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

[foxtrot]

Only buying food & basic essentials?
article here

I think I'm more like my Gran who used to adore jumble sales and rumaging in 2nd hand shops. I recently bought a solid oak sideboard which matches beautifully with my dining table for less than 50 euros. The dining table and chairs were bought for a song from a friend who was getting new stuff and would have taken the old to the tip.

I definitely get a buzz out of nabbing a bargain

i think i probably could. been getting better on the food shopping stuff recently.

only shop once a month (except basics) moved to reuasable nappies and wipes, cook from scratch etc etc. pad meals out with veg (brought from market) and freeze left overs rather than throwing away like i used to buy a lot of stuff off of ebay, mumsnet, etc. use freecycle a lot. don't know about not buying anything you dont need for a whole year, but can stick to it on the most part. as i dont tend to buy clothes/makeup/mags anyway.

miaou - apparently there's a huge waiting list at the library for 'Not buying it', and I was too impatient to wait.

wickedwaterwitch, I haven't got very far yet, so don't know what it's like.

The whole 'simple living' or 'voluntary simplicity' thing fascinates me. I think I'm far too materialistic to go all the way, so to speak, but I am trying to think 'do I really need this' before buying things much more. I also started reading Henry David Thoreau's 'Walden' , which is a bit hard going, as quite intricate language, but has some interesting points to make about what we really need to live, especially in the first chapter.

WWW - see my post earlier - I think it starts well and there are some odd good moments (the socks bit is well observed), but overall I think its a rubbish....

oh thanks blackduck, had just skimmed thread! I wonder if she considered that people wouldn't buy it, ha ha?

Yes, it is a paradox...I was hoping for something a bit more insightful, but I found it quite vapid really.....

Vapid - I agree. What point is she trying to make exactly?

What about buying birthday presents for relatives?

What about beauty products? Not replacing a mascara for a year is just wrong.

I htink it something That I'd like to do, most of the time, but I do have a skight addiction to books and magazines. We use the library a lot, but it doesn't have a great stock.
Also the presents issue - I love to buy presents fr people and couldn't go wijhout.

Charity shops are only as good as the area though, if you live in a poor area there is very little in the shop!

nikkie, re charity shops, you also need to be bloody quick! The big one that I go to regularly has people with eyes like hawks watching the stock go in, then asking how long before it comes onto the warehouse floor! I have bought some v decent 2nd hand clothes from it though - Benneton skirts and tops, some stuff from Esprit etc. My kids think its quite a fun hour out on a rainy day - they usually end up with some tat for 20 cents like an Action Man or a pack of cards! Ds1 bought a really good pair of roller blades recently for 4 euros!!

NOne of ours sell much in the way of clothes, mainly hand kitted cardis for babies, where I work there is an Oxfam but its very expensive (simmilar prices to New ) and a couple with not much in.

Oooooo, that would have to be a big fat NNNNOOOOOOO

Note to self, must go shopping tomorrow in case someone bans me from going.........Please tell me there isn't going to be a new law or something

I think I'm going to give a version of it a go.
I like the idea of a simpler life, but will still need makeup and a few clothes.
Might give myself an annual budget for frivious purchases.
I suppose you also save lots of money doing it.

'Walden' Hah, he was not far from the local twon and would poople off to town when the 'wilderness' got too much for him!

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i THINK i COULD.
aLREADY HAVE A MORBID FEAR of 'stuff' and don't let people buy birthday presents for the kids.
Recycle and give away ruthlessly.
I am only really happy when my house is empty and clean.

Shall we start a thread of people trying to do it

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saves money, appreciate things

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spose so
you do need to buy some nice things though

i think i could go with out shopping i hate it i just get stressed out when i go shopping

I suppose cause I HAVE to do it now anyway, thought a thread would be fun. Afraid to say though that I would buy the kids a couple of b-day presents.

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