Arduous, who I now want to invite to dinner because she’s an American living in London and she seems awfully nice (although I suppose she could be an axe murderer) wrote this lovely post about life post-Buy Nothing Year. I loved it. I’m hoping I get to that point.
One day.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Deciding the rules (a bit late, huh?)
Okay, so I’m at the point where I can say that I want to continue on this challenge, but I need to reassess what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. So, I started doing some research. There are lots and lots and lots of rules out there for people who want to stop buying, stop buying new, stop buying for a year, a month, or just cut down on their consumerism. I know that I want to:
- stop taking purchased goods for granted
- support local businesses/artists
- be aware of the consequences my purchases have on everything else—consumerism as an interdependent practice (fair trade? Organic? Flown here from Timbuktu? Could I support a local independent shop? Could I fix/mend/repair what I have instead? Will I even still want/use this later on?)
The problem is that I don’t know how best to do this. I think this started as a challenge to just spend less money. But, as much as I like being able to have a nice fat savings account, this isn’t about spending less. I’m willing to spend more on a handcrafted artisan piece or for organic food. It’s not really about keeping to a budget. It’s about the whole impact I have on everything else.
So where do I go from here? Do I change my challenge (and the name of my blog?) or add new rules?
The Rules from No Hippy Chick (a girl trying to be more environmentally-friendly in a fairly big leap
#1 Buy nothing except things you absolutely need to survive which would include: food, water and shelter.
This includes: no fast food, no new clothes, etc.
Exceptions: Materials may be purchased for DIY projects. (eg: If I really need a new skirt, I’m allowed to purchase the material to make my self one. This has two benefits: 1) I will only take the time to make something if I really, really need it and 2) It’ll be doubly-sweet because I made it. So win, win!
Things can be purchased second-handedly (I don’t think that’s a word, but whatev!)
#2 I must strive toward a zero waste goal. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that I will make it, but I have to at least try to find ways to reuse things, either by recycling, donating, etc…. This is where I’ll have to get creative!
#3 I have to blog about both my success and my failures, for an entire year!! That's my goal, one year! Otherwise, it wouldn’t be any fun!! =)
Rules, goals, plans and objectives.
1. no out-of-pocket spending on DVDs, CDs, Comic Books, Action Figures, Statues, Books (this means no spending cash, debit or credit card spending.
2. no using credit cards for purchases (wherever possible)2(a). any credit card purchases have to be accounted for in advance and paid off ASAP
3. the plan is to sift through existing collections and sell what I can, putting the money towards the house fund. I understand the markets for used DVDs, CDs and comics are pretty crappy and I won't get much for what I'm selling, and that I may be given the option to sell-in-trade. While the temptation would be to take the trade, it really has to be worth it (at least 50% more in trade than cash) and the store must have enough that I actually want.
4. I can work for trade.
5. (yes, this is a little early, but) no pre-buying/pre-ordering things for 2009 before 2009
6. I can receive gifts/gift certificates for BNY items, but shouldn't encourage them
7. acquisitions will be tracked
8. I can buy BNY items for other people (wife, stepson, friends) but only as gifts (birthdays, Xmas, etc.) and it will have to be something they *actually* want. I should strive to find gift items other than the BNY items.
9. Video/library rentals are okay, as are movies and theatre performances ("non-acquisition spending")
10. no substituting with pirate downloading (videos, music, comics)
These are the basics, the ten commandments, but I'm sure I'll need to narrow it down or expand it in the coming weeks.
BNY starts today.
From a musician who blogs every once in a while:
So lovelies, it’s been a while! I’m back to talk about my Buy Nothing New for a Year Project. Next month, it will have been one year since I started. It hardly seems possible! For those of you who are not familiar with this challenge. Here’s what I’ve restricted myself from doing…
No new stuff!
This includes,
· Clothes
· Gadgets
· Makeup
· Erroneous bath and shower products (can only buy what you NEED)
· No going to the hairdressers
· No furniture
· No housewares
· No new crap!
Here’s what I allowed myself to buy if I needed
· Food (of course)
· Secondhand goods from Charity Shops if I needed them
· Stuff from Freecycle if I needed it
· Items for my trades, (strings, gems, beads, ect)
· Things you can’t buy used (lightbulbs, panties, ect)
So I did pretty well. Did I actually go an entire year without buying anything new? Not really. Here’s what I cheated on:
· I bought a new lappy before I came over to the UK to live. Truly that falls under the needed for work thing, but I could have bought a used one again but I didn’t.
· I bought some lipstick because I ran out.
· Some of the things we needed after the move were bought by Steve
· I had my hair cut before I left the US, but I didn’t know back then that it wasn’t allowed (since then it’s been cut by Steve)
Yesterday, Amelia asked me in the comments what exactly I was and was not consuming.Since I've been making up my rules the best way I see fit, I figured it was worth clarifying what I can and cannot do. While I looked to The Compact and Colin at No Impact Man for inspiration, my rules are slightly different.
The No Impact Experiment
The way I see it, waiting for the senators and the CEOs to change the way we treat the world is taking too long. Polar bears are already drowning because the polar ice is melting. In fact, research shows it’s worse: they are so hungry, they are actually starting to eat each other.
- stop taking purchased goods for granted
- support local businesses/artists
- be aware of the consequences my purchases have on everything else—consumerism as an interdependent practice (fair trade? Organic? Flown here from Timbuktu? Could I support a local independent shop? Could I fix/mend/repair what I have instead? Will I even still want/use this later on?)
The problem is that I don’t know how best to do this. I think this started as a challenge to just spend less money. But, as much as I like being able to have a nice fat savings account, this isn’t about spending less. I’m willing to spend more on a handcrafted artisan piece or for organic food. It’s not really about keeping to a budget. It’s about the whole impact I have on everything else.
So where do I go from here? Do I change my challenge (and the name of my blog?) or add new rules?
Here are LOTS and LOTS of rules for inspiration.
Please help!!! Any and all suggestions/comments/criticisms/lists of rules/tips would be greatly appreciated.
///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///* ///*///*The Rules from No Hippy Chick (a girl trying to be more environmentally-friendly in a fairly big leap
#1 Buy nothing except things you absolutely need to survive which would include: food, water and shelter.
This includes: no fast food, no new clothes, etc.
Exceptions: Materials may be purchased for DIY projects. (eg: If I really need a new skirt, I’m allowed to purchase the material to make my self one. This has two benefits: 1) I will only take the time to make something if I really, really need it and 2) It’ll be doubly-sweet because I made it. So win, win!
Things can be purchased second-handedly (I don’t think that’s a word, but whatev!)
#2 I must strive toward a zero waste goal. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that I will make it, but I have to at least try to find ways to reuse things, either by recycling, donating, etc…. This is where I’ll have to get creative!
#3 I have to blog about both my success and my failures, for an entire year!! That's my goal, one year! Otherwise, it wouldn’t be any fun!! =)
Crunchy Chicken’s Rules for the Buy Nothing Month Challenge:
Anyway, this means none of the following:
No new clothes
No new gadgets
No new furniture or housewares
No salon services
No makeup
No tools
No whatever the hell else people buy
Why did I only give you one day to prepare? Because I didn't want you out there binge buying in preparation for the month. I want you to really focus on whether or not what you are buying is a necessity or something frivolous. If you must absolutely acquire something non-edible or not essential to growing your own food or for your survival, then you must borrow, barter, or buy it used. If you end up buying something new that is non-essential, I'll be hosting a weekly Sunday Confessional for you to justify your purchase. So, just think about having to confess to the world what you couldn't hold off on buying.
Even from a comic book geek!!
Rules, goals, plans and objectives.
1. no out-of-pocket spending on DVDs, CDs, Comic Books, Action Figures, Statues, Books (this means no spending cash, debit or credit card spending.
2. no using credit cards for purchases (wherever possible)2(a). any credit card purchases have to be accounted for in advance and paid off ASAP
3. the plan is to sift through existing collections and sell what I can, putting the money towards the house fund. I understand the markets for used DVDs, CDs and comics are pretty crappy and I won't get much for what I'm selling, and that I may be given the option to sell-in-trade. While the temptation would be to take the trade, it really has to be worth it (at least 50% more in trade than cash) and the store must have enough that I actually want.
4. I can work for trade.
5. (yes, this is a little early, but) no pre-buying/pre-ordering things for 2009 before 2009
6. I can receive gifts/gift certificates for BNY items, but shouldn't encourage them
7. acquisitions will be tracked
8. I can buy BNY items for other people (wife, stepson, friends) but only as gifts (birthdays, Xmas, etc.) and it will have to be something they *actually* want. I should strive to find gift items other than the BNY items.
9. Video/library rentals are okay, as are movies and theatre performances ("non-acquisition spending")
10. no substituting with pirate downloading (videos, music, comics)
These are the basics, the ten commandments, but I'm sure I'll need to narrow it down or expand it in the coming weeks.
BNY starts today.
From a musician who blogs every once in a while:
So lovelies, it’s been a while! I’m back to talk about my Buy Nothing New for a Year Project. Next month, it will have been one year since I started. It hardly seems possible! For those of you who are not familiar with this challenge. Here’s what I’ve restricted myself from doing…
No new stuff!
This includes,
· Clothes
· Gadgets
· Makeup
· Erroneous bath and shower products (can only buy what you NEED)
· No going to the hairdressers
· No furniture
· No housewares
· No new crap!
Here’s what I allowed myself to buy if I needed
· Food (of course)
· Secondhand goods from Charity Shops if I needed them
· Stuff from Freecycle if I needed it
· Items for my trades, (strings, gems, beads, ect)
· Things you can’t buy used (lightbulbs, panties, ect)
So I did pretty well. Did I actually go an entire year without buying anything new? Not really. Here’s what I cheated on:
· I bought a new lappy before I came over to the UK to live. Truly that falls under the needed for work thing, but I could have bought a used one again but I didn’t.
· I bought some lipstick because I ran out.
· Some of the things we needed after the move were bought by Steve
· I had my hair cut before I left the US, but I didn’t know back then that it wasn’t allowed (since then it’s been cut by Steve)
From Arduous:
Yesterday, Amelia asked me in the comments what exactly I was and was not consuming.Since I've been making up my rules the best way I see fit, I figured it was worth clarifying what I can and cannot do. While I looked to The Compact and Colin at No Impact Man for inspiration, my rules are slightly different.
1. I cannot buy any new durable goods.
2. I cannot buy any clothes. Period. This does not include shoes.
3. I can continue to use non-durable products I already own, but once I run out, I need to find the most environmentally friendly replacement.
4. I can spend money on experiences- concerts, plays, museums, etc.
5. Presents are exempted from my ban on new goods, but I try and make a good faith effort to buy something either from a small independent artist or producer, or to buy my friends experiences.That's pretty much it.
From The Compact:
The group is starting with 50 professionals and is willing to suck us all into their vortex of sense. They have two principles only:
1. Don't buy new products of any kind (from stores, web sites, etc.)
2. Borrow or buy used.
From
The No Impact Experiment
The way I see it, waiting for the senators and the CEOs to change the way we treat the world is taking too long. Polar bears are already drowning because the polar ice is melting. In fact, research shows it’s worse: they are so hungry, they are actually starting to eat each other.
I can’t stand my so-called liberal self sitting around not doing anything about it anymore. The question is: what would it be like if I took the situation (or at least my tiny part of it) into my own hands? I’m finding out.
For one year, my wife, my 2-year-old daughter, my dog and I, while living in the middle of New York City, are attempting to live without making any net impact on the environment. In other words, no trash, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no air conditioning, no TV, no toilets…
What would it be like to try to live a no impact lifestyle? Is it possible? Could it catch on? Is living this way more fun or less fun? More satisfying or less satisfying? Harder or easier? Is it worthwhile or senseless? Are we all doomed or is there hope? These are the questions at the heart of this whole crazy-assed endeavor.
You might be thinking, Colin Beavan is cracked--no one can cause literally NO impact on the planet, right? Well, what I’m talking about is no NET impact. If you don’t get it, or you want to know more about how we’re proceeding? Check out the
Sunday, 23 November 2008
I suck.
in short, I suck. Why, you may ask? Well..... I:
a) haven't blogged in week
b) went totally over budget from Oct-Nov. (I took out an extra £20, so I spent at least that much)
c) stopped writing it down, so I don't even remember/know how much I was over.
d) haven't paid the slightest bit of attention in the Nov-Dec.
I don't have a good excuse. I guess I've been thinking about what kind of things I buy, but I can't even justify spending my money at local places. I spent £39 at Robert Dyas the other day. Granted, I ended up returning £15 of that, but still... I bought:
-two loaf pans--necessity? I had to throw out the old ones I had because they were leaving non-stick flakes on bread. I might have been able to source used ones from someone who had them lying around, but that's doubtful.
- a glass measuring cup. Not a necessity--I still have one perfectly good plastic one (the other one is leaking after being cracked for ages)
- a set of files for Mac to try to fix our broken chairs (I returned this)
- super amazing glue to fix our shower rod (I returned this--the spring works well enough)
- energy saving light bulbs for our living room - we needed 1 new one, we replaced the other two non-energy saving ones... not sure where this stands.
I haven't gone to many gigs, or travelled much, but I went up to Winchester two weekends ago to go on a yarn hunt--I ended up buying yarn for mittens, but didn't manage to find elusive 100% wool sweaters in charity shops to unravel. Apparently a cheap way to get lots and lots and lots of wool yarn. I also got tea and cakes and lunch in Winchester. I think I was in a "I want to spend money so THERE!" sort of mood.
Other than that, I've bought lots and lots of cake and food at the Art House--which feels like my new home. I was there Tuesday, Wed, Thurs, Friday (for a little bit), Saturday, and Sunday. I'm planning to go back tomorrow, when they aren't even open to try to finish off some work. I'm wondering how long I can sustain it.
I'm also thinking of starting a second blog after the first WEN meeting happens on Thursday for the WEN group. I'm hoping that other people might want to share admin on it and use it for monthly challenges--a in-person version of Crunchy Chicken's challenges (for example) However, considering I can't seem to update this one, I'm not sure a second is a good idea. Maybe THursday's meeting will reveal a keen blogger.
I'll try to be better with blogging. I've been thinking about a lot of consumerism stuff, and I might benefit from writing it all down. More soon. Promise.
a) haven't blogged in week
b) went totally over budget from Oct-Nov. (I took out an extra £20, so I spent at least that much)
c) stopped writing it down, so I don't even remember/know how much I was over.
d) haven't paid the slightest bit of attention in the Nov-Dec.
I don't have a good excuse. I guess I've been thinking about what kind of things I buy, but I can't even justify spending my money at local places. I spent £39 at Robert Dyas the other day. Granted, I ended up returning £15 of that, but still... I bought:
-two loaf pans--necessity? I had to throw out the old ones I had because they were leaving non-stick flakes on bread. I might have been able to source used ones from someone who had them lying around, but that's doubtful.
- a glass measuring cup. Not a necessity--I still have one perfectly good plastic one (the other one is leaking after being cracked for ages)
- a set of files for Mac to try to fix our broken chairs (I returned this)
- super amazing glue to fix our shower rod (I returned this--the spring works well enough)
- energy saving light bulbs for our living room - we needed 1 new one, we replaced the other two non-energy saving ones... not sure where this stands.
I haven't gone to many gigs, or travelled much, but I went up to Winchester two weekends ago to go on a yarn hunt--I ended up buying yarn for mittens, but didn't manage to find elusive 100% wool sweaters in charity shops to unravel. Apparently a cheap way to get lots and lots and lots of wool yarn. I also got tea and cakes and lunch in Winchester. I think I was in a "I want to spend money so THERE!" sort of mood.
Other than that, I've bought lots and lots of cake and food at the Art House--which feels like my new home. I was there Tuesday, Wed, Thurs, Friday (for a little bit), Saturday, and Sunday. I'm planning to go back tomorrow, when they aren't even open to try to finish off some work. I'm wondering how long I can sustain it.
I'm also thinking of starting a second blog after the first WEN meeting happens on Thursday for the WEN group. I'm hoping that other people might want to share admin on it and use it for monthly challenges--a in-person version of Crunchy Chicken's challenges (for example) However, considering I can't seem to update this one, I'm not sure a second is a good idea. Maybe THursday's meeting will reveal a keen blogger.
I'll try to be better with blogging. I've been thinking about a lot of consumerism stuff, and I might benefit from writing it all down. More soon. Promise.
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Plastic
So I thought this was pretty cool. http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/2008/10/voices-of-plastic-free-blogosphere-part.html
I'm going to try to be more aware of this as well. Robin just tried a month of not buying plastic and failed. Well, made some really really good steps forward, but didn't quite manage to not buy plastic. It's awfully hard. I mean, I use Lush shampoo bars, buy whole foods, but just about everything foodwise is in plastic. Then there all our electronics, packaging on everything else, synthetic materials in clothes. It's absolutely freaking ridiculous.
But, I thought that this link has a really good way of showing that small changes are possible. So I'll keep working on it. Like buying a bamboo/cotton kitchen cloth instead of sponges.
I'm going to try to be more aware of this as well. Robin just tried a month of not buying plastic and failed. Well, made some really really good steps forward, but didn't quite manage to not buy plastic. It's awfully hard. I mean, I use Lush shampoo bars, buy whole foods, but just about everything foodwise is in plastic. Then there all our electronics, packaging on everything else, synthetic materials in clothes. It's absolutely freaking ridiculous.
But, I thought that this link has a really good way of showing that small changes are possible. So I'll keep working on it. Like buying a bamboo/cotton kitchen cloth instead of sponges.
Priorities?
While I was talking to Pat the other day, I talked about WHY I was trying to only spend 74.65
This is what we said:
me: and I do want to see if I can actually stick to this amount.... because I think it's so easy these days to spend money without thinking about it effortlessly
This is what we said:
me: and I do want to see if I can actually stick to this amount.... because I think it's so easy these days to spend money without thinking about it effortlessly
Patrick: yeah, I understand -same with me and Netflix [We had been talking about my eMusic account--which I still haven't cancelled]
me: the money I spend hasn't even been earned with that much hard work. Not compared to the labor behind the goods I purchase.... it seems like an imbalance
Patrick: but I still love the convenience of it and don't want to give it up...but it's just another expense I should know better than to have
me: maybe I'm fighting against convenience? Or the temptation of it?
I don't know...
Patrick: maybe a bit of both...complacency and expense
me: yes, probably that and apathy. Both towards the goods (which are often seen as temporary/disposable---I've NEVER been to a cobbler, or used a repairman for an appliance) and the long chain of people who are involved with (and exploited while) making them.
It dawned on me that a big reason why I'm trying to do this is because of the whole concept of consumerism. So now I'm wondering if I should alter the way I'm doing this. Most things that we buy we treat as disposable--we don't show an acknowledgement of how much work has gone into it. In fact, out of a range of options, we'll often buy the one that took the least amount of effort. We don't think about the impact on the environment or the people who have made it. I want to avoid this and try to be more aware when buying things.
However, times when you are directly paying the producer (a gig, homemade clothes, art, crafts, etc) don't really fit into that. Actually, I suppose that isn't true. Arts and crafts and clothes still require materials that come from the same long chain of producers (unless it's from some sheep farmer who dies and spins and weaves their own wool for clothes. . . . nothing I own falls into that category) So gigs. I directly pay the person, I don't get a tangible item to take for granted. SO should those be exempt? Would transportation fall into the same category?
Mac said I'm just trying to justify what I spend money on. Robin said "you not counting going to gigs would be like me saying that I'm not going to count buying clothes". I'd like to think that isn't the case, but. . . .
Any thoughts?
It dawned on me that a big reason why I'm trying to do this is because of the whole concept of consumerism. So now I'm wondering if I should alter the way I'm doing this. Most things that we buy we treat as disposable--we don't show an acknowledgement of how much work has gone into it. In fact, out of a range of options, we'll often buy the one that took the least amount of effort. We don't think about the impact on the environment or the people who have made it. I want to avoid this and try to be more aware when buying things.
However, times when you are directly paying the producer (a gig, homemade clothes, art, crafts, etc) don't really fit into that. Actually, I suppose that isn't true. Arts and crafts and clothes still require materials that come from the same long chain of producers (unless it's from some sheep farmer who dies and spins and weaves their own wool for clothes. . . . nothing I own falls into that category) So gigs. I directly pay the person, I don't get a tangible item to take for granted. SO should those be exempt? Would transportation fall into the same category?
Mac said I'm just trying to justify what I spend money on. Robin said "you not counting going to gigs would be like me saying that I'm not going to count buying clothes". I'd like to think that isn't the case, but. . . .
Any thoughts?
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