Another way to abandon Amazon and Apple and all the big corps: Bookshop.org just launched ebooks! So now we can get ebooks that support independent bookstores. Not an old way, but probably a better way to do a new thing!
It sounds kind of silly to say this, because it feels like such a small thing, but I've been going for walks without my phone. I've never been a big podcast or chatting on the phone person, but just the weight of it in my pocket was distracting enough on walks. If I got a text, I would check it immediately, even if it wasn't important, or if I saw a pretty bird I would take a picture even though I have 1,000 similar photos already. Without my phone, it's just me, the birds, the lake, and the trees, and I find that I pay attention to everything more when I don't have a possible distraction sitting in my pocket.
I leave my phone in the house when I walk the dogs. It really bothers me to see people walk their dogs and not pay any attention to their animals. I talk to the dogs, the birds, the Universe. I usually sing a Poop Song (any song with You can easily become a Poop Song.)
I guess it isn't a new old habit, but we still get the print newspaper on the weekends, which feels very old-fashioned these days. I love that I discover stories I’d never get served on any algorithm. Also, big hearts for replacing resistance with resilience. That feels more meaningful and sustainable to me right now.
I also find less cognitive dissonance in the print paper: All the lifestyle stuff in one place and world news in another. Sometimes my brain can't handle the homepage of nytimes.com -- reporting on genocide next to a piece on whether lemon water is healthy?!?
I love this. It's also why I'm absolutely advocating for still learning cursive and writing sensitive things by hand--no undeletable internet trail! *she says, on the internet*
Learning cursive is also be essential for us to continue to understand history. I read a story about college students who can't read primary sources because they have no experience reading handwritten script.
Yes! I was talking with my 8yo the other day about the value of writing things by hand, and he admitted "I think about words differently" when he's not on a computer. Which research has shown is true! There's so much value to our brains in doing things by hand. Plus, who doesn't love getting REAL mail?!
My mum is a retired counselor and her thing is always always writing things down - when you do so, the words/thoughts travel out of your brain, down your arm and onto the paper and then you can really get a better sense of them.
Oh man, writing letters has been one of the single most enjoyable things I've started doing lately. And I love it when my kiddos ask for a notebook to "take notes in"--even if it's just plans for their future Minecraft builds (or in the 5yo's case: scribbles that are "very detailed notes" on things).
I started using this one a while ago--just at a very casual pace to kind of refresh my memory, and even just a little of the practice goes a surprisingly long way!
Yes! My boys are 20 & 22 so learned cursive in 4th grade but didn’t really have to use it after. Signing their names on a document is a literal stop and think moment. It doesn’t just come naturally because they did not have the repetition of using cursive.
Right? It’s a use it or lose it skill—even after doing all for 4th grade myself in cursive only, I still forgot a lot. But there are some great handbooks out there for brushing up skills, so I’ve been trying those!
We are famous among our friend group because our toddler uses a portable DVD player for his (limited) screen time.
Our logic:
-I had seen my nieces and nephews always demanding different shows on the iPad which is its own kind of disruptive, so we jokingly call the DVD player "the Elmo machine" since it contains one Sesame Street DVD
-Kids like repetition -- no complaints from our toddler on the Elmo on repeat
-No concerns with bad Internet or having to download stuff in advance
-No access to YouTube
-No kids tv on our main television -- we wanted something we could "put away" so the siren call of TV wasn't always front and center on our wall
-ETA: No touch screen
Our kid loves cars, so we recently bought Cars on DVD. $20 got us all three Cars movies instead of one month of Disney+, so it may end up being economical as well.
I love this so much. When I was in New York City recently, I took myself on an Artist's Date to see the excellent Alvin Ailey exhibit at The Whitney (there until Feb 9!): https://whitney.org/exhibitions/edges-of-ailey. There were so many amazing artifacts from his life in the exhibit, including handwritten notes to himself, postcards he wrote to Langston Hughes, etc. I'm doubling down on writing in journals and sending more cards via US mail this year!
We are gearing up for our second annual "Mail Something Every Day in February" tradition. It can be anything; a postcard, a hat pin, a prism or a two dollar bill. We were delighted with the response we got from friends who mailed something back. (But if they just sent a text, they're not on the list this year.)
Similar to the NPR news on the actual radio, I find the Up First podcast to be a nice tidy NPR update without too much commentary that adds to my building anxiety around ALL THIS.
Sorry just needed a light moment in this truly horrific time. The flight crash is such a metaphor for this week. I’m switching off my phone after this to try and read. My anxiety is sadly fever pitch.
I’m very interested in hearing more how people avoid Amazon. I had been using a big box stores and a step away from Amazon, but would like to cut that down also.
Mostly, I just don't buy the thing whatever it is or purchase it locally, but I will think about if there's enough interesting things to say in a future post.
I would love to hear more on avoiding Amazon too. I am able to do it EXCEPT for one big exception. Grocery delivery. Their delivery has honestly changed my life. It’s convenient, delivered in paper bags unlike my local store that would drop off in plastic bags with only 1 or 2 items in each bag, rarely gets anything wrong unlike instacart, good prices, etc etc. With small children and both of us working full time, it has been an absolute game changer for us. However, I absolutely don’t want to support Bezos/Amazon so I know I need to stop. Do I just have to come to terms with the fact that I need to deal with the inconvenience of shopping in person to align my values with my grocery shopping or has anyone found a good alternative? Thanks!
Yes! I’ve switched to daily news via podcast or radio in the morning in an effort to control the emotional response to the news. And if I have the energy, a news newsletter in the evening to digest.
Some downsides of cash: it’s unsafe - these smaller stores you mention also run the risk of being robbed. More cash increases this risk. Also, cash isn’t ‘free’ either - there’s cost to getting cash and depositing it. Lastly, cash is often used by stores who want to dodge paying taxes. I fully agree on spending more locally, not using the apps etc, but I don’t think your argument on using cash has anything to do with that. You can shop locally and still pay by card 💁🏼♀️
Yes, fair points, re: taxes, but I do think the fears about it being "unsafe" may be overblown in most places (as a lot of fear about crime is today). Businesses don't stop using cash because they are being robbed by strangers: It's sadly because their own underpaid employees are taking money from the till. This is a problem that could perhaps be addressed by paying employees a living wage. When you do hear/read about retail theft, it's goods that are being stolen, not cash. So yes, shop locally however you can!
I was on here to post exactly this! Thank you for highlighting this issue with cash. I do use cash when working with small business when they have posted a sign indicating it is helpful, but just as many of my local business prefer to be cashless (likely because it simplifies taxes and payroll, which are usually automated by their POS). Also, I do not think the safety issue with cash is overblown. I have personally known multiple people who have been robbed because they worked as bartenders, waiters, and food truck vendors. People who deal with cash are absolutely targeted.
Side point: I’d love to hear more about how you have been able to move away from Amazon purchasing.
Love this post, love all the ideas in the comments! 🥰 Something I’ve been looking for is a way to trade greeting cards/stationery with other people. Does this exist?
I’ve amassed a sizable collection of greeting cards (and postcards) for all occasions and— while I do love sending snail mail— I can’t use all of the cards myself! Has anyone heard of a, idk a card club (?) or something like a chain letter but you’re swapping (blank) greeting cards with other people through the mail? I have a vague memory of doing this with mailing stickers to friends in middle school in the 90s. Anyways, if anyone has seen something like this (or has ideas about how to start a club??), I’m all ears! ☺️
A club sounds fun, but it sounds like what you might need is a fun way to give it away, rather than trade? Maybe you could send people you love a gift of a packet of greeting and post cards? You could host a party to swap stationary, if you think you have other friends with a sizable collection: I keep meaning to do that for coffee table and cookbooks.
I have decided to call people on the phone and actually talking to them. Rather than having a weird super long, hard to read (no voice inflection and misspelling too) back and forth text. Some conversations just need to be had on the phone or in person.
I’m struggling with the ebooks thing as well. I mostly borrow and kindle and print books from the library but if I buy a book, it’s an ebook from Amazon (I don’t have an iPad and don’t love reading on my phone for very long). But also I’m now a published author (Yay!) as part of a crime fiction anthology and we self-published the book, which means it pretty much only sells on Amazon. My future fiction writing plans also involve self-publishing so, for now, I can’t completely divorce myself from Amazon. I bought something in there for the first time in months, so small improvement at least! I used to have prime and my daughter and I would have packages frequently arriving. I have started finding things on Amazon and then looking up the actual consonant websites and ordering directly from them. I may pay more for shipping (or sometimes a little more for the product) and have to wait a few extra days, but I’d rather support the small business directly.
One thing I did a few years ago is start banking with Aspiration bank (actually a banking product from Coastal Bank out of Oregon). It’s online checking and savings with a eco-friendly focus. They plant trees with your debit purchases and give cash back for shopping with sustainable brands, and no funding of oil, etc like many of the big banks.
I love the idea of using cash, though. I’m a small business owner myself and I hate seeing those client credit card fees taken out of my income. So I’m going to make an effort to start using more cash myself.
I added up how many ebooks I actually bought last year and just decided I could afford myself the luxury of the real books in 2025. Do you use the Libby app? If not, you must check it out: A total gamechanger for us Kindle users.
I have the Libby app on my phone and have read from the app directly once but otherwise borrow the kindle version. I need to put it on my kindle and read the books in Libby if I can.
I try to avoid Amazon as much as possible for books. (They also own Abe books). I recently lucked out and found the used book I wanted on Alibris.com and it was being sold by a local person. I was able to avoid shipping waste, avoid Amazon, pay a lower price, and buy locally! Felt great!
As a self professed luddite (mostly since I'm here obviously) I agree with a lot of this sentiment. There is something so tangible about cash, a newspaper, an actual book etc. Teaching my girls to budget, cash is definitely helpful as they see it leaving their hands and the amount depleting.
For those who need to build credit for future home or car purchases, using a credit card is unfortunately necessary. And how unfair that when you payoff a car or mortgage your credit takes a hit
Yes, people still need credit cards, for large purchases, online items, and to build credit, and I plan to get my kid a card to start building credit when the time is right to learn that prat of personal finances. That said: I wouldn't worry about the credit score taking a dip after paying off a big loan. It shouldn't push you down into a lower tier, and if you paid off your home, you're not likely to need credit any time soon in the best possible way.
Another way to abandon Amazon and Apple and all the big corps: Bookshop.org just launched ebooks! So now we can get ebooks that support independent bookstores. Not an old way, but probably a better way to do a new thing!
Sadly their e-books are not available for Kindle readers, but if you read on iPad or phone a major win! My friend wrote a great piece about Bookshop for Inc that came out this week: https://www.inc.com/christine-lagorio/bookshop-achieved-the-impossible-against-amazon-now-its-coming-for-e-books/91110202
Reading it now!
Love Bookshop.org!
Me too! A great example of how we CAN do things differently.
It sounds kind of silly to say this, because it feels like such a small thing, but I've been going for walks without my phone. I've never been a big podcast or chatting on the phone person, but just the weight of it in my pocket was distracting enough on walks. If I got a text, I would check it immediately, even if it wasn't important, or if I saw a pretty bird I would take a picture even though I have 1,000 similar photos already. Without my phone, it's just me, the birds, the lake, and the trees, and I find that I pay attention to everything more when I don't have a possible distraction sitting in my pocket.
YES to this. Small action but such a big impact.
Yes! I'm also going for walks with zero inputs and leaving my phone behind makes this so much easier.
I leave my phone in the house when I walk the dogs. It really bothers me to see people walk their dogs and not pay any attention to their animals. I talk to the dogs, the birds, the Universe. I usually sing a Poop Song (any song with You can easily become a Poop Song.)
I guess it isn't a new old habit, but we still get the print newspaper on the weekends, which feels very old-fashioned these days. I love that I discover stories I’d never get served on any algorithm. Also, big hearts for replacing resistance with resilience. That feels more meaningful and sustainable to me right now.
I also find less cognitive dissonance in the print paper: All the lifestyle stuff in one place and world news in another. Sometimes my brain can't handle the homepage of nytimes.com -- reporting on genocide next to a piece on whether lemon water is healthy?!?
"You're living through a coup. Here's what you should know before you buy a sweater shaver." Agreed.
I love this. It's also why I'm absolutely advocating for still learning cursive and writing sensitive things by hand--no undeletable internet trail! *she says, on the internet*
Learning cursive is also be essential for us to continue to understand history. I read a story about college students who can't read primary sources because they have no experience reading handwritten script.
Exactly! Also, it's fun! :D
Yes! I was talking with my 8yo the other day about the value of writing things by hand, and he admitted "I think about words differently" when he's not on a computer. Which research has shown is true! There's so much value to our brains in doing things by hand. Plus, who doesn't love getting REAL mail?!
Yes, there is tons of research that we write and think differently when we do it with our hands on paper.
My mum is a retired counselor and her thing is always always writing things down - when you do so, the words/thoughts travel out of your brain, down your arm and onto the paper and then you can really get a better sense of them.
Oh man, writing letters has been one of the single most enjoyable things I've started doing lately. And I love it when my kiddos ask for a notebook to "take notes in"--even if it's just plans for their future Minecraft builds (or in the 5yo's case: scribbles that are "very detailed notes" on things).
My 9yo hates writing by hand, this motivates me to encourage him to do it more for fun, not just for dreaded schoolwork.
love it. I have terrible handwriting, and it's a goal of mine to learn to write beautiful cursive.
I started using this one a while ago--just at a very casual pace to kind of refresh my memory, and even just a little of the practice goes a surprisingly long way!
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-art-of-cursive-penmanship-michael-r-sull/1127292188?ean=9781510730526
Oh, and this book is lovely treatise on handwriting things and why it's important! https://bookshop.org/p/books/write-for-your-life-anna-quindlen/17322950
My goal is to just be able to print the way I used to in high school!! :)
Yes! My boys are 20 & 22 so learned cursive in 4th grade but didn’t really have to use it after. Signing their names on a document is a literal stop and think moment. It doesn’t just come naturally because they did not have the repetition of using cursive.
Right? It’s a use it or lose it skill—even after doing all for 4th grade myself in cursive only, I still forgot a lot. But there are some great handbooks out there for brushing up skills, so I’ve been trying those!
As a genealogist, the importance of being able to read and interpret cursive styles through the ages is critical.
Good point: Not just contemporary cursive but older styles too. I even struggles sometimes to read old handwriting.
We are famous among our friend group because our toddler uses a portable DVD player for his (limited) screen time.
Our logic:
-I had seen my nieces and nephews always demanding different shows on the iPad which is its own kind of disruptive, so we jokingly call the DVD player "the Elmo machine" since it contains one Sesame Street DVD
-Kids like repetition -- no complaints from our toddler on the Elmo on repeat
-No concerns with bad Internet or having to download stuff in advance
-No access to YouTube
-No kids tv on our main television -- we wanted something we could "put away" so the siren call of TV wasn't always front and center on our wall
-ETA: No touch screen
Our kid loves cars, so we recently bought Cars on DVD. $20 got us all three Cars movies instead of one month of Disney+, so it may end up being economical as well.
We use an old school CD playing with radio (no Bluetooth collection) in my kids room and LOVE it!
I love this so much. When I was in New York City recently, I took myself on an Artist's Date to see the excellent Alvin Ailey exhibit at The Whitney (there until Feb 9!): https://whitney.org/exhibitions/edges-of-ailey. There were so many amazing artifacts from his life in the exhibit, including handwritten notes to himself, postcards he wrote to Langston Hughes, etc. I'm doubling down on writing in journals and sending more cards via US mail this year!
This sounds like an amazing exhibit: How am I only hearing about it 10 days before it closes! Thank you!
You're most welcome! I hope you get a chance to see it before it closes. I adored it.
I have always been SUCH a grinch about cash and your argument here was really thought-provoking for me!
Glad to get you thinking!
We are gearing up for our second annual "Mail Something Every Day in February" tradition. It can be anything; a postcard, a hat pin, a prism or a two dollar bill. We were delighted with the response we got from friends who mailed something back. (But if they just sent a text, they're not on the list this year.)
What a fun idea. You might enjoy this essay by an artist/crafter I know who made odd mail into her own art form: https://www.kiera-coffee.com/stylist_target-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-2-1
Similar to the NPR news on the actual radio, I find the Up First podcast to be a nice tidy NPR update without too much commentary that adds to my building anxiety around ALL THIS.
What’s ALL THIS?
Sorry just needed a light moment in this truly horrific time. The flight crash is such a metaphor for this week. I’m switching off my phone after this to try and read. My anxiety is sadly fever pitch.
I'll check it out! Thanks!
I’m very interested in hearing more how people avoid Amazon. I had been using a big box stores and a step away from Amazon, but would like to cut that down also.
Mostly, I just don't buy the thing whatever it is or purchase it locally, but I will think about if there's enough interesting things to say in a future post.
I would love to hear more on avoiding Amazon too. I am able to do it EXCEPT for one big exception. Grocery delivery. Their delivery has honestly changed my life. It’s convenient, delivered in paper bags unlike my local store that would drop off in plastic bags with only 1 or 2 items in each bag, rarely gets anything wrong unlike instacart, good prices, etc etc. With small children and both of us working full time, it has been an absolute game changer for us. However, I absolutely don’t want to support Bezos/Amazon so I know I need to stop. Do I just have to come to terms with the fact that I need to deal with the inconvenience of shopping in person to align my values with my grocery shopping or has anyone found a good alternative? Thanks!
This is helpful and tangible. Thank you!
Yes! I’ve switched to daily news via podcast or radio in the morning in an effort to control the emotional response to the news. And if I have the energy, a news newsletter in the evening to digest.
We're all doing what we can to preserve our energy for the important stuff ❤️.
Some downsides of cash: it’s unsafe - these smaller stores you mention also run the risk of being robbed. More cash increases this risk. Also, cash isn’t ‘free’ either - there’s cost to getting cash and depositing it. Lastly, cash is often used by stores who want to dodge paying taxes. I fully agree on spending more locally, not using the apps etc, but I don’t think your argument on using cash has anything to do with that. You can shop locally and still pay by card 💁🏼♀️
Yes, fair points, re: taxes, but I do think the fears about it being "unsafe" may be overblown in most places (as a lot of fear about crime is today). Businesses don't stop using cash because they are being robbed by strangers: It's sadly because their own underpaid employees are taking money from the till. This is a problem that could perhaps be addressed by paying employees a living wage. When you do hear/read about retail theft, it's goods that are being stolen, not cash. So yes, shop locally however you can!
Very fair point too!!
I was on here to post exactly this! Thank you for highlighting this issue with cash. I do use cash when working with small business when they have posted a sign indicating it is helpful, but just as many of my local business prefer to be cashless (likely because it simplifies taxes and payroll, which are usually automated by their POS). Also, I do not think the safety issue with cash is overblown. I have personally known multiple people who have been robbed because they worked as bartenders, waiters, and food truck vendors. People who deal with cash are absolutely targeted.
Side point: I’d love to hear more about how you have been able to move away from Amazon purchasing.
Love this post, love all the ideas in the comments! 🥰 Something I’ve been looking for is a way to trade greeting cards/stationery with other people. Does this exist?
I’ve amassed a sizable collection of greeting cards (and postcards) for all occasions and— while I do love sending snail mail— I can’t use all of the cards myself! Has anyone heard of a, idk a card club (?) or something like a chain letter but you’re swapping (blank) greeting cards with other people through the mail? I have a vague memory of doing this with mailing stickers to friends in middle school in the 90s. Anyways, if anyone has seen something like this (or has ideas about how to start a club??), I’m all ears! ☺️
A club sounds fun, but it sounds like what you might need is a fun way to give it away, rather than trade? Maybe you could send people you love a gift of a packet of greeting and post cards? You could host a party to swap stationary, if you think you have other friends with a sizable collection: I keep meaning to do that for coffee table and cookbooks.
Ooh dang I love both these ideas! (either culling my collection or swapping to get new cards Haha!) Thanks Laura! 💌
I have decided to call people on the phone and actually talking to them. Rather than having a weird super long, hard to read (no voice inflection and misspelling too) back and forth text. Some conversations just need to be had on the phone or in person.
Yes, yes, yes! You might like Jeff Waldman's post about calling friends: https://jeffwaldman.substack.com/p/who-are-all-these-friends-scheduled
I’m struggling with the ebooks thing as well. I mostly borrow and kindle and print books from the library but if I buy a book, it’s an ebook from Amazon (I don’t have an iPad and don’t love reading on my phone for very long). But also I’m now a published author (Yay!) as part of a crime fiction anthology and we self-published the book, which means it pretty much only sells on Amazon. My future fiction writing plans also involve self-publishing so, for now, I can’t completely divorce myself from Amazon. I bought something in there for the first time in months, so small improvement at least! I used to have prime and my daughter and I would have packages frequently arriving. I have started finding things on Amazon and then looking up the actual consonant websites and ordering directly from them. I may pay more for shipping (or sometimes a little more for the product) and have to wait a few extra days, but I’d rather support the small business directly.
One thing I did a few years ago is start banking with Aspiration bank (actually a banking product from Coastal Bank out of Oregon). It’s online checking and savings with a eco-friendly focus. They plant trees with your debit purchases and give cash back for shopping with sustainable brands, and no funding of oil, etc like many of the big banks.
I love the idea of using cash, though. I’m a small business owner myself and I hate seeing those client credit card fees taken out of my income. So I’m going to make an effort to start using more cash myself.
I added up how many ebooks I actually bought last year and just decided I could afford myself the luxury of the real books in 2025. Do you use the Libby app? If not, you must check it out: A total gamechanger for us Kindle users.
I have the Libby app on my phone and have read from the app directly once but otherwise borrow the kindle version. I need to put it on my kindle and read the books in Libby if I can.
I try to avoid Amazon as much as possible for books. (They also own Abe books). I recently lucked out and found the used book I wanted on Alibris.com and it was being sold by a local person. I was able to avoid shipping waste, avoid Amazon, pay a lower price, and buy locally! Felt great!
As a self professed luddite (mostly since I'm here obviously) I agree with a lot of this sentiment. There is something so tangible about cash, a newspaper, an actual book etc. Teaching my girls to budget, cash is definitely helpful as they see it leaving their hands and the amount depleting.
For those who need to build credit for future home or car purchases, using a credit card is unfortunately necessary. And how unfair that when you payoff a car or mortgage your credit takes a hit
Yes, people still need credit cards, for large purchases, online items, and to build credit, and I plan to get my kid a card to start building credit when the time is right to learn that prat of personal finances. That said: I wouldn't worry about the credit score taking a dip after paying off a big loan. It shouldn't push you down into a lower tier, and if you paid off your home, you're not likely to need credit any time soon in the best possible way.