I didn't go to any Boxing Day sale as my body said it needed rest. Besides, usually sales are on every weekend anyway so I don't know that the Boxing Day ones are any different, except for trying to clear the tinsel and chocolates from the shelves. I ended up spending most of my Christmas pay packet on petrol...and food for lunch.
However I did buy hopefully my last 'Wonder Weeder' and have hooked it onto my belt with a carabiner since I've lost about three so far out of my pocket.
Next gardening item on agenda is sausages for Mitre 10 sausage sizzle but given the paperwork wonder if it's such a good idea, we may need a council permit, observe Health and Safety Regulations (still no safety shoes!) and to pay a $50 bond before we sizzle any sausages. I didn't know this and I'm not sure I have the time to go buying sausages the night before since they have to be kept somewhere...and to sell at least enough to pay for the bond...! We aren't allowed to sizzle chicken it has to be sausages. I thought of sweetcorn on the cob but no it has to be pre-cooked sausages. Which I am not the biggest fan of. I thought maybe instead of sizzling sausages could we just ask Mitre 10 to give us more wood for raised beds as the money raised from sizzling sausages will just be buying wood from them anyway. And we still have to buy sausages, which Mitre 10 do not sell...
Besides, wouldn't it be more fun to have a bbq at my house and if people want to donate money in return for bbq supper that could work? They could have salads and drinks and it wouldn't be just sausages... and they wouldn't have to shop at Mitre 10. Maybe I am just being lazy and don't want to be selling sausages to hungry shoppers when I could be...sharing bbq with friends.
It was like when we were asked to keep a shop at the library. I don't want to sell cards and jewellery. Why can't people just borrow the jewellery and have the cards for free. I am the worst salesperson, and I don't enjoy being a cashier. The world wants me to be a consumer I suppose but honestly I don't have the time or inclination to be wandering around shops aimlessly buying anything that takes my fancy, fingering merchandise and being sold things I don't need. Also I don't really have the money, but even if I did, I wouldn't be spending it just because I can.
My Permaculture teaching is rubbing off and have now started reading another of the core texts - 'The Art of Frugal Hedonism'. It's about how we really don't need to buy stuff to be happy.You can be happy NOT buying stuff. Of course I already knew this and it's probably preaching to a choir but it's nice to be affirmed in your thinking, to declare that shopping really is a drag and to say no next time anyone tries to drag me to a mall of no return.
Anyone who's ever tried to garden or clean house for a hoarder will be put off indulgent shopping forever. As well as those people who don't bother taking the price tags off their plants, or buy the plants then just leave them in their pots to die cos they have nowhere to plant them. There are so many people out there who would appreciate being given a plant who have none and if you have so many that you leaving them there to die in their pots then maybe think a bit more carefully before you go out shopping!
