We all have a lot of stuff. George Carlin has a famous monologue on the subject. Americans love stuff. Our entire culture, if you can call it one, and economy is based on our acquisition of it. Recently we've been getting blamed for the slow recovery, because apparently we aren't buying enough of it. Well, we knew that eventually the power brokers would find a way to deflect from their own criminal mismanagement and rapacious self-interest.
I don't know about you, but I have enough stuff. There's no more room to put it. I'm tired of seeing big box stores getting built and schools getting torn down. I'm tired of spending my taxes on all the stuff the military needs, and I'm tired of my stuff being taxed to pay for Big Oil transporting stuff and Big Ag stuffing it down our throats.
Fine. Let's slow down the recovery even more, and turn this behemoth that's been bearing us towards disaster away from the consumptive, extractive economy. Let's stop buying stuff.
Take the pledge with me for a NoBuyFebruary. If you don't need it to live, don't buy it. Taken to extremes, this means only buy groceries, because I'm guessing you have plenty of clothes, and you certainly don't need any more dust catchers. If you can make it at home, you can't buy it. Coffee. Meals. I'm including electronic expenditures, too, so that means no Kindle books or online subscriptions. Just go for a month without spending any money that you don't have to spend. No fair using the last 5 days of January to go on a buying binge either.
February is a short month. Take the pledge. Just 28 days to Just Say No to consumerism. Live with and on what you've already got.
Posts
1 week ago
I will take your challenge! It wont be hard for me at all!
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you should bring this up. Just yesterday our younger daughter told us that she'd bought nothing that wasn't necessary since the first of the year. And when she says not necessary, she means it. She's 28 and she's always been the thrifty one in the family (after her father).
ReplyDeleteI just might be able to do this. I'll have to think about it some more. This is quite a challenge for someone like me!
Me, too, Kylie. I'm a terrible impulse purchaser, and I already know I'm going to be needing stuff for seed starting! But I'm committed.
ReplyDeleteBuy what you need to live. But leave those cute shoes on the shelf.
ReplyDeleteIt will be a tough challenge as it comes during chick buying and seed purchasing month and just before the Real Food Challenge starts back up. But you know I'm all for it! I've got a long post about "Crap" over at Unearthing this Life and will be sharing this at Not Dabbling on Friday as well! Thanks for getting this going, Xan. This is a good one!
ReplyDeleteI would put seed purchasing, chicks and other long-term inventory purchases for business or food preservation in the "need" category. And it's also a way to look at our expenditures and really think about what we need, and what we just want.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea - I've begun this month, so will stretch it through February. Who knows? Maybe through most of the year!
ReplyDeleteI'm in :) though I confess I've already bought the girls' Valentine Treats and cards.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! A couple years ago Mr Chiots and I did this for an entire year, it was tough, but by the end of the year we were changed people (and much wealthier too). It's a great way to break that cycle of "I need _____" when we have perfectly good stuff at home already. It's also great because it broke that cycle for us of going shopping to entertainment, so we saved tons on gas & tons of time!
ReplyDeleteSince that time we've relaxed a little, but we still find ourselves living so much more simply and enjoying our lives so much more.
I'll take the challenge, I'll refrain from buying stuff I don't need, but I also want to focus on finding more small local businesses to buy the things I actually need from. Sometimes I buy from the health food store or the co-op because it's convenient and cheaper.
I'm also going to try to spend my month getting rid of stuff I don't need (mostly stuff purchased before we starting doing this).
Great idea Xan, can't wait to hear about everyone's progress!
Oh yeah, I was just reading Jennifer's blog and thought:
ReplyDeletePerhaps we could all keep track of the money we don't spend in Feb and invest it or donate it to charity at the end of the month.
LOVE this idea!!
ReplyDelete@CR- I'll figure out how to put a ticker on the side bar and we can keep track-- the question is, how do you write down what you *didn't* buy-- hey! $40,000 because I passed up that Lexus! ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm in too. I am a terrible impulse buyer and I spend hours awake at night worried about money and overwhelmed when I walk through my front door because of the clutter everywhere. I want to do this sooooo much. Thanks
ReplyDeleteFound this challenge from Not Dabbling and I'm in! I also need to purge our stuff- especially the kid's rooms. I keep saving stuff for consignment, ebay, ect. and never get to it. It's about time now! Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI am willing to give this a try, and see where we end up, we keep it lean as it is, but this will bring it home, I have a very good idea of what we do spend, so should be able to get a good idea of what we didn't spend by the end of the month.
ReplyDeleteI am on a farm and will also include seeds/farm critter requirements into the "need" area.
I'm in, too. Dining out is our biggest ridiculous expenditure, and it's really all due to laziness or the "I'm too tired to cook" standoff (which happens more than I care to admit). I know we'll need groceries, of course, but also gas for the car (I have no commute options for work), chicken feed and to pay medical bills (we're undergoing infertility treatments). I'd better run and buy birthday cards for my dad and grandma tonight!) I look forward to breaking the conumserism habit. Thanks for this great idea!
ReplyDeleteLisa, Jenny, farmgal, and Amy- Welcome!
ReplyDeleteI'm in (well, the whole family, really). We may need to negotiate the hubby's birthday, but we'll get past it.
ReplyDeleteI am going to try this - lately my spending habits have been way too loose. I am exciting for how this might change my way of thinking!
ReplyDelete