From the category archives:

Consumer Choice

Tips for a less consumer-minded holiday season

December 12, 2011

Previously I wrote about how the winter holiday season has been over-saturated with stuff and overspending. I’ve been meaning to do a follow-up about how to combat a consumer holiday, but sorry, I got a little behind here. Life has been nuts lately. There’s still plenty of December left though and that means many chances [...]

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Christmas consumerism and spending is out of control

December 3, 2011

Here are some consumer holiday spending facts to ponder… In 2010 consumers spent an estimated $648 million on Black Friday. This year, according to ComScore, consumers spent a whopping $816 million online alone, making Black Friday the heaviest spending day on the Internet so far in 2011. That’s a Black Friday sales increase of about [...]

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Common behaviors and problems of kids obsessed with stuff

November 28, 2011

Consumer-driven holidays and kids who are more concerned with stuff than other people seem to have become more commonplace in recent years. Research shows that I’m not the only one bothered by such behavior either. Many surveys show that a large majority of people think that more kids in general, or their own kids in particular, act too spoiled and materialistic. [...]

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Saving $50,000 in five years by going green: round-up of money saving green practices

November 27, 2011

I’m working on an ongoing series here about how to save money by going green – “Live green and save $50,000 in five years“. The point of this series is to find out if the average family of four can save $50,000 in five years, simply by initiating green practices into their lifestyle. However, it’s [...]

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Kroger decides organic confusion is the way to go

November 1, 2011

So, yesterday I grab the mail, start sorting it and notice a huge Fred Meyer flier. Fred Meyer is our local Kroger store here in PDX and we shop there often. Here’s the flier below… The flier states: “What’s the easiest way to enjoy all natural and organic? Keep it Simple. Naturally Preferred and Private [...]

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A friendly reminder to avoid pinkwashing during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October 9, 2011

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is celebrating it’s 25th year this October. That’s cool, and it’s great, obviously, to support such a worthwhile cause. That said, make sure your money and time are used to help find a cure, vs. simply stuffing the pockets of pinkwashing companies. Many companies launch pink products galore during October, but [...]

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Is green living or safety more important to you?

August 18, 2011

On my post the other day about insulated lunch bags, reader Sabrina left an interesting comment. She said, “I have a concern about all of these products using PET. Doesn’t it contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals?” She then referred me to a link at Healthy Child Healthy World that digs into the issue of whether or not [...]

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Take Action Against GMO Contamination

January 18, 2011

So, as you may have noticed I’ve been massively absent. There’s no great reason, it’s just been one of those insanely complicated months thus far. Drama at home (nothing major, just annoying stuff) and work has been nutty. However, I’m back and have an action tip to kick off my return. A post by Organic [...]

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The (not so) Awesome Happy Meal Lawsuit

December 18, 2010

This Happy Meal nonsense is never ending, or so it seems. Earlier this week, a mom, Monet Parham, along with help from an agency I used to respect, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), filed a class action lawsuit at McDonald’s in order to stop them from marketing unhealthy food to kids [...]

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Ten excellent ways to raise a greedy consumer-driven child

November 28, 2010

I see a lot of greedy stuff-obsessed kids this time of year. Well, to be fair, I see greedy consumer-driven adults too. But the kids make me more depressed. In any case, this always makes me think that maybe people like and want consumer driven kids around. If you’re thinking, “Yeah I sure do” then [...]