In 2011, beyond necessities such as rent, utilities, gas, & food, I will not buy anything. Zip. Zilch. Nothing. No cute new shoes, no new mascara...nada. Because the truth of the matter is this – I don’t need anything. I have a closet full of clothes, plenty of extra shampoo & toothpaste in case I run out, and so much stuff in my apartment that I don’t know where to put it. I live in blessed abundance – all my needs are met – I want for nothing.
So the buying stops today and will remain halted for an entire year. No more new stuff. Unexpected needs will likely come up throughout the year, but that’s when my resourcefulness will have to kick in. A friend’s birthday? I’ll make them a card from my ample stock of craft supplies. Something break? I’ll fix it. Want to make waffles? I’ll borrow a waffle-maker from a friend.
The goal is to heal myself of the stinking entitlement of excess that I believe plagues the country and put us into economic woe. You may say I’m not being a good US citizen by supporting the retail industry, but I have to believe that being an educated, working, and voting tax-payer who volunteers and donates to charity has more positive impact on the national community than buying a new toaster. Besides, everything is made in China these days – buying that toaster only supports an economic dependency that’s going to bite us in the ass later in a big way.My hope is that the time I would be spending driving to stores or price comparing can now be spent writing & furthering my life goals. You know, the important stuff.
So here goes. My no frills, no purchasing year of inventiveness and creativity. Follow my blog now for all the tales of my adventure and feel free to leave any questions or challenges in the comments below. There are probably many things I haven’t thought of, but I’m confident I can figure them out as I go along.
After all, I have everything I need right here.
congrats! :)
ReplyDeleteI know a few people that took the same vow years ago, and a few that are still trying to keep up with it. You're in good company. :)
And if you haven't read about "No Impact Man", he's a very interesting read. :)
You can do it. All of us Americans can do it. If it is one thing this recession has taught many of us, is that we lived WAY outside our means and bought things we truly didn't need. Your resolution was mine last year and it paid off in a big way just a few weeks ago. Good luck, have fun and enjoy life!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the support! Fernando, I will have to check out that book. :) Another friend passed on this article about a group doing the same thing in San Francisco: http://www.good.is/post/the-compact/
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