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Buy Nothing Month

It is a combination of

  1. my Christmas bills. I am so thankful I could pay my credit card bill this week.
  2. my deep desire to travel later this year, but no current savings.
  3. my distaste for culture's (my) lighthearted consumerism.
  4. curiousity. Which kills the cat, I know.
From January 16- February 16, I am having "Buy Nothing" month!

The exceptions:
  1. food.
  2. necessities I run out of (ie, "I have no toothpaste" is okay, "Hey, toothpaste is on sale. Let's buy 7!" is not).
  3. haircut (It's prescheduled for the 12th).
  4. gifts for other people.


I think that's it.
Hopefully I won't try adding more exceptions.
Hopefully I won't forget and buy something before I remember. You'd think this unlikely, but I find(found) it often happens(happened) when I fast(ed).*



*all those tense substitutions are a reminder that I don't really remember the last time I fasted. Which is, as always, a topic for another post. Now I'm going to be mulling that over too. As if there are not enough things on my mind these days. Gah.
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Comments

  1. Ariana12:35 PM

    I support this endeavor. Every month is Buy Nothing Month at my house, bahaha. (I actually run into the most trouble buying gifts for other people, I find.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aimee12:37 PM

    This is fantastic, friend! Although I wish I could do this by choice, and not by force. When your student loan disbursement check is late in showing up (like...three weeks late...) even toothpaste starts to feel like a luxury.

    Don't worry. I'm not starving. And my oral hygiene is still top notch :) But I do have a question: Where do "coffee shop purchases" fit in? Can cups of coffee or tea bought/consumed outside the house still considerd "food"?! In my mind, the goal takes on a whole new ascetic meaning if buying tea is not allowed...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Suzanne2:52 PM

    I suppose it's better to have a lot on your mind than nothing at all. :)

    I like this. Someday I will try this. Looking forward to an update on how it went

    ReplyDelete
  4. Beth9:19 PM

    ariana - you're a gift buyer? i can totally see that, actually.

    aimee - DON'T STARVE!!! um, coffee/tea... this is a good question. I think the rule is going to be only in groups - I hadn't planned on cutting out social events. Which may be the next month!

    suz - sometimes I wish I had nothing on my mind. but other times, I'm quite glad I'm a thinker...

    ReplyDelete

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