Banned Goods: What We Can't Buy

January 26, 2007

"There's always going to be some necessity that you never knew you needed, but you absolutely can't live without." - Ron Ponpeiel, 1982, Chicago History Museum

This list is an ongoing attempt to keep track of the "necessities" we had to do without this year:

1) An brand new exercise ball for physical therapy

2) Garlic. Or at least not the garlic we used to buy at Harvestime. It is made in China.

3) Sweaters from Express, and just about every other store we've visited.

4) A new cordless phone. The ones we've looked at, the ones we've schlepped all over the place to try and find in our price range, are made in China.

5) A body puff for making body wash last longer. Currently we share the same one which does not please me. Some things are not meant to be shared and we did not realize that buying a body puff would be a problem when we saw the great sale on Dove body wash, which was cheaper than bar soap.

February 22

6) The bedding from the Holiday Inn Express. Okay, realistically, I probably never would have purchased this anyway, but it is the most comfortable hotel bedding I've ever experienced. The down comforter at least, was made in China. I don't know where the sheets and pillow cases were made.

7) Hair accessories. There was a "buy one get one" sale on Goody hair clips and such at a local drug store. These kind of sales always get my attention, even if, sometimes especially if, I don't need the product. It makes sense really...why not have twice as much of something you don't need. Isn't that patriotic? They were made in China. All of them. They are still in the store. Apparently, they used to be made in America, as evidenced by the old Goody hair products packaging my mom had around the house.

8) Flooring for my old bedroom. The flooring I agreed to pay for is made in China. Crap!

March 13

9) Most of the trinkets sold at the Brookfield Zoo. This is the first time I have to admit to someone as they stand next to me, that I can't buy something. It was an uncomfortable experience!

March 14

10) Luke wants to buy a CD organizer so he is better able to sort through stuff for our move. Every single one we've found is made in China.

11) Laser pointers for our cats. We are looking for the kind that take AAA or larger batteries. I think that the cats might get their laser pointer workout next year.

Luke Feels the Boycott Burn

January 20, 2007

Well, he sorta felt the burn.

We went to the vertical mall in Lincoln Park (I can never remember what the mall is really called, but it is vertical instead of horizontal and sprawling like I'm used to) for the big sale at Express, one of his most favorite stores.

On the way to the mall, I tried not to fantasize about the things he won't be able to buy. I realize that I must sound like the most self-absorbed partner on the planet, but it isn't true, I swear! You'd get tired of being wrong too sometimes!

At any rate, it came back to bite me, this fantasizing about Luke not being able to buy anything. I would have liked for him to expand his sweater collection, but they were all made in China. Every one of 'em!

There were a lot of tee shirts he could have purchased, but he already has several dozen. He doesn't see the need for a scarf in the frigid winter ensnaring Chicago, and he hates the jeans that are on sale.

I do wonder if I've been rubbing off on him, since he scrutinizes the price of everything, tries it all on and reassesses the price again before buying two long sleeved cotton button-downs, in which, he looks very sexy. They are made in Indonesia.

Perhaps as punishment for thinking about what Luke won't be able to buy, I agree to see a movie he wants to see, even though this has been disastrous in the past. I agree, in part, because the vertical structure of the mall makes it very easy to sneak into a second film, and this is why we each get to pick out a movie.

The irony of our choices are that they are both made in China. This does not even dawn on us until we are back at the apartment late that night, despite the fact that we read the reviews before hand!

First we suffer through "Curse of the Golden Flower," which sounded good to both of us and was TERRIBLE!!!!! The only redeeming things I am able to say about the movie are, Luke paid and we saw my movie for free. Even Luke hated the movie. It is rare that we both hate the same movie.

After that punishment, we slip into "The Painted Veil," which was not terrible. It did not move mountains or exceed my expectations, but it was not terrible and the views of China were breathtaking. Clearly these are not the parts of the country which are being gobbled up in a race to export the most crap to the rest of the world.

When we finally realize that we payed to see movies which were, by the credits listed in the film themselves, made in China, I declare that this is a violation of the not made in China boycott. Luke doesn't agree. We go round and round on this issue for an insufferably long time, and it verges on an argument.

"If we ban movies made in China, should we also ban Chinese food?" "How are we the primary consumers?" Luke queries. He postulates that the movie theatre bought the film and we just paid for the tickets. I counter that if we look at things this way, the department stores buy the merchandise first, we just take it off their hands. It doesn't add up. The film industry keeps tabs on who pays to see which movies and the purchase of a ticket is our contribution to something in this case, made in China.

Eventually we agree to add yet another shackle, er, rule to the list, "no movies made in China" (see Additional Rules, Rules, Rules, posted on January 26, 2007).

After all, it is only a year.

A Phone Call from My Sister

January 18, 2007

Kathy called today and in the midst of our usual sister bonding, she remembered ask me about the boycott. I told her that we are sticking with it but it has been difficult and there were a few mistakes.

She told me that she went our shopping with her friend, "Jen" and was complaining to her that Christmas was going to suck this year and that she hoped Luke and I did not draw her and her husband's name for gift giving.

"Jen" was surprised and asked Kathy how she already knew that Christmas, almost a year from now was going to suck.

Kathy told "Jen" about our boycott and "Jen", not believing that so many things could be made in China, tried to find something in the store that we could buy for them at Christmas time. Eventually they got tired of looking and gave up. Everything they found was made in China.

I am delighted to know that we are impacting the lives of people we've never met, even if it is just to frustrate them!

The Glories of Ebay...I Sing You Praises!

January 12, 2007

I wake up and am still not pleased with our new agreement. It would just be so much easier to pretend, to ignore, to forget about, to...my, god I need to stop whining! This was my idea after all!

I stumble around my once again banned purchases littered in the apartment and turn on the laptop to search Ebay for all her hidden treasures.

What to my surprised eyes should appear but a mountain of pages all selling these balls!

It's a glorious sight indeed. I sent out 11 e-mails asking the sellers where their exercise balls and foam rollers were made. Eleven messages asking where a product was made. I wonder what these good souls must think of me. I wonder if Luke's parents, who are passionate Ebay sellers, are asked such seemingly random questions. I think about calling them to check.

Of the eleven e-mails I sent out, nine people actually responded to me. I am shocked and quite pleased. All of the balls are made in China and one of the foam rollers is made in America.

I almost become frustrated again when I remember that it is ok to buy used items made in China since we are not the primary consumers. What delight, since there is a seller on E-bay who lives in Chicago.

We e-mail back and forth and he agrees to wave the $10 shipping if I pick up the item. Fortune must have smiled on me. Not only do I win the exercise ball for $.99, he even agrees to drop it off to me on his way home from work, which isn't far from where we live, for an extra penny.

Now, I'm not completely nuts, I did agree to meet him in the middle of Lincoln Square on a day when Luke is able to go with me (I hope this makes you feel better, mom!) and the extra penny was a whole lot cheaper than taking the CTA to meet him at his place.

I love my "new" silver (my second favorite color) exercise ball which cost me a dollar! Hell, that's a better deal than the sale at Kmart. I even use it almost every day. (I did forget to bid on the foam roller though, and the auction has ended.) Now my original purchases can go back to Kmart.

Ebay, you saved the day!

What Constitutes Health care?

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Today I had the bright idea to go to Kmart and buy an exercise ball, one of those giant things that look like they would have been fun to play with in gym class.

My reasons for doing this are three-fold:

1) I fell down a flight of stairs in late October and injured my back. I had been in physical therapy up until the day I went home for Christmas. I used one of these giant red balls in PT and it was fun, helped strengthen my back and it was red, my favorite color.

2) My $500 insurance deductible for PT started again January and the cost, in addition to the co-pays, was prohibitive, so I figured I'd buy the exercise ball and a foam roller, which I also used, and do the additional exercises in the apartment, discontinue PT and save a lot of money.

3) The balls were on sale at Kmart, which merged with Sears, where I have a credit card.

Problem solved, right?

Not so fast!

All but one of the exercise balls were made in China and the Kmart version of the foam roller, which was filled with air instead, was also made in China.

I fretted. I panicked. I paced up and down the aisles. I checked almost every bloody box trying to find something that wasn't made in China. I thought about forgetting the boycott, about going back to PT just so I wouldn't have to deal with this. I thought about crying.

I thought I found a loophole in our rules. Did we ever discuss buying things that were medically necessary? I couldn't, or didn't want to, remember.

In the end, I bought two exercise balls, one that was made in China and one that was made in the Philippians, the stand to hold the ball (made in China) and the air roller (made in China).

I was angry and frustrated. Good thing the laundry detergent, which was also on sale, was made in America. At least I didn't screw that up.

That night, over dinner, I brought the health care issue up with Luke. In an attempt to be nonchalant, I listed the pro's of my point of view, "it saves me money," "we never discussed this before, so it is ok," "it's my health after all." I tried to ignore the con's in my thinking, hoping Luke would ignore them too.

He heard me out but did not agree. He cited the "good faith rule" (see Rules, Rules, Rules posted January 16, 2007) and thought that I needed to make more of an effort to find equipment not made in China, after all, he pointed out, one of the balls was made in the Philippians. I was not pleased with what he was saying and a long, drawn-out discussion took place.

In the end, I agreed that if the situation were reversed, I would have wanted him to make more of an effort to try and find something that did not violate the ban. I agreed to continue looking, but I wasn't happy with this agreement. I felt like I had failed again, and this whole damn mess was my idea!

We agreed to add the "good faith rule" to the ever growing list of restrictions (see Additional Rules, Rules, Rules posted on January 26, 2007).

Additional Rules, Rules, Rules...

This is certainly an ever evolving process, which seems to mean the inclusion of one of my least favorite things in life...rules! Be sure to visit often, as I'm sure more rules will be added!

As of January 7, 2007 a new rule has been added (See Rules, Rules, Rules posted on January 16 for the original list, if you missed it):

3) If we purchase something new that is made in China but we fail to check the item's origins before leaving the store, the item must be returned, even if we are already back at the apartment and it is a pain in the ass to return it. Ignorance is no longer an acceptable reason for violating the rules (see Redemption, posted on January 26 for more details).

January 11:

4) The "good faith" concept we flitted over before Christmas becomes a begrudgingly agreed upon rule. It is still loose in it's definition, but as a generalization, we must make an effort, above and beyond what we would normally do, when contemplating buying something new which was made in China. This rule was finalized after my attempt at buying an unessential item (see What Constitutes Health care, posted on January 26, 2007).

January 20:

5) Movies which are made in China are also banned. This was decided after a protracted debate over "The Curse of the Golden Flower" and "The Painted Veil" (see Luke Feels the Boycott Burn, posted on January 26, 2007).

Onwards!

January 5-6, 2007

After we both blew the boycott, we decided not to give up, but to persevere in the face of adversity and failure.

On Saturday I bought some postcards at Newark airport in an attempt to convince my friend, Adam, in Chicago that New Jersey really is a beautiful place. He seems skeptical. The postcards were made in America. What a relief!

My Sunday ritual of sanctity and peace while perusing the sales circulars and cutting out coupons was greatly stymied by our ban. Prior to December, I never gave much thought to where the things I wanted were made. This Sunday, I cynically assumed that everything on sale was made in China. Of course, this probably wasn't true, but how could I tell? Circulars rarely list where things were made.

Late Sunday evening we ventured over to CVS for some "essential shopping." Going to a drugstore for things like body wash, Q-tips and sometimes food, is still a bit odd to me. I don't recall doing this very often when I was more reliant on my car for transportation. Now that we live in the city, it is far more convenient to walk to CVS, Walgreens, Harvestime (the local grocery store) or whatever. The convenience is further elevated by the fact that there are so many places crammed together that it is easier to comparison shop and purchase items at the lowest prices from a variety of places. I tell myself this helps us save money. It might be a lie.

None of our purchases on that trip were made in China. We remembered to look at some of the things while we were at the store, others we didn't look at until we got back to the apartment.

As we put our purchases away, a new rule is added to the list...

If we purchase something and do not realize that it is made in China before we leave the store, we must take it back. Ignorance or failure to look before buying is no longer a valid reason.

Have I mentioned yet that I don't like rules?

Redemption

January 4, 2007...

Wow it feels good to not be the only one breaking the boycott!

I know I sound like a two-year old, but "Luke did it too!!!"

If I were feeling more mature, I would take into consideration the fact that he "didn't know" that he was breaking the boycott, but screw maturity, I want to feel self-righteous, and I do.

Here's what happened...

In September of 2006 we adopted two kittens from a shelter in Chicago called Tree house. We continue to buy both our dry cat food and the all wheat litter there. While I was away, Luke had to make a trip to Tree house to purchase more litter and food.

According to him, the total came to $19 and the person there asked if he would like to buy a cat toy for a dollar so that they did not have to make change. He agreed.

It wasn't until he got back to the apartment and looked at the toy, that he realized it was made in China. He gave the bizarre glittery toy (it looks a lot like two testicles tied together with a pink string and a bell in the middle) to the kittens anyway.

I think that they are aware of our boycott too. They don't play with the toy.

Oh, Crap!!

January 3, 2007

Three days into our boycott and I've already f'd things up!

I feel like a failure!
It's hopeless!
It's over!
I never should have invite my mom along!

Let me explain...

I had been meaning to make the time to buy Luke's second gift before the New Year, since I was fairly certain that it would be made in China. I did a lot of research on it, even meant to make a few bids on Ebay, which I forgot all about. In the end though, I just ran out of time.

Every year during the first week in January, I volunteer at a program called "Sex Week"
and there was only one night this week that I did not have plans. When I arrived home Wednesday evening, my mom offered to take me out to dinner. I enjoy her company and I wasn't going to turn down a free meal!

After dinner, I asked her if she minded stopping at the store with me because I did not feel like making the trek out there again (it is about a mile from my mom's house!) and we were going to pass by it anyway.

She agreed.

I wandered around the store, entranced by all the sparkly packages, their bubbly promises and seductive hints. Finally, I had to ask the saleswoman to help me.

I was about to pay for the gift when the annoying voice in my head said, "Hey, you're supposed to see where that was made." I cringed and turned the package over.

It was made in China.

I was in a bind. Should I buy it and hope my mom didn't ask where it was made, or should I stick to my principles and put it back?

I went to put it back and my mom, with eyes in the back of her head, noticed. Of course, since she knew why we were there, I had to explain what I was doing.

Not missing a beat, she chided me, "Oh, so you're going to deny Luke the pleasure of this gift because you didn't get around to buying it before your boycott?"

I said, "Well, yes. I have my principles to stick to. Besides, he will never know."

"Hmmm," she said, "Your going to deny him a gift because of principles. Interesting."

I felt trapped.

I bought the damn thing!

My mom laughed and said, "So now I know your secret. You will only boycott things if it is not something that you really want. Interesting. Principles or love. Hmmm."

Secretly I cursed myself for bringing her along. If I had gone alone, no one would have to know that I bought this after the ban took effect.

Back home, I called Luke and let my mom break the news to him. She was having so much fun gloating, I figured she would appreciate this gesture and then forget about my decision.

When I told Luke the boycott was over, he laughed and said, "We all make mistakes. Besides, we have to start some where."

I somewhat bitterly wondered if he would have been so chipper about this if the gift wasn't for him. I also was not pleased at being the first to screw up. Secretly I had been hoping that he would make the first mistake since this was my idea and I enjoy shopping more than he does.

Three lousy days into the ban and I'm already messing up! Oh, crap!

Ready...Set...Boycott!

Happy freaking New Year!

A wonderful thing about babysitting on New Year's Eve is not waking up with a hangover!

Unfortunately, I had to head back home today, so I was not able to spend much time with Kathy and her husband. I was, however, much more adept at turning the t.v. on this time around, and my nephew and I watched the Tournament of Roses Parade as we waited for his parents to arrive.

Apparently it had been icing and snowing throughout the night, so my departure was hastened in a failed attempt to beat the holiday traffic. It ended up being a tedious drive and I frequently contemplated blowing up the entire state of Connecticut in my frustrated state of mind. In retrospect, I don't know how this would have solved my traffic woes, but it sure made the drive a bit more tolerable.

I promised my mom that I would stop at The Christmas Tree Shop in Spring Valley, New York, on my way back, in an attempt to locate some Christmas lanterns for her. I was grateful for the break as I had been driving for five hours already and I was eager to test out my new boycott.

The very first item I considered buying, a kitty litter scoop, was made in China. We have two cats and two litter boxes, but only one scoop and this one was cute in an odd way, with a little cat face on it (maybe to remind you what it was for?) and it was red, my favorite color. Now, we've managed just fine for two months with two litter boxes and one scoop, but this was cute you see, and a bargain at $.85, who could pass that up?

Apparently, I would and I was not very pleased about this.

I wandered through the store, trying to stretch my legs, look for the lanterns for my mom and search for "practical" things I could buy for the sake of buying something. The kitchen gadgets that we don't already have were made in China, the tchotchke decorations were made there too, as were, well, just about everything I looked at. My frustration with this project was already obvious.

In the end, I bought some clear nail polish to protect my nails that I painted at my sisters and will probably use two or three more times, at the most. That was made in America and it came with some bonus lipstick that I will never wear. I also bought some made in America scented stuff that you can put in water and simmer on your stove. I forget what it is called. Next year it might make our new apartment, "smell like Christmas."

I purchased a made in America ice scraper for our car; now we could have one to leave inside the car and one to leave inside the apartment so we would never be caught unprepared if it snowed. Finally, I bought a package of made in America Valentine's Day cards. I think that V'day is a wretched holiday, but I know my nephews enjoy getting mail from me, or at least the ones who are old enough to know what mail is, enjoy it.

I spent about $11 and briefly thought that maybe limiting our 2007 purchase to stuff made in America wouldn't be so difficult after all.

I was unable to find the lanterns for my mom and I called her with the first disappointing news of the new year.

Finally, back on the road again, with an hour and a half or so left of my drive, I was tired, hungry and cranky and just wanted to get home.

5...4...3...2...1....

I spent New Year's Eve, my second least favorite holiday, babysitting my newborn nephew. His parents had a wedding to go to and I was pleased to be spending more time with the newest addition in my life. Sadly though, it would be the first time in five or so years that my best friend and I didn't spend New Year's together. The things we do for our family!

While driving up to New England, I had plenty of time to think about the things I would not be buying in a few days and I was filled with the irrational need to use my favorite coupons at the grocery store as soon as I arrived at my sisters. She had other plans though and thought this preoccupation of mine was weird.

I had planned on going to the grocery store once my sister and her husband left, but my nephew and I took a three hour nap on the sofa and ended up not braving the few snowflakes and harried last minute grocery shoppers. I don't think the baby was upset by this at all.

After putting him to bed, I wistfully looked at the "Buy One Get One Free" hair dye, "Save $1 on your Salad Dressing" and other random, soon to expire coupons, before I threw them away. I don't know what came over me. Cutting coupons on Sunday afternoon is a ritual for me, but this was bizarre, even by my own admission!

With the baby in bed and a few hours of 2006 left, I felt listless waiting for the New Year and all it's shinny promises. 2006 had been an incredibly difficult year for me and I was more than ready for it to be over. Even with this looming boycott, I felt more optimistic about the freshness of the future year than I usually do.

I was very surprised when Luke called me an hour early to wish me a Happy New Year. I was still steamed that we were apart though, so I wasn't terribly pleasant when I answered the phone. We made a few jokes about it being our last chance to buy things made in China, and Luke pointed out that he had an extra hour to shop his heart out if he wanted to. Neither of us bought anything though, and I was too preoccupied trying to figure out how to turn on my sister's t.v. to realize that 2007 had arrived. I hoped the frustration I was feeling during the "out with the old, in with the new" wouldn't be the dominate theme in 2007.

We talked about random things and welcomed in the New Year in the Midwest with less frustration on my part because I finally managed to turn the t.v. on, and snarky as it may be, I was less angry at being apart once I realized that Luke was ringing in the holiday by partying with cats in our t.v. free apartment.

Around three a.m East Coast time, we got off the phone. The "Made in China Boycott" was officially underway. So far, nothing felt any different, a feeling which I didn't think would last very long.

Macy's Way to Shop

One of the wonderful things about being back home on the East Coast, was the ability to shop at Macy's without feeling like you are committing a grave sin against Chicago.

Growing up in New Jersey, I was barely old enough to notice when Macy's bought out Bamberger's. I know that this upset my mom, so on some level I cared, but I was too young to know the difference between Kmart clothes and Nordstrom clothes and my little world was unaltered by this news. Those of us native to New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, at the very least, have come to accept Macy's as another place to shop. That is entirely different in Chicago.

Marshall Field's used to be a Chicago landmark, an icon even. Founded in 1852, this was the greatest of Chicago's stores, for reasons a transplant to this city, such as myself, can't quite appreciate. I've been to the State Street location, the flagship store, and it was an experience unlike most other department stores. There is a breathtaking Tiffany ceiling, the Walnut Room and the unique experience of taking incredibly narrow escalators up the seemingly endless floors. During the visits I've made there though, the store was generally dirty, the staff was either surly or bored and the merchandise over priced. A bonus though, was that the store was rarely crowded after the first tourist filled floor.

At any rate, during August and September 2006, Federated Department Stores (Macy's) usurped the Field's name and many of the signature features of the original store. It was, and still is, seen as a travesty by many Chicagoans, some of whom boycotted the take over and some of whom refuse to ever shop at the evil Macy's.

Interestingly enough, an editor for the Chicago Tribune quipped, on September 9, 2006, the official day Field's became Macy's, "Chicagoans loved Marshall Field's, just not enough to shop there." I think he is very perceptive.

Shopping at Macy's on the East Coast, the only sins I felt like I was committing were those of trying to stock-up before our boycott went into effect and reckless spending on my Macy's card. See, my weaknesses in any store, are the lingerie department and the clearance sections. The Macy's my mom and I went to in PA had a clearance in the lingerie section, and, early Christmas dreams come true, they had bras in my size! This is a rare thing for me to find and I was beside myself shuffling through the racks, a ridiculous number of bras precariously balanced on my arms.

It was after midnight and I was wrecked tired before this, yet spotting those clearance racks was like a beacon of hope. The oasis was further inviting because I noticed, as Luke and I took random stock of things in our apartment, that most of my comfortable bras (now that is an oxymoron!) were made in China. I panicked, not knowing what I was going to do to cover my cleavage in 2007.

Fortunately, Macy's had the answer! I bought five bras that night, for $10 each, a third of their original costs, and I'm still thrilled with my treasures. This thrill probably has more to do with my perceived inability to buy bras in 2007 as easily as I did before Christmas 2006, but I don't want to analyze that notion too much.

Two days after Christmas, Macy's "Way to Shop" rescued me again! Who knew they were a knight in shinning armour? I'd previously only seen them as a hit or miss place to get great stuff on clearance. This time though, I had just finished up a three hour interview, and "needed" some decompression at the only store where I had an active credit card.

The racks were full and the sales were impressive. I stayed long enough that it would have been senseless to leave since I would only be sitting in traffic, and that was far less fun than consuming goods without thought to where they were made; so I stayed and shopped 'til my feet hurt and my purchases were cumbersome. I shushed the guilt in my head, tried to beat it down with nonsensical statements like, "I can pay this off slowly," "Look how much money I'm saving," and "This will look great on me when I get a job," or, my personal favorite, "Well, if I were buying this in Chicago, I'd have to pay sales tax too, so this really is a better deal to buy it here." Oh, it was fun.

Back at my mom's, I had to figure out where to store all this stuff in the already full guest room and I ended up leaving some of the less practical items with her when I returned to Chicago. There really isn't much of a need for summer clothes here in the middle of winter! Now that I've been back in Chicago for two weeks, I've worn one of the black tank tops I bought at Macy's (it gets really hot in the room where I'm writing) and everything else sits in my closet, nearly forgotten about. Except for the bras of course, I wear those and celebrate their existence every day.

My shopping sprees were bittersweet as they reminded my of our impending ban and the lifestyle it would change, as well as calling attention to my love of shopping. Regardless of whether my latest find was from a clearance rack or the full price rack, I still link much of my identity and validation to the things I purchase, and that is an unsettling realization.

Christmas Fever

Going home for the holidays was wonderful and at the same time, disorienting. I've only lived in Chicago for a bit over a year and this was my fourth trip home, but I am always shocked at how much things change.

In the city, I rarely put gas in the car more than twice a month. Back home, it seemed like I was driving everywhere, and getting gas ever other day.

Shopping is a lot easier at home too, since I still know where things are, sometimes I have company and I don't have to push through throngs of people to get anywhere. In fact, many of the stores in PA seemed desolate compared to shopping in Chicago. That was nice.

I told my youngest sister about this idea when she picked me up at the airport, but with so much to catch up on and a two year old in the backseat, we didn't discuss it much. I think her opinion was, "That's cool if that is what you want to do."

There was the usual last minute shopping frenzy with my mom. I was finished (except for Luke's gifts. I had one but the other two I had in mind were playing hide and seek and I was loosing!) but my mom wasn't finished yet. We took advantage of the extra hours the stores were open and did our best to consume as many of the most perfect gifts as possible. Many of which were made in China.

I told my mom about our boycott, how it evolved and why we were doing this. She wasn't terribly surprised. I don't know if she would recognize me if I weren't boycotting something. She did think that it was an interesting idea, but was unconvinced that it would have much impact. She does not want to join our campaign, even though she is concerned about the exodus of jobs overseas and the amount of America foreign countries seem to own.

Some of the time we were shopping for clothes for me. My mom wanted to get me two nice outfits for Christmas. Many of the things we looked at were made in China. They would be banned next year.

I spent some time looking at the origins of random products as we were shopping and I am embarrassed to admit that I am not even certain I know where all of these countries are, despite the nearly dozen maps, globes and atlases we have in our apartment. I have vague ideas of where Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Taiwan are, but I couldn't tell you to save my life, what countries border them.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are spent in the usual exchange of gifts and I sometimes obviously, sometimes covertly tried to find out where everything was made. Almost all of the kids toys are made in China.

I told my middle sister and her husband about our boycott and they were less than impressed. Kathy seemed to think I'm a bit nuts, although she too, is familiar with my protests; but she supports the idea. Courtney doesn't think it will make one bit of difference and this was also the general opinion during Christmas dinner. Everyone wonders what the kids will get for Christmas 2007.

No one wants to join in. I will confess, I took this a bit personally and I am frustrated that everyone at the table was voicing concern over where this country is going, the decline in jobs and the quality of goods we purchase, but no one has any ideas on how to change it. They do, however, thing this boycott won't amount to much. I remind myself that it has done something already though, it has opened up discussions that we've never had before and it bonded us, if even briefly, with the same topic of conversation. That's a start.

The Week Before Christmas

The rest of the week leading up to my departure was uneventful, as far as the boycott goes. I was finished with my Christmas shopping, (except for Luke's gifts) and I was frantically trying to complete the two paintings I was creating for close friends.

I did encounter an endless stream of goods made in China when trying to fill Luke's stocking. What did I expect though? We put a $10 limit on each stocking and went with a theme of not necessarily practical gifts. Many items were purchased at the dollar store. The golf calendar I bought him to help remember silly things like Valentine's Day, our anniversary and family member's birthdays, was made in China. So was the giant eraser which proclaims, "For Really Big Mistakes" (good thing we both thought it was funny). The candy,a book and trivet from the Ann Sather Restaurant were not made in China (the last two came from a thrift shop though, so it would have been ok any way).

We don't know where the pins Luke bought for my stocking were made (One says: "I'm not childless, I'm child free" and the other, "It's not premarital sex if you're not planning on getting married."). The wooden, movable snake (one of my most favorite animals) was made in China, as was the Van Gogh flip book (His ear comes off at the end! Hilarious!!). The origins of the beautiful Celtic knot bookmark are unknown. (Clearly we have different ideas of what not so practical stocking stuffers are!)

In many ways, the trip to the zoo, combined with the frustrations of Christmas, mixed with an awareness of where our gifts were made, helped solidify our desire for a year long boycott. It helped highlight some of the problems we would have in trying to go shopping, in discussing this with people, in debating these issues as well as in educating ourselves about imports and exports, politics and big business, manufacturing and the strength of our convictions.

There are many assumptions that we've made in this boycott, many unforeseen circumstances and many instances where we are wrong. I hope that the next year will be more than a pompous act of denial by two people who can't afford much frivolous consumption. I hope that we take the time to challenge ourselves to learn about topics I often consider boring, i.e, economics, trade deficits, mergers and downsizing and so on.

I also hope that this blog evolves into a forum where people who know more than I do, or just have an opinion, will share their knowledge and insights. In the end, it is the discussions and the debates, the new ways of thinking, which will most likely be the lasting benefits of this project.

A Day at the Zoo

Well, it was a night at the zoo, really.

Sunday, December 17, 2006 was a day like most other Sundays, except that it was the last weekend before I went home for the holidays for two weeks. We spent a good portion of the weekend doing holiday stuff: baking, avoiding Christmas shopping, me trying to figure out what Luke was going to get me for Christmas and frequently reminding him that if he did not hurry up, our ban would go into effect before he knew it.

We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo that night (which, as far as I am concerned, is one of the only wonderful things Chicago has to offer) for the free holiday lights display. The entire zoo is free all year, which is really cool and it is a great zoo at that. (I do have mixed feelings about zoos however. The concept of animals penned up in unnatural surroundings so people from all over the world can gawk at them seems unsettling. I guess it is an educational place, I learn something new each time I go there, but in general, it is the cute, cuddly looking animals which people go to see and those are the ones we fight to save from extinction. I mean, is anyone trying to save the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, the Warthog or the Wildebeest? They need love too!)

Ok, I'm off that soapbox.

It was a wonderful night at the zoo with all the lights and not a ton of people. Most of the people there seemed in holiday spirits and the animals, those that were awake anyway, seemed to be wondering what the hell was going on.

After viewing the lights, drinking our eggnog, not freezing our butts off and generally feeling all lovely towards each other, we went into the gift shop. Typically, since we're broke, I try not to buy frivolous things, but this is the cool free zoo and I really wanted a Christmas ornament (a lingering childhood tradition to get a new ornament each year)and...and...well, I wanted to go shopping and forget about pinching pennies.

We were still 15 days away from Boycott Day, so we thought we would get a feel for how much fun this was going to be by looking at the tags on everything that interested us. First stop, the Christmas ornaments. All of the nice ones were made...in China. Yes, there were some made in America, and they looked like they would fall apart once you took them off the display rack. I was instantly disappointed.

Now, I could have purchased one anyway, regardless of where it was made, it was still 2006 after all. But the whole experience was feeling like a recriminating reminder that I shouldn't be spending money anyway.

We moved on to the tee shirts and safari hats. From there is was the more sensible scarves and gloves. Most of these products were made in China.

Surely the stuffed animals would be different, I tried to convince myself. I wandered over to the kid's side of the store and was happy (?) to find a wider array of countries being exploited to make this toys. In a rather flippant tone, I read off where each product was made.

"Oh, the monkey is made in Malaysia."

"Hey look, this is made in the Philippines, not China, so that's okay."

"Ooops, we can't buy this penguin next year." etc., etc.

I am often unaware of just how loud I can be and it seems that my enthusiasm caught the attention of a bored looking gift shop worker.

She startled me out of a daydream when she approached me and said, "Excuse me, can I ask you a question?"

I was surprised, people in Chicago don't seem to go up to someone and initiate conversation. I thought to myself, "What? What did I do? I didn't steal it, I swear!'

The no longer bored looking worker wanted to know why we were going around the store checking where everything was made. I sheepishly (where does that expression come from, I wonder?) told her that we were starting a ban on anything made in China and we were wondering where things in this store were made.

Eventually I noticed that she did not look please by this. I think my final clue was when she asked me, "Well, why is it ok to buy stuff made in the Philippines but not China?"

I felt flustered and a bit challenged, and I don't think I had the best of answers to give her. (Maybe Luke will weigh in on this with his post, this is about the point where he joined the conversation.)

I tried to stammer something out about how we weren't trying to say that it was ok to exploit one country over another, it was just that China is one of the largest importers of goods to this country, and we thought we'd start there. I may have even eked out something like, "the jobs at my old company are in China now, not in the Philippines."

She had a quick counterattack and tried to educate me about the theories that China has passed it's exporting peak. I had begun to wonder this too, while I was employed, as I noticed an marked increase in the number of e-mails and photos of factories and potential factories in places like VietNam and Thailand.

I tried to follow what she was saying, she spoke very quietly, and my own thoughts kept getting in the way.

I believe that the gist of what she was saying is, that China is failing to be the super power that it once was because their economy is doing so well that they are able to command higher prices than ever before. She was convinced that American corporations would soon find other countries to exploit and China would fall on it's face.

As I've mentioned, I've thought about that possibility, but it seems over simplified to me since China has an almost limitless supply of workers, a very narrow strip of land which is developed and benefiting from this boom, as well as an enormous amount of land which could still be developed.

I do agree that other countries are starting to be even more exploited, and I am not happy about that. I tried to tell her that I understood her point, but I didn't think this boycott would work for the two of us if we tried to ban almost everything and that I thought starting somewhere to raise awareness was better than nothing at all. I don't think she agreed with me.

She continued the conversation with Luke for a bit, while I mentally checked out and tried to process what just happened.

When we left the gift shop, sans ornament, I felt confused, frustrated, a little stupid and a bit deflated. It appeared to me that I failed at convincing the first stranger I talked with, that this was a good idea, even if it probably won't change the world.

As we walked towards the zoo's exit and smiled at the friendly person who handed us a program schedule on our way in, the lights twinkled all around us, the air was pleasantly crisp and I felt a distinct disconnect between the fun filled evening and the voice in my head musing, "I wonder where the lights were made..."

Rules, Rules, Rules

(Note: Unfortunately I am writing this blog after much of the stage for the ban had been set. Luke and I began discussing this idea in mid-December 2006. I did not start this blog until January 16, 2007. This is what we developed before January 1, 2007.....)

Now for the nitty gritty....

These are the rules we must play by (note this will have to be a constantly evolving process since we did not think of every possible circumstance, in fact, I don't know if we even thought of most of the issues we will encounter!)

Rules for China Boycott:

1) Starting January 1, 2007 Elizabeth and Luke will no longer purchase any goods made in China. Made in China is defined as any product labeled "Made in China" (Okay, so that one is obvious!) or any product which is labeled with components made in China, even if it is ultimately assembled somewhere else.

2) We will have open discussions with friends, family, strangers and stationary objects about this boycott. We will have these discussions to give validity to what we are doing, to raise awareness of the project, to open up conversation about consumerism, imports and exports etc., as well as to educate ourselves. We also hope that these conversations will encourage other people to join our bandwagon, and, if we were being completely honest, we would also occasionally be having these conversations as a means of patting ourselves on the back for this decision (hey, I'm being honest!).

Clearly there are loopholes here and areas which are as clear as mud. We did not put more than two weeks worth of discussion and planning into this project, which may come back to bite us later.

Exceptions to the Rules:

1) Chinese food, as in food from a Chinese Restaurant, is not part of the boycott since it is made in America.

2) Anything purchased in 2006 is still fair game.

3) Purchases made by other people for us are not subject to the above rules since it was our decision to do this. We will tell potential gift givers that we don't expect them to abide by these rules (not that we would object if they joined us!).

4) We are only exculded from buying things made in China if we are the primary consumers. For example, if we are purchasing an item used from a thrift shop, sidewalk sale, Ebay, etc., then it is ok if if is made in China. The premise of the ban is that consumption drives production but it is only the primary consumer who is tracked. It is my hypothosis that corporations and marketing strategists do not keep tabs on goods purchased second hand. I willingly admit that this may be seen as a completly selfish exclusion (I did come up with this exemption after realizing that all but two pairs of my winter shoes and all of Luke's shoes were made in China.) and maybe it is selfish. Maybe I need to feel I have an "out" in order to make this boycott more tolerable.

It is agreed that other countries may be added to the list as time goes by, but for now we agree with Luke's idea to start with one focus, as opposed to my fleeting idea to only buy stuff made in America.

Still Up in the Air:

What to do in emergency situations, i.e. our 1996 Saturn with 141,000 miles on it breaks down (a likely scenario indeed!). This is our only vehicle. However, where we live it is not necessary to have a car. Yet we are planning on moving to the East Coast by the middle of 2007 and a car will then become "a necessity".

We are toying with the "good faith idea" wherein we will do our best to locate necessary "essential" items which are not made in China and if none can be found, then the made in China rule will go out the window. After all, not everything in life can be substituted.

We don't get very far in this "good faith idea" though amidst the chaos and cheer of Christmas and my return home for the holidays. I guess we will have to revisit this idea in 2007.

So there you have it, our clear as mud, not so black and white, handy dandy do-it-yourself guide to our first boycott. I do believe interesting times lay ahead!

Reasons for the Boycott

My reasons for a self-imposed boycott are many:

1) I seem to be a natural protester. My earliest memory of an organized protest was in third grade when I was outraged that my teacher humiliated a student in front of the entire class by telling him that he was stupid and not going to amount to much. Horrified, I organized three or four of the girls in my small class to sign a petition to have Mrs. A. fired. Unfortunately, some older girl walked in on this official meeting, which took place in the girls bathroom. I was reported to the principal. The meeting was immediately disbanded, my petition confiscated and I had to tell my mom what I did and fight against being expelled from school for a few days. Of course, I was indignant that I should be in trouble, after all, I was just standing up for a human rights violation! The rest of third grade was rough!

Despite this early, seemingly unsuccessful protest, I have been campaigning, boycotting and protesting ever since. Sometimes I think it gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

2) While I would not consider myself to be incredibly patriotic, I am growing increasingly concerned about the growing rift between what we manufacture in America versus what we import from other countries. This was highlighted for me about two years ago when the manufacturing company my aunt worked for ceased to exist, due in part, to the "cost effective" trend of outsourcing everything overseas. My aunt started working for this company in high school and was able, without a college degree, to earn a place as head of human resources. Seeing the misery and angst she went through as she helped orchestrate the eventual layoffs of the entire employee roster, of people who had worked there for twenty and thirty years, maybe more, was difficult and I only saw my aunt a few times during the plant closure. This second hand experience jarred something loose in my head and forced me to look at the concept of "job stability" in a whole new light.

Now, I grew up in the AT&T era, as my mom calls it, and I've never known, other than through mythical tales passed down from older generations, what this "job stability" thing was. Sure, it sounds grand in many ways to work for a company or two for most of your working life and have things like health care, a pension, career advancement, promotions and recognition. I haven't known most of that though and I speculate that most people in my generation will hear stories of this way of life and see it either as a pipe dream or as Alzheimer's induced lies.

I do recognize that I am overly simplifying some aspects of the workforce and that my innate desire to travel instead of working some predictable job has colored my viewpoints. Nevertheless, I do believe there is more validity to my observations than I am given credit for.

3) The most recent job I had only highlighted the barrage of news in the media about jobs being outsourced overseas and the terrible impacts we are just beginning to acknowledge in this country.

My good friend in grad school, Lori, was the first person my age to fall victim to outsourcing. I guess she was fortunate in some ways that it entitled her, in Pennsylvania at least, to extended unemployment and paid job training. She went back to school to get her second Masters degree and become an English teacher. I'll venture a guess that it still stings to have been outsourced.

When I moved to Chicago in October of 2005, I had a nightmare of a time trying to find a job. I never thought that would be the case in a major city. Desperation set in and by the end of January I was at a temp agency. My first interview was for a company employed by a huge international bank. The job I was vying for had some fancy title and crappy pay, and in a nutshell I was supposed to be the lackey who ensured the cooperation of the bank staff who had just been notified that they were being "downsized" . I was to be the point person for having company property returned and then re-issued to the new staff arriving from India. In many cases, the very people who were being let go were the ones who were supposed to help me transition in the staff from India.

I was appalled! Fortunately, my Bachelor's degree in Psychology and my non-profit work experience labeled me as unfit for the job after the second interview.

Two days later I was temping at a large import company in Chicago's south loop (which, if you've never been there, is a bit of a dive despite its imminent gentrification.). It was supposed to be a week long assignment and I was broke, so I took it. That week lasted ten painful months.

Accepting this job was the final straw for me in this boycott. The essence of my job was to be a gopher, a gopher who always felt like she was helping people to lose their jobs. This company, despite the known problems with producing goods almost exclusively in China, was rapidly headed towards a bare bones staff in Chicago, with everything else being sent to China.

People who had worked in this company for over twenty years were losing their jobs overnight. It was devastating to those who were let go, as well as to those who were left behind in destruction.

4) I'm sure that there are many more reasons for my decision, many of which I don't even realize right now. I will try to explore all of my reasons throughout the course of this boycott.

Luke's reasons for the boycott:

1) Concern for the huge trade deficit with China. He is concerned that the vast sums of money leaving America for China will, and are, causing a decay in our economy.

2) The quality of goods imported from China are often of an inferior, cheap quality, however we continue to buy them because they are inexpensive.

3) He sees this as a step towards focusing more on buying American made products. His ideal goal is that this will help bolster American manufacturing.

4) Luke is also joining the boycott to support me. We have discussed, fought about and disagreed on all of the above reasons throughout most of our ten year friendship. When we moved in together, we consumed more goods and together began to pay attention to the quality, cost and origin of what we were buying.

The longer I sold my soul to my job, the more I focused on the problems of outsourcing. To say that outsourcing affected our relationship is an understatement!

In joining my protest, Luke is keenly aware that this will most likely directly affect me more so than him, since I get more of a thrill from shopping and I tend to have a more vocal opinion about what we purchase together. Fortunately, most of our reasons for doing this are compatible and I am grateful to have an ally in this challenging battle.

The Birthplace of an Idea

Some of the inspiration for this boycott came from reading Judith Levine's Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping. Not Buying It recounts a self-imposed one year ban on purchasing any non-essential items as defined by the author and her partner. Levine had an epiphany while dropping packages on the soggy New York streets amidst the frantic holiday shopping shuffle. The ensuing emotions are recognizable to most consumers, yet few of us stage such staggering counterattacks. In many ways, scaling back and eliminating shopping altogether is seen as eccentric, at best, or anti-American, at worst.

While reading this book, I toyed with the idea of initiating a similar boycott. Sometimes the rush of how great this would be swept over me. Mostly though, I was beleaguered with images of how much it would impact my life to not buy anything for an entire year.

As timing would have it, I finished reading the book around the end of October, 2006. Typically I am close to finished with my Christmas shopping by then, but alas, this was not the case this year. Many factors contributed to the delinquency in my Christmas shopping, among them was losing my job in the end of October (more about that later). Being unemployed, my "normal" frantic gift giving spree had to be scaled back. Scaling back in terms of money is almost synonymous with buying goods made in other countries, most notably third world countries. Doing so often allows us to purchase more stuff than we might have originally intended; and as most of us have had drilled into our heads as small children, more stuff equals more power, more respect, more rights and freedoms, more reasons to be popular and envied.

As I schlepped out to the stores in the frigid Windy City where I currently live, I was less than pleased to be buying gifts for my loved ones and often I was just as bitter and resentful as Levine was. I crafted elaborate plans around shopping...I thought of avoiding the issue altogether by accidentally sleeping through Christmas,or, giving handmade gifts to everyone; after all I'm unemployed so in theory I have the time. I staged eloquent scripts in the theater of my mind where I brought friends and family to tears with selfless (and sometimes selfish) reasons why we couldn't exchange gifts this year. I even invented creative lies. In the end though, I pissed and moaned while waiting on endless lines to buy "the perfect gift for the perfect someone" and I loathed almost every minute of the experience!

I'm not so sure that this boycott would have come to fruition if it weren't for the frustrations of Christmas shopping. "Timing," I've often heard people quip, "is everything!" Since I had so much time on my hands, I could afford to peruse the clearance racks (my best department store friends). I had time to debate the merits of what I was buying and make impulse purchases, analyze them three times and return any inferior purchase at my leisure. In many ways, this time on my hands was also my downfall.

Time on my hands meant I could scrutinize everything I bought, everything I thought about buying, every penny I spent. Time on my hands meant I could flip over a package or two, lift up the clothing labels, peer behind the shimmery gloss of new packaging and inquire about the origins of my new "perfect gift". Initially I thought this would be fun. Of course it was a fluke that almost everything I purchased was made in China. After all, I started shopping for my nephews first since they are so darn cute, and everyone knows baby stuff comes from China, I mean, where else would it come from?? Besides, most of the stuff I bought the kids came from the clearance sections of Target. I'm not so sure I analyzed the meaning behind that.

As I continued to purchase and return gifts, I started to notice a disconcerting trend, and no, it was not the sheer amount of gifts I was buying despite my lack of employment that bothered me, that feeling came later. The trend I noticed was that everything I was buying was cheap, both in relative quality and cost as well as made in a third world country. I began to have images in my head of children no older than my nephews making this trinkets, these soon to be forgotten about "perfect gifts". I was unsettled and growing increasingly disgruntled with the whole Christmas fiasco. A storm was brewing....

Getting Started

New Year's Resolutions come in many varieties, many of which are discarded with the Christmas trees by the middle of January at the latest. Fortunately, this is a resolution a long time in the making. It may seem completely asinine, utterly ridiculous and downright pointless (I've already been told some of these things and more) to issue a self-imposed ban on anything that will effect one's quality of life, especially when "no one is being harmed".

While I disagree that no one is being harmed (I believe the intense and seemingly endless whooshing sound of jobs being sent overseas will and are, having tremendous impacts all over the world, not just in America), and I try not to be the champion of lost causes, I do recognize that this seems to be a rather bizarre protest. China is after all, America's largest importer of everything from fortune cookies, to cheap plastic crap to high end technology baubles that I know nothing about.

Despite all of the goods we consume everyday, most of which are from China, we (my partner and I) have decided, after some reflection and contemplation, to deliberately forbid ourselves from purchasing anything made in China for one calender year. We aren't crazy (although we've been told that we are), we aren't financially well off (in fact, we're rather broke), we don't have a ton of time on our hands to scheme about inane ways to stay busy, we just thought it would be a good idea. The reasons for our boycott vary and they will be made known throughout the course of this blog, the consequences of our decisions are being felt already and the reactions we receive to this project are just as varied as the goods imported from China.

This project is not intended to lambaste China, nor is it intended to demonize a country, a way of life or a group of people. China is one of many (sometimes a seemingly endless vortex of) countries which are being exploited by consumerism. When discussing the possibility of undertaking this boycott, we tossed around many ideas....banning products from all first world countries other than America, banning all things not made in America (an ambiguous term at best, and a concept which I almost immediately discarded as it probably meant I'd never be able to go shopping for a year. Perish the thought!)even banning only selected countries. The possibilities of the boycott are endless and they seemed overwhelming from the get go. We even discussed trashing the whole idea altogether. In the end though, we both feel it is a good idea to do this, even if the only lives it effects are our own. Ultimately the choice to ban made in China products stemmed from a variety of reasons, some of which are practical, some of which are downright selfish, all of which I hope will be explored this year and throughout this blog.

I hope that people will read this and give me their uncensored reactions. This is an undertaking which will stir up intense feelings, ideas and controversies. I think it is safe to say that neither my partner nor myself fully know what we are getting ourselves into, and it has already been a bumpy ride. We'd like to invite you along....