Free Rice!

This is a great idea! Improve your vocabulary while helping to end world hunger. It is a project of Poverty.com, which according to its website "was created for all people around the world who want to end poverty." Warning - it is addictive!

To Buy or Not to Buy

With the holidays approaching it's hard not to get caught up in the buying frenzy. For those of us who shun the massive shopping orgy, there are alternatives like buying handmade gifts from local artists and giving donations to non-profit organizations. But what about the idea of not spending money at all but still experiencing the excitement of finding just the right present for your mother? How about swapping your unused or gently-used stuff for other people's stuff that you can give as gifts. Or having a craft-o-rama party where crafts people teach each other how to make cool things from items around your house. I'm interested to hear about other ideas people have for no-cost holiday gifts. Let me know!

Re-Visiting "The Cycle of Stuff"

The last Idea Rodeo issue, "The Cycle of Stuff," looked at ways to lessen our impact on the planet by buying used items and finding free stuff through freecycle and free stores.

You can read Jeanne Kuntz's story, "Garage Sailing," at the Idea Rodeo website, documenting her fun and eco-friendly yard sale adventures. Jeanne has a recently re-designed website, Yoga Salad, that has more environmentally responsible and fun ideas.

My first ever blog!

I am resurrecting Idea Rodeo as a blog! I think it will be easier to maintain than a full-blown website so here goes.