Could YOU Survive a Whole Year Without Shopping????

[foxtrot]

Only buying food & basic essentials?
article here

Been doing it for many years

Oh OK, perhaps not QUITE that extreme

I've bought (oh, the irony) 'Not buying it' by Judith Levine - haven't read it yet, but this is what she did. It's an interesting idea, but difficult to do, I think, though I'd like to buy/consume less than I currently do.

It's the environmental impact of living this way that particularly appeals to me. We buy and throw out so much stuff it's scary really. The whole fashion industry, to pick an example, is geared around the idea that people will buy several new outfits per season despite having a wardrobe full of perfectly good stuff. I wear stuff till it wears out, then buy stuff from the charity shops (some of it looks as if it has only been worn once!).

Food is another one of my bugbears - people throw out so much food (generally due to overbuying or ill-advised 2for1 deals). It is so pointless and wasteful.

Ok, rant over, as you were

JackieNo, might see if I can borrow that book from the library

I read her Grauniad article last year and wanted to smack her. "not shopping" FFS. Oh, no, apart from the things you REALLY "couldn't do without".

I've looked at that 'Not buying it' book a few times but just can't bring myself to actually buy it, just doesn't seem right.

Like Franny we have come out of a long period where I have had literally no money to spend on anything other than essentials and I'm kind of enjoying having a bit of money to myself and freedom to spend it.

YES.

Been thinking that some food is pretty luxurious. Shopping on Ebay and eating a diet of wine and ready meals and then some G&B chocolate not my idea of simple living.

I think i could. we have far far too much stuff these days.

well i could but

god it would be shite

Bought 'Not Buying IT' - its rubbish - there is the odd good moment in it, but she makes me want to slap her.....'oh poor me, no theatre for year' - well trying having a child, cos I haven't been for FOUR years!

Could I do it? Largely yes, books would be my sticking point....

library? book crossing?

MD - yeah I know - but geting to a library is hard, nothing really local and all that....did use charity shops when I was on maternity leave as I was reading so much I couldn't afford to buy new all the time...

could I think

would probably be good thing

can't believe how much stuff is geared towards buying stuff we don't really need

what me and sisters do is buy a new book each (different ones) read them, and then borrow the other ones off the other sisters, so we get to read 3 books for the price of one.

I think I could, but my dh would have terrible withdrawal symptoms

Iota, would't bother my dp in the slightest....don't supppose he'd even notice..!

As long as I had food and wine (), I don't think it would bother me. I haven't read the article yet but assume she still has tv, radio, internet and access to a library? I don't like shopping anyway. Would be hard on the kids though, not to be able to, say, go to the cinema with their mates.

JackieNo, is that book any good? I read an article about her, it sounded interesting.

Hmm, could I do it? I think so but the magazines and books would be the hardest to give up for me.

Definately.

I bought a new pair of boots the other month, and was musing that it was nearly ten years since I last bought any footwear

I use charity shops and ebay all the time. Can't remember the last time I bought a new item of clothing tbh.

Live in a very rural area and miss all the jumble sales I used to go to as a kid too.

When we were on holiday last year (I know it's NOWHERE NEAR the same but anyway), I noticed how much I liked not buying anything, not going to any shops, not being a consumer. There was one day when we went into the nearest town and bought the children some toys and it was interesting how much they wanted the buzz of getting something new but how the reality of the toy didn't live up to the expectation. I don't know if I'm explaining it very well but the buzz came from the actual buying of something and the anticipation and was out of proportion to the pleasure the actual toy gave.

Have just read the article. Her life for a year sounds like my life now, except I don't have a cleaner! I often buy from 2nd hand/charity shops, we get given loads of hand-me-down clothes from friends, friends pass on books and mags. I do have the odd lunch out with girlfriends but thats about all

I think consumerism is interesting. Companies marketing products know that they need to create a need for something in order to sell it and very often the way of creating that need is to make the consumer dissatisfied with what they have. Because then you can seek to persuade the consumer that your product will fill that void/make them happier/slimmer/younger/more fulfilled.

agree with chocolate teapot - she stopped shopping but still had her cleaner -