a peek inside the fishbowl

In the time you spend on social media each year, you could read 200 books https://t.co/4Ssa5mMQDG via @qz pic.twitter.com/OV7l8WFHKx

— Canada Council (@CanadaCouncil) March 2, 2017

• The biggest threat facing middle-age men isn’t smoking or obesity. It’s loneliness, bostonglobe.com
• [Is social media] a blessing or curse? j-source.ca
• News site makes readers answer questions to prove they understand story before posting comments, independent.co.uk
• How music is being used to treat autism, theguardian.com
• How the World’s Heaviest Man Lost It All, gq.com

Some of my Facebook friends already know this, but I wanted to share the news here as well.

For the past year and a bit I have been secretly toiling away on a special project.

Longtime Fishbowl readers will be familiar with a family challenge I issued and undertook a handful of times starting back in 2006; we called it the Shopping Embargo. The Embargo is essentially about curbing impulse shopping and being mindful about the things we did buy. We’d pick a period of time (usually one or two months right after Christmas) and refrain from making unnecessary purchases for the duration. Well, on the tenth anniversary of the Embargo, Mark and I decided to challenge ourselves to a Shopping Embargo for an entire year.

YES. All of 2016!

While we were busy avoiding the siren song of the mall, I wrote about our experience and what we were going through at the time to form the basis of an e-book: what worked, what didn’t, what my triggers are, where we slipped up and what helped me climb back on the wagon. I learned so much about myself during this process. I know I’m not the only one who is overwhelmed by the STUFF we have accumulated over the years. I know I’m not the only one who hates storing and organizing and dusting all of this stuff. I know I’m not the only one who heads to the mall when I’m feeling crappy, or feels pressure to look a certain way at the office (with matching accessories, of course!). I also know how much money we can save by being a little bit more mindful about how we spend our hard-earned money.

I wrote every day (more or less) for the entire year. In fact, I am still writing! My hope is that the book will serve as a guide for people who want to shave down their personal debt and live a little lighter on the planet. I believe it will help people reevaluate their relationship with their belongings and shift a few of the dollars from items that will eventually just end up in a landfill to more meaningful pursuits. 

I have a quickie giveaway for Toronto area folks! My friends at Rethink Tires have given me a pair of tickets to Canada Blooms to give away to one Fishbowl reader.

Did you know Canada Blooms is the largest flower and garden show in Canada? I’ve always wanted to go but have never had the opportunity. But YOU do!

Throw your hat in the ring by leaving a comment below. Just for fun, I’d love to know what kind of thing interests you the most about garden shows. Landscaping ideas? Learning from the experts? Floral design? Learning about new cultivars? Or maybe you just want a taste of spring? :)

Interested? Please read the following before entering:

• This giveaway is for a pair of tickets to Canada Blooms (March 10-19) and will be awarded to one winner. Please make sure you can attend before entering.
• One entry per email address, please!
• This giveaway is void where prohibited by law.
• If you can’t post your comment for whatever reason you can email it to me for posting at andrea at quietfish dot com. Please note, I cannot be responsible if your entry is misdirected or gets stuck in my Spam folder.

I will draw one name using Random.org at noon EST on Friday March 10, 2017. I’ll contact the winner via email, who can pick up the tickets at the “will call” desk at Canada Blooms.

If you’re attending Canada Blooms, be sure to visit the Rethink tires booth for some earth-friendly ideas, especially if you are looking to renovate your front or back yard this spring