photo © 2004 Rob Holland | more info (via: Wylio)

That subconscious response is why nutritionists often recommend dieters serve their meals on smaller plates.  Even if you clear a salad-sized plate of food, you’re still coming in under the calorie count of a full dinner place – a mind game that helps keep you on track with weight loss goals.

And that same psychology appears to apply with overall consumption too.  This weekend the WSJ reported on Commerce Department data indicating that 11.2 percent of American spending in 2011 is for non-essential purchases (exclusive of requisite items like food, housing and medicine).  Despite a recession and mass unemployment, people are still shopping for wants beyond their needs; in 1959 such goods only accounted for four percent of spending.

This growth in non essential spending seems to parallel with the ever expanding square footage requirements of American home owners.  The average home in 1950 was just 983 square feet compared with 2349 square feet for new homes in 2004.

Purchasing a home typically means moving into a large space. Thus, owners grow into a  new space buying items to furnish extra rooms and to cover empty walls and to fill the nooks and crannies that give a home character. The advertising industry — having created the Pavlovian need to keep up with the Joneses — and a consumer technology sector — with routine product enhancements every 18 months or so a la Moore’s Law, combined with environmentally tone-deaf planned obsolescence — ensure a steady drum beat of purchasing whenever dollars can be spared.

Buying habits encourage an eventual move into a larger home when the perfectly sunny abode at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac no longer seems quite as spacious. With packing comes the tossing of dated furniture and appliances that can be upgraded to shiny, new replacements. Disposing of forgotten tchotchkes or ill-fitting clothing creates even more opportunity to spend.

And it creates a kind of geographic inertia that tugs on an economy in crisis.  Ever so slowly, the cost of relocating for more lucrative — or any — opportunities creeps toward burdensome and cost prohibitive. People get tied to more than the roots in their community; they get bogged down by an obesity of stuff.

photo © 2010 Jamie | more info (via: Wylio)

In a digital age, between broadband access and mobile devices, no one turns to an-old school phone book to look up digits, except, apparently, prisons.

As of yesterday, a National Yellow Pages Opt-Out site is available to US residents looking to limit the uninvited arrival of the next issue.  Register at the site, and you’ll be able to see all of directories you’re qualified to receive on the basis of your mailing address.   Opt out to some or all with a few clicks

Another option, that includes opting out of the umpteen catalogs and coupon mailings that you probably are receiving too is Catalog Choice.  With over 3000 listings in their company directory, it should be easy and phone call-free to take yourself off any number of mailing lists.

Sign up for one or both and save a few trees!

As a result of this law, plastic bag use plummeted from 22.5 million bags a month to just 3 million.  (Side note: the $150,000 and counting generated by this tax is earmarked to fund Anacostia River clean up.) People increasingly can be seen carrying tote bags of various sizes and shapes when running errands or grocery shopping.

The law brought about an almost instantaneous shift in behavior, which could be as much about peer pressure and status as it is about saving a nickel here and there. A paper in the March issue of the Journal of Personality & Social Psychology reported on a study of factors influencing more environmentally-aware purchasing behavior.  “Supporting the notion that altruism signals one’s willingness and ability to incur costs for others’ benefit, status motives increased desire for green products when shopping in public (but not private)…”

It’s not enough to be personally aware of the impact your greener actions have within your community, you’re more apt to make the more pro-environment decision when other people can see you.

Which makes me wonder about corporate America. Given the fundamental lack of transparency that leads to epic crises like the Wall Street melt down and the mine safety debacle in West Virginia, would the same forces at work on individuals work on corporations.  Could consumer demand of greater transparency across the providers of goods and services throughout every industry sector, yield more community-centric corporations that consider the social and environmental costs when making business decisions?

(Hat Tip David Berreby of Big Think)

Archipelago Botanicals Coconut Sugar Scrub

This coconut scrub has a fresh scent and enough grit for brisk exfoliation.  Chock full of natural oils, it’ll keep you moisturized and smelling shower fresh for hours.  Unlike many edibles-scented beauty items, this one is not super sweet, nor does it remind you of a candy or food product.

Moo.com minicards

Even though I love the design of my business cards provided by my employer, I don’t always want to advertise my job.  Sometimes I’m looking to make new friends or plug my blog.  Accordingly, I need calling cards of my own.  Moo.com makes custom calling cards simple.  Though I could buy full-size cards, I prefer the mini-cards since they’re easy to tuck into your bag or your back pocket.   With 100 cards per order, you can provide unique images for each of have duplicates created of one or more design.  They’re a great way to express yourself and your interests to the different circles your travel in.

Chocolate Salty Oat Cookies

Since moving to the DC Metro area, I’ve discovered Chocolate Salty Oat Cookies, which are available at the Teaism locations around town.  The creator found the perfect balance of salty and sweet in these oat cookies; I like to pretend they’re healthy since they are oatmeal cookies, but I’m pretty sure they don’t skimp on the butter.  If you don’t live in the area, you can order them directly from Kayak Cookies.  The creator now lives in Massachussetts, though she licenses the recipe to Teaism.

Turtle Mountain’s So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage

You can’t have cookies without milk, but when you’re lactose intolerant, you need another option.  If you’re a fan of all things coconut like me, consider this tasty beverage alternative.   Chock full of healthy medium chain fatty acids (MCFA), I have a glass of So Delicious every morning with a splash of OJ stirred in.   In Original, Unsweetened and Vanilla, it’s great with cereal, oatmeal, and pancakes.   Most importantly, it helps keep you full throughout the morning.

Monkey Brains!!

Since we’re on the subject of breakfast food.  Can we talk Monkey Brains?  No, not those brains; I mean the best oatmeal out there.  Though I prefer strawberry, it also comes in bluberry and raspberry flavor.  No high fructose corn syrup in this product means no sugar guilt for you.

Michael Stars Tees

A tee is not just a tee when it’s from Michael Stars.  Though the one size fits most fit isn’t ideal and the pricing is almost to my absurdity cut off, they’re a great investment given their fit and quality.  They’ve got just enough stretch to fit most, but enough elasticity to spring back to their original form. These tees look great dressed up or with jeans, and as someone who prefers solids to prints and other zany imprints, the color range provides something for everyone.  While not every style will fit every body, I’m eagerly awaiting the next sale on the styles I love to stock up on a few.

Ode Magazine

Ode is an upbeat magazine focused on people working to change the world in big and small ways. In a world full of bad news at primetime, it’s great to get an issue of Ode or a read  their weekly e-newsletter to see what’s right with the world.   What else is there to say about it?

Creed’s Virgin Island Water

I’ve never been much for perfume, but I have to admit Creed’s Virgin Island Water sends me to my happy place.   Though it typically retails for well over $200, ebay will score you a great deal.  Given the strength of this unisex scent, a little goes a long day.  It’s a scrumptious tropical beach smell.  Since I’m not a perfume expert, I share the breakdown of the notes from Creed‘s site.

Top Note: Essence of copra (the white inner portion of the coconut); lime of the Antilles; white bergamot and mandarin orange from Sicily.

Middle Note: Hibiscus, ginger, ylang-ylang and Indian jasmine.

Bottom Note: Sugar cane and white rum of the Antilles, musk from Tonkin

Traditionally, I think that fragrance would be way too busy, but it’s just right.  And with the wintertime doldrums setting in, it can’t hurt to keep a bottle near by.

And that wraps my 2009 list of Favorite Things.

Previous Lists: 2007, 2008

Throughout the United States “Good Samaritan” laws are in place to provide legal protection for everyday citizens that choose to help someone that has fallen ill or is injured in an accident, whether roadside or at the office or any other place you could imagine someone needing immediate care.  Under these laws you can’t be sued or arrested for “assisting,” as long as you’re acting within reason.

For almost a decade now, I’ve been CPR certified.   During my last CPR certification renewal, I also completed a First Aid course that is good for 3 years.   As someone who teaches in a gym, I’d like to be ready, just in case.  I’m happy to report that it’s training I’ve never had to use.

But a California Supreme Court decision makes me reconsider my Girl Scout-esque preparedness.

A woman pulled her co-worker from a vehicle after a car accident on Halloween 2004.  As a result of her injuries, the co-worker was left paraplegic.   The woman is being sued for damages for her contribution to the injuries inflicted.

The woman and her lawyer fought the lawsuit arguing her Good Samaritan status.

The Supreme Court has sided for the injured party in a decision that could discourage people from helping those in crisis situations.  Essentially, only the medical actions taken are protected under California law. So while you’re OK if you perform CPR or the Heimlich maneuver* or apply a tourniquet to  gushing wound (knowing help is hours away), if you pull a person  out of the middle of the road to administer that care, you can get sued for any damages caused by that act.

From a dissenting judge:

“One who dives into swirling waters to retrieve a drowning swimmer can be sued for incidental injury he or she causes while bringing the victim to shore, but is immune for harm he or she produces while thereafter trying to revive the victim,” [Judge Marvin R.] Baxter wrote. “Here, the result is that defendant Torti has no immunity for her bravery in pulling her injured friend from a crashed vehicle, even if she reasonably believed it might be about to explode.”

Instructors in the courses I’ve taken  have always reminded students to follow several rules

• You never move the body when a neck injury is suspected; always suspect a neck injury.
• If the options are a) possibility of a dead body or b) move the injured body to prevent it from being a dead body, you’re better off alive than dead

Because of this legal finding, it appears I’m actually unable to help anyone unless they’ve fallen or landed out of danger and in a bodily position that doesn’t require much shifting before applying my first aid training.  Moving a body won’t necessarily be protected as medical care, so I’d be risking civil liability.

Hopefully, the California State Legislature will redefine Good Samaritanism to include all non-medical action required to save a life.  Otherwise, it seems that the only crisis safe to handle is applying adhesive bandages to paper cuts.

* The American Red Cross no longer refers to choking victim rescue as the Heimlich maneuver, but as “abdominal thrusts.” I’m told the Heimlich family wanted royalties for use of the name.  Seriously.

photo by akeg

photo by mdu2boy

I hesitate to write this post at the peak of greeting card season, but it’ll be less relevant come January 1st.

I’m as tech obsessed as the next member of Gen Y, but I’m disappointed in the sharp decline of holiday appropriate stationery greetings.

I sent out about 45 Holiday cards this year.  If I get 5 back from non-family members, I’ll be surprised.   What I do expect is a massive influx of text messages on Christmas day sending out well wishes to all with a cell phone number, and likely a barrage of festive greetings as FaceBook status messages.

It’s just not the same.

There’s something inherently thoughtful about written holiday greetings.   Someone has to take the time to pick out cards that fit his or her own personality before writing out cards and labeling envelopes.  It’s personal.

A text message is a perfunctory last minute missive.    I hate to get all Martha Stewart on the world, but a text message is not  a greeting card.

If the $25-$30 a holiday mailing costs is too much, you’ve got a few options.

A) Plan ahead.  The day after Christmas the price of all holiday cards are slashed in half, by mid-January they’re 75% off to get them off the shelves.  You can be ready for Christmas 2009 for under $10.

B) Try an e-greeting card.  There are lots of free options out there ( I tend to use Hallmark for greetings to people that don’t have a mailing address for.) Though not as personal as an actual paper greeting, it does offer the option of picking a card that reflects your interests.  The more ambitious can personalize the card for each recipient, the less so can send a generic greeting out to everyone they know.

Given we spend so much time sending impersonal emails and text messages, leaving voicemails and generally minimizing personal interaction to streamline our work, the holidays are a perfect time to reconnect.

Send a few cards this month. . . and for birthdays; thoughtfulness at birthdays would be nice too.

Thanks Buzzfeed!

photo by weddingcakes

It’s obvious retailers are struggling this year, and the steep discounts offered on Black Friday are merely the tip of the iceberg this holiday season.  Come December 26th, retailers are practically going to give away their product in an effort to clear the shelves for spring goods.

So if you’re sticking with consumerism this holiday season, I say enjoy the religious traditions on schedule and then swap gifts come New Year’s Day.

A friend of mine from grad school introduced me this gift giving cost saver.  She swaps gifts with her friends and family AFTER the holidays are over. And her logic makes sense.

Whatever your gift giving budget, you get more for your money on December 26th.   You can opt to spend less for the same quality items you would have bought at full price.  Or you can opt to spend the same on much higher quality items.

For instance, in past years my favorite department store Lord & Taylor cut prices on their cashmere sweaters in half the day after Christmas.  With the additional savings you get with their coupons, you typically wind up paying about $60 for a $140 sweater.

With the retail sector in an especially difficult situation this holiday season, a $148 cashmere sweater is already marked down to $65.99.  You’ll probably be getting 2 sweaters for that price on December 26th.

That $65.99 will either cover both Grandma AND Aunt Betsy or you’ll be throwing in a scarf and gloves with Grandma’s New Year’s Day gift.

If you are partaking in gift giving traditions this season, make sure you make the most of the dollars you choose to spend.

What are your frugal gift giving tips? Share them here, or blog about them and enter to win a variety of prizes over at Broke Grad Student.

One of the best designer sales (for charitable purposes) takes place next month in Los Angeles. Divine Design is worth adding to your calendar.

Two years ago I picked up a $375 skirt for $75; it’s swooshiness never fails to make me smile, so I know I’ll be getting years and years of use out of it.  I also grabbed several $90 tank tops for just $10 apiece.

What:

Divine Design is an annual pre-holiday shopping event featuring designer clothes, shoes, cosmetics, and furniture. 100% of proceeds benefit Project Angel Food.

The designer items are the latest from trendy lines like Trina Turk,  Theory, Dolce & Gabbana,  Jimmy Choo, and Smashbox Cosmetics.

Where

9900 Wilshire Blvd (old Robinson’s May location), Beverly Hills 90210

When

VIP Early Shopping December 4th, 6pm -8pm, with $100 ticket purchase

Friday, December 5, 11am – 8pm
Saturday, December 6, 11am-8pm
Sunday, December 7, 11am – 8pm
Monday, December 8, 11am-8pm

The discount is usually progressive, meaning on Friday items should be 50% off, Saturday 60%, Sunday 70% and Monday 80%.

Tickets:

Tickets are available online for $15 or at the door for $25 ($10 off admission coupon)

Bonus:

Just 500 Raffle tickets are available to those of you who’d like to drive home in a Prius. For a $100 ticket, you’re odds of winning a 2-year lease on a 2009 Prius are way better than that of winning the state lottery.

Beneficiary:

Project Angel Food is unique: we are the only, free meal-delivery program that serves men, women and children debilitated by HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses throughout Los Angeles County. Thanks to a devoted corps of volunteers, every day Project Angel Food cooks and delivers more than 1,400 to people in need throughout our community. We act out of a sense of urgency because hunger and illness do not wait. The people we serve range in age from 12 to 97 years.

There aren’t strict qualifications to make the list.  Some of these items are on my wish list, and some I already own and love. Others I stumbled across on the web and couldn’t help but investigate further.

ActiveHold Technology

As a gym rat, my hair is either in a ponytail or braids during my workout.  As any woman with long hair can attest, fashionable hair elastics typically don’t have staying power: they fall off, and they stretch out.  While I’ve yet to find a product that perpetually springs back to its original size,  I|M offers elasticized bands that you won’t lose half way through your workout or on your way home.  Their “ActiveHold Technology” runs a rubber tread through their I|M Active products.  You avoid the painful dislodgement of a typical rubber band, but the tread grips enough to keep your hair accessories in place.  ($4.99 for 4 thick bands, 8 thin or medium bands)

Gummy Bears, err Fruit Slices, are good for you!

Hero Nutritionals created Slice of Life, a line of gummy vitamins for adults.  Surely I’m not alone in envying all the tasty chewable and gummy vitamins available to children.  Gummy vitamins feed your inner child.  While not the most comprehensive multi-vitamin on the market, looking forward to gummy slices means I’m more apt to remember to take calcium and wheat grass supplements as well.  (Suggested retail $19.99 for a 30-day supply, but I found them for $11.95)

Lip Service

In 2005, custom cosmetic site reflect.com shut down. I stocked up on my favorite lipstick as they shipped their final orders.  I recently accepted I needed to find a new lipstick brand or brands because I have reached the dregs of my final tube from reflect.com. The berry tones I love are really hard to find; apparently, they don’t flatter most complexions.  My search brought me to two brands I recommend.

Bare Escentuals offers a 100% natural lipstick line. No chemical additives or preservatives.  The lipstick applies a bit dryer than other lipsticks I tried, but a layer of lip gloss solves the problem.  It’s supposed to “hug” your lips for 6 hours (if you’re a talker, divide by 2).   Red Zin is my hue of choice, held in a curvy, but a tad oversized cylinder. ($15 per tube)

Launched in 1991, Fresh is just reaching the West Coast markets.  Stand alone stores have popped up in Los Angeles in the past couple of years.   Though a bit more expensive than I’d prefer ($22/tube), their lipsticks slide on like butter; no gloss needed.  You can’t put a price tag on sexy, silky lips.  Cranberry Lemonade is my color of choice.

PS. My favorite lip gloss? Try Kiehl’s for slight sparkle and subtle mango flavor.

Hanes Tees

Threadless offers great graphic tees, but Hanes is the ticket if you need basic solid tees.  I’ve never understood how some people pay $100 for a t-shirt, when you can get quality at a much more affordable price. I’m particularly fond of their 3/4 sleeve boatneck t-shirt ($16); so much so, that I have it in 3 colors. Hanes keeps you covered in fitted and relaxed t-shirts, tanks and camisoles, as well as comfy loungewear for rainy weekends in.

Douglass Fudge

photo from www.douglasscandies.com

Family vacations as a child meant a road trip to the Jersey shore.  My family stayed in the same motel every year for more than a decade.  The best part of the trip was the last day’s stop at Douglass Fudge, famous for its saltwater taffy and, obviously, fudge. All week long we’d snag samples as we passed the store each night, and on the final day, before the drive home, my mom would buy a variety of Douglass products by request for various members of the family.  If you’re a fudge person, I recommend their coconut cream and chocolate marshmallow flavors; for saltwater taffy, take the sampler.

Still, my favorite sweet is their molasses paddle — a dark chocolate-covered molasses caramel on a stick.  You can pick up a box of 6 for $16.50 + shipping.  I like to cut them up in 8 pieces and freeze them, so I can enjoy a square a day.

Warning: These are super chewy and sticky, so be careful if you have a lot of fillings.

PS to Mom: Hint Hint, X-mas is coming!

Wacky Walk’r

The Urban Wacky Walk’r is a stretch rubber leash that doubles in length from 3 to 6 feet as you dog applies forward pressure.  The give of the rubber is much easier on your joints when your dog tries to make a dash for it, but its stretch limitations means it keeps your dog in line and at your side.

Fear not that the rubber could snap, all leashers are reinforced with an inner safety line just in case.  They come in a variety of funky colors, so you can keep your dog both safe and styling. This awesome line of leashes runs between $21-$31 depending upon the size of the dog.  (Amazon offers a 15% discount off typical retail prices)

Pomegranate

Pomegranates are my favorite fruit, making the POM Wonderful brand icon one I look forward to each winter when pomegranates come into season.

Since quality pomegranate seeds aren’t available year round,  Archipelago Botanicals’ Pomegranate Body Collection  provides an olfactory fix.  I’m particularly enamored with their sugar body scrub. With a liberal inclusion of fragrant oils, you and your apartment will smell fabulous for hours after you shower, and you’ll have softer skin to show for it.   ($25-$35 depending on retailer)

Antica Farmacista

I didn’t wear perfume for a very long time because I broke out into burning red rashes shortly after application. Then I discovered Antica Farmacista, which is heavy on essential oils and natural ingredients.  A little goes a long way, lasting up to 8 hours.  I’m a fan of the Vanilla, Boubon, & Mandarin scent, but there are 12 to choose from.  I lucked out and picked my first bottle up on clearance from a retailer that was no longer carrying the line, but it’s well worth the sticker price of $58 for a bottle.

YogaMatic custom mats

Regulars in mind-body fitness classes of all sorts tend to own their own mats.  After considering the germs and bacteria hanging out on gym-owned mats, they invest in their own.  And yoga mats can tell you a lot about a person.  Do they like solids or prints, thick or thin mats, textured or smooth, muted or bold colors?  You can make a statement with a custom printed mat from yogamatic. Upload a jpg, and for $85+ shipping you can have the most unique mat in class.

Customize a muppet

photo by carlosfpardo

This Christmas FAO Schwarz is offering the Muppet What Not Workshop. (What Nots are background players in muppet shows.)  Start with an orange, blue or green muppet.  Customize the eyes and a nose, as well as hair.  And then pick out attire, like a hoodie sweatshirt.  Instead of just singing along to the Avenue Q soundtrack, you can act it out! ($90 + shipping)

Bacon-of-the Month Club

photo by shawnzam

Several articles this summer pointed to Bacon as the hot new food trend. Bacon: it’s so bad for you, it’s good.  Thus, I present The Grateful Palate’s Bacon-of-the month club.  For $275 (inclusive of shipping), you’ll receive a monthly delivery of artisan bacon along with a variety of schwag, including site discounts, a monthly comic strip,  a rubber pig and snout, tee and pen. Oink!

For a more affordable bacon fix, try Mo’s Bacon Bar by Vosges Chocolate, which combines salty bacon pieces with milk chocolate. ($7.50 on the Vosges website)

Le Fin

What new products or old favorites made your list this year?

Here’s a shortcut to my 2007 list.