and we eat a lot of quesadillas and burritos, but we didn't manage to go through a pack of about 12 tortillas while they were still fresh.

I thought I was also going to have to toss half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich left over from my weekend hike, but my husband ate it two days later after I'd left it out on the counter and forgotten about it. I'm so lucky to have a husband who doesn't mind eating leftovers, or even my cast-offs.

If you're new to this blog and want to know why you should care about how much food you're wasting, the long and short of it is that wasting food is bad for the environment, plus it wastes money. You can find out the details at Wasted Food. And check out The Frugal Girl, where bloggers meet to share photos of their food waste in a united effort to waste less.

FREE STUFF ALERT: If you're a Bank of America customer, the Museums on Us program runs the first Saturday and Sunday of the month, and that's this weekend. All you have to do is flash your debit or credit card to get in free to hundreds of museums across the country. Click here to find participating museums in your area.

Are you watching your food waste? How did you do this week? Please share your tips, advice, wins and challenges in the Comments section. And let me know if you plan on participating in the Museums on Us program.

Thrifty Threads

Welcome to Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is used or recycled, from Goodwill, a thrift store, a consignment shop, ebay, a yard sale, a clothing swap, or anywhere else you find secondhand clothing.

Today's model is Cathy, wearing an outfit she bought at a consignment shop near where she lives in Ottawa, Canada. Cathy says the pants were $18, which is a bit higher than she likes to pay, but they fit perfectly and that's difficult for her to find even in a regular retail shop. The cute top with great detail around the neck and sleeves was $11. And since she had a store credit from selling a few items earlier, the total layout was actually $0. That's a nice price!

I told Cathy I was thrilled to receive her photo because I'd been wishing for a gorgeous over-50 model for months, and she told me she didn't mind if I revealed that she is actually over 60! As Cathy put it, she's "all for minimizing that fear of aging hysteria that grips us from time to time." I think she looks absolutely beautiful, fit and happy. What an inspiration. I really think she should be a model for Prevention or some other health magazine. Cathy says she's always loved thrift shopping, and now that she's retired, she has more time and motivation to thrift shop.

When I asked Cathy how she stays so slim she says she's fortunate to actually enjoy activities like jogging, biking, and gardening. And her husband shares her interests, so when one of them is lagging, the other is motivating. She does admit it takes a bit more awareness or attention to stop the weight from creeping up than it did when she was younger.

Cathy is a retired registered nurse and she enjoys reading blogs. She's a big believer in the Green Triangle idea of the interconnection between health and saving money and the environment, and trying to maintain a happy balance. I love the phrase "Green Triangle" to describe things that are green, frugal, and healthy. It comes from the books Your Money or Your Life (Dominguez and Robin) and the companion book Getting a Life (Blix and Heitmiller). Both books credit Ernest Callenbach with the idea. Cathy says she especially liked the explanation that you can enter the Green Triangle from any angle, whether financial, health, or the environment, and you will most likely benefit the other two.

That made me move my copy of Your Money or Your Life to the top of my stack of books. So many different people have mentioned it to me and I can't wait to read it.

Cathy, thanks for the great photo and for being such a inspirational example of aging gracefully and pursuing an active and meaningful retirement. Readers, it's your turn. Put on your favorite secondhand outfit, snap a photo, and send it to me at barton.angela@gmail.com. We all want to see your fabulous finds, so don't be shy. Women, get out your summer dresses, and guys, bring out the Hawaiian shirts, and let's get into the spirit of the season. I continue to be inspired by people's creativity, ingenuity, and resourcefulness when it comes to being stylish without spending a lot of money.

Please leave your tips for secondhand shopping, plus compliments for Cathy in the Comments section. And click here to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.

Will the junk mail ever stop?

It's time to check in with my very first baby steps challenge: stop those catalogs and junk mail once and for all.

This photo represents all the junk mail we received during the past month, a year after I originally took on the challenge. It's significantly less than we used to get, but I still want to get it down to almost none.

Last month I republished this post from last year about the challenge and the steps I would take to remedy the problem. Last year, when I first tackled the issue, I did most of the tasks on my list that are recommended to eliminate junk mail: signed up for Catalog Choice, put my name on Forest Ethic's Do Not Mail list, and went to optoutprescreen.com to opt out of all credit card offers. The step I DID NOT take was to call companies individually and ask them to remove me from their mailing list.

The steps I took drastically cut the amount of junk mail we receive. In particular, we get almost no random junk mail or credit card offers anymore. But some of these catalog companies are persistent so what I'm going to do now is go back to Catalog Choice and make sure I have listed all the companies in this photo and then start making a call every time I get a catalog. Many of these catalogs are from companies I used to order from in my pre-Compact days, so I suppose they're not giving up on me without a fight. But it's going to be a long time, or maybe never, until I'll be spending my precious free time looking through catalogs and buying full-price items again.

Have you reduced your junk mail? How did you do it? Please leave your best tips in the Comments section. Also let us know if you've taken up this challenge and whether or not you've been successful.

June Challenges: walking and saving

I've set myself a 30-day challenge this month of taking a walk every day. That's it. Simple.

I don't think it will be that difficult because I already walk about four or five times a week, but I'm curious how I'll feel if I walk every single day. There are no rules except that "walking" doesn't mean from my car into the office or from the parking lot into the supermarket. It has to be an intentional walk, but it doesn't have to be any certain place or length of time. Ideally, all walks will be at least 30 minutes, many will be longer, and a few will be 2 or 3 hour hikes.

Apparently it's a month for challenges, and I can't resist joining in Katy's Food Stamp Challenge over at The Non-Consumer Advocate. The idea is to keep your grocery bill to the amount you'd be allowed if you were on food stamps, and to donate what you have left at the end of the month to your local food bank. I've already cut our grocery budget to stay within the average of what a family of two would receive if they qualified for Food Stamps. I did that over a year ago after reading this post on The Crunchy Chicken about whether it was possible to eat local and organic on that allotment. I wanted to eat more local and organic, but I didn't want to spend more money, so I used her estimate of $323 a month for two people and have been able to stay under that amount for over a year while receiving a CSA delivery. The only month I went over was when we had a Christmas party, because entertaining isn't something I want to scrimp on.

Katy's challenge will be more difficult for us, because she came up with the figure of $101 per person, which will be $202 for my husband and myself. With $90 going to the CSA right off the bat, that doesn't leave much to work with, so I think this will finally motivate me to start baking our own bread and making my own yogurt. Those are two of the things (along with cheese) I need to buy almost every week, and the biggest expense outside of meat. And at this point, I'm down to buying meat once a week or less, either a piece of fresh fish at the fish market or some ground turkey for chili or turkey burgers.

In order to stay within that budget without sacrificing our health I'll have to get creative. I've started a list of some of our favorite meals that always yield leftovers, like soups and crockpot recipes. Plus I'll be able to clear out the pantry and the freezer a bit. We will be eating a lot of rice and beans, but I'm confident we won't get bored as long as we're receiving our delicious CSA delivery. And if rice means mushroom risotto and beans means Katy's black bean burgers, the challenge isn't going to be a sacrifice.

Do you want to join me in either of these challenges? Please let me know in the Comments section. And feel free to share your ideas for healthy meals on a budget as well.

Happy Memorial Day

I'm taking a break from blogging today, but I'll be back tomorrow to tell you about two different challenges I'll be taking on for the month of June. Perhaps you'll want to join me in one or both of them.

Happy Memorial Day. Enjoy your BBQs and take a moment to remember the sacrifices of the people who fight our wars.

No Food Waste Friday

No picture, no waste. A zero-waste week, yay!

I have to admit that I'm proud of myself AND my husband for dodging several potential food waste landmines this week. And having control of this one area in my own life does calm me just a bit when the heartbreaking problems of the big bad world threaten to overwhelm.

These were the items we managed to avoid wasting:

Celery: I've never been a big fan, but we received it in our CSA and I used it in some soup and it was awful. It was stringy and I had to admit I hate the taste and it ruined the soup. Instead of throwing out the soup, I strained it and we ate it that way. Then when my husband didn't eat the rest of the celery, I gave it to my neighbor who was happy to receive it.

Tomato soup: I made such a big pot of soup, that even though it was delicious, after several bowls each we were growing tired of it. There was about half a bowl left that I ate one night after dinner instead of some other fattening snack, and it actually satisfied me.

Lettuce: After making a salad, I had about six leaves left that I put in a plastic bag in the crisper and told my husband to eat on his sandwiches and veggie burgers, and he ate all of them.

Bok choy: I've never cooked this, and it looked so likely to become waste that I almost considered giving it to my neighbor up front. But instead, I looked up some recipes online and sauteed it up with garlic and olive oil and it was a delicious appetizer.

The main point is that avoiding food waste has become habitual, something we are doing without a lot of struggle, and I'm happy about that. We continue to produce a lot less trash as well. And our refrigerator and pantry are less packed, so we can see and keep track of what we have better.

If you're wasting a lot more food than you'd like, it's important to remember that we all start somewhere. Kristen from The Frugal Girl wrote this great post last week, where she talks about how watching your food waste isn't an all-or-nothing proposition and shares photos of how much food she used to toss every week. Even if you don't get to zero waste, wasting less is better than wasting a lot.

FAVORITE BLOG POST OF THE WEEK: The most thought-provoking post I read this week was this post by Katy of The Non-Consumer Advocate about whether or not to accept a gift of money from her father to add a bathroom to their house, and whether accepting the money conflicted with frugality. There was a lively discussion in the Comments section. Check it out. Does frugality mean you shouldn't accept generosity from others?

Please share your thoughts about food waste, frugality and generosity, or anything you'd like in the Comments section.

Thrifty Threads

It's Thursday, time for another installment of Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes. A Compact-y outfit is used or recycled, from Goodwill, a thrift store, a consignment shop, or anywhere else you find secondhand clothing.

Today's installment is the inspiration of Betsy Talbot, the co-creator of one of my favorite blogs, Married With Luggage. Betsy and her husband Warren are making some big changes and getting ready to travel the world. But it's more than just a trip around the world, they're actually redesigning their lives to travel full time. And along the way, they're having to part with a lot of their stuff. Actually, they're getting rid of pretty much everything they own, including their house.

Betsy came up with the ingenious idea of a Reverse Birthday Party to pass along some of her very favorite articles of clothing. That's Betsy third from the left, with her friends wearing all of her fabulous red items that they "bought" at the event. Here's how Betsy describes the evening:

"I took all my lovely items that couldn't go on the trip with me and put them in a little boutique I set up in the living room. Each item had a note attached detailing its history and why I loved it. Friends were then allowed to "shop" by writing their names on the back of those cards for the things they wanted. If only one person wrote her name, the item was hers for a donation to our trip. If more than one person wrote her name, we had a "style off" where they had to walk down a runway to the tune of Carly Simon's You're So Vain. At the end of the style off we all voted, and the one who wore it best got to keep it. (and of course there was food and wine)

It was a really fun way to bond with my friends, share some of my history with them, and part with my things in a fun, happy way instead of a sad one. Now when I see a friend wearing my favorite cocktail ring, hat, or jacket it makes me feel really warm inside, like my things have been adopted into a happy home.

I can't tell you how much each item went for because it was an anonymous donation to a small box (a piece of luggage, actually!), but I think most people thought of it as consignment shopping and paid on that scale."

Love the hats. Look at those smiles!

And check out those fabulous boots!

What a brilliantly creative way to part with your treasures. I am a big fan of clothing swaps, and this takes the concept one step further. If you're anticipating a major life change, moving, taking a trip around the world, or downsizing, consider a Reverse Birthday Party as a way to find happy homes for your favorite clothes.

Be sure to check out Married With Luggage if you haven't yet. It never fails to inspire me. It's all about designing a live you love and doing what it takes to make that happen. Whether it's taking care of your finances, decluttering, or simplifying, Betsy and Warren cover it all. For me, reading their blog is like a daily shot of adrenaline. As their tagline says, "Life is short. Live your dream."

Big thanks to Betsy and all her friends for sharing their evening with us. Readers, it's your turn. Put on your favorite secondhand outfit, snap a photo, and send it to me at barton.angela@gmail.com. We all want to see your fabulous finds. And it's almost summer, so I'd love to see more summer dresses, shorts, and sandals to get us in the mood.

Do you shop secondhand? Have you ever been to a clothing swap? Please leave your tips on being stylish without paying retail in the Comments section. And click here to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.

Does the Internet make us happier?

A new study of mental health from Britain suggests that rather than making us more stressed and anxious as has previously been thought, spending time online makes us happier.

Researchers found a link between Internet access and well-being. And some people benefit more than others from being connected to the information superhighway, including women.

The study author says that, "Put simply, people with IT access are more satisfied with life even when taking account of income. Our analysis suggests that it has an enabling and empowering role in people's lives, by increasing their sense of freedom and control, which has a positive impact on well-being or happiness."

Click here to read the full article.

I think it's safe to say that most people reading this blog would agree with that analysis. What do you think? Does the Internet make you happier? In what way? And can you get too much of a good thing? Please leave your thoughts in the Comments section. I'd love to hear your opinions, especially if you disagree with the study's conclusions.

p.s. I was looking for a photo that illustrated the concept of happiness, and found this one of me with my niece a few years back. Really it's a cheap attempt to put up another photo of my adorable niece, since it has nothing to do with the Internet. But we do look happy.

Help me figure out an anniversary gift

A good friend has invited my husband and I to her parent's 50th wedding anniversary.

This morning it occurred to me that I have absolutely no idea what to give them. I would like to stick to The Compact if possible, but that's difficult when you barely know someone.

I have met her mother several times, and her father once, very briefly. They are quite old and I don't know much about their interests, except that her mother likes to make apple streudel. They are German and moved here when they were newly married.

Another factor is that I know it's a difficult marriage, so I'm not inclined to give them an overly sentimental gift about how their love has stood the test of time.

For these reasons, it's harder than usual to give a handmade or experiential gift. I think I need something nice and generic. Although baked goods are a possibility, if it's something special.

Readers, I need your inspiration. You always give me great suggestions, and I know you'll come through. I'm really drawing a blank on this one.

What would you give an elderly couple you barely know? Please leave your ideas in the Comments section. And thank you in advance.

Our first CSA delivery: oh, the bounty

We received our first CSA delivery on May 18, 2009, a little over a year ago. This is a reprint of the post I wrote that day.

Woo hoo! Our first CSA box arrived today! And here it is all spread out. What a haul. Honestly, I don't even know what some of this stuff IS.

When I joined The Compact, I didn't even know what CSA stood for. It means Community Supported Agriculture, and it's a familiar acronym to people involved in the local food movement. It's basically like going to the Farmer's Market, except the Farmer's Market comes to you. You're supporting local farmers who grow organic produce. The service visits all the Farmer's Markets in the area and finds the freshest offerings each week. Our service (Auntie Em's) even delivers it to your doorstep. Eating local and organic is better for the environment AND for your health.

This adventure of Buying Nothing New is leading me in all kinds of directions I never would have imagined. I know I've said before that I'm not really the type of person who does things Nike-style. I'm more of a deliberator, I like to weigh the pros and cons and take my time with a decision. But in this case, I dove right in. Last week I saw this post over at My Friend Oprah and within two days I was signed up and eagerly awaiting our first delivery. I simply couldn't think of any downside to doing it.

Luckily I asked for delivery every other week, because this is A LOT of produce. All we have to do is leave out the box on our doorstep by early morning the day of our next delivery. Our service also includes a list of what's inside with suggestions for preparation, plus a recipe. This week's is Alice Water's Swiss Chard gratin (recipe follows). Tonight we'll have our friends over for that plus some fresh fava beans spread on crostini. And fresh cherries for dessert! The apricots will probably be gone by the time they get here (I love apricots!)

This week's bonanza also includes spring garlic, purple sprouting broccoli, Detroit red beets, and red scarlett turnips. Any suggestions on what to do with the turnips or anything else you see here? Please leave your ideas in the Comments section.