Living A Better Life

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions. Yeah, I usually make a mental list - lose weight, tick more books off on my reading list, work on my novel, blah blah blah - but I rarely write anything down and even less rarely stick to my "resolutions." So for 2013 I was thinking that maybe I need something more tangible to stick to, something requiring a more wholistic approach to change. Moving my body more, yes, but also paying more attention to what I eat, use and purchase. The whole 'less is more' or 'quality over quantity' thing is really what I'm aiming for. Fewer but nicer things. Less stuff made in developing world sweatshops, preferably made here in the US.

I know it will be difficult as it seems as though everything is made in ChinaIndiaBangladeshPhilippines. But I'll give it a go and see how much American made stuff I can get by on.

As a start I figure that in oder to pay more attention to where the stuff I buy comes from I have to learn where the stuff I already have comes from. So this morning I took a look st my toiletries and makeup. I gotta say, I'm not doing do badly in this department.

Shampoo - Giovanni's. Super crunchy points for this as it's US made AND cruelty free.
Toothpaste - Tom's of Maine
Deodorant - Tom's of Maine
Tinted moisturizer - Laura Mercier
Mascara - Jane Iredale
Hair product - Aveda

I didn't include Hubs' Burt's Bees stuff and the Burt's Bees face wipes I use to clean my face at night. All made in Durham, North Carolina. Burt's Bees is also what we use for The Boy's baths. His toothpaste is made in Germany and The Little Boy's bath stuff is made in France, so 50/50ish for the rest of my family.

As for the rest of my stuff, my comb is made in Switzerland, shower gel made in Canada and the rest of my makeup and sundries are made in France. So the bulk may not be made in USA, but at least it's less likely to have been made in a sweatshop.

So this is a start. There's still a year's worth of food to buy, birthday and holiday gifts to get and clothes for quickly growing boys to shop for, but I'll give it a go.