2018 - Buy Nothing Challenge

Hello blog I have neglected for seven years!

I just finished Cait Flanders' book 'The Year of Less' and I've decided to try to take on my own 'buy nothing challenge'.

As many people know, I got rid of over half my things before I moved to Victoria a few years ago. This was inspired by Marie Kondo's book, 'The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up'. (Ironically, I bought that book on a whim with very little thought on a trip to Portland. It's one that I refer to frequently.) The book was great, even if sometimes it got more sentimental than I was ready for in terms of things. I'd never really considered why I bought things, and realizing I went shopping as a sort of retail therapy hit me hard; (To be honest, I wasn't really happy in my job, and Vancouver was a bit too big of a city for me) .

I didn't even realize how much crap I had accumulated. My closet was full to bursting, and so was the dresser I'd purchased to take in all the extra stuff. Our cupboards were full. I couldn't find anything. It was stressful. 

The things I passed on spanned several rooms in my house, but it was mostly clothes I didn't wear, games I didn't play, or books I had no intention of reading again. It was nice to have a clean home and space in my closet. The goal wasn't ever to just 'have less' or see how little I could get by with. I did this for my own sanity - I could never find the small selection of clothes I actually wore. I would lose my favourite book in the stacks of books I haven't read. I'd enter my office and feel uncomfortable there because there was just *so much stuff* on my desk. At the time I was working as an Accounting Clerk for a mid-sized company in Vancouver, so finances weren't on my list of things I was worried about, but if I'd actually been reasonable I would assume I was spending a lot of money on all the fast-fashion and new games that I insisted on having (Again, things I either barely or never used). 

This purge was done in a weekend. It's ironic to me that my husband and I had so much more stuff when we lived in our 500 square foot basement suite in Vancouver than we do now in our 1200 square foot townhouse in Victoria. I felt guilty for giving away things I spent good money on - but the fallout was amazing. My home felt clean and fresh, and was only made up of things I actually cared about. It was great. 

Flash forward to today. 

I was shocked when I realized it was happening again. I was a mindful consumer! I only bought things I wanted, right? My house was clean. I didn't have a pile of nicknacks and books I wasn't going to read. 

Except, I did. Not from shopping in stores. I've more or less stopped that. But from Internet shopping. 

Amazon is the biggest culprit for me, but there are other stores too. My Visa bill has been higher than it should be, and I'm embarrassed. I don't make a lot of money right now, and I work for myself as a bookkeeper. Shouldn't I be better at this? What am I doing?

The goal here is to save some money, stop buying things I don't need, and try to appreciate what I have.

I am late to this 'Buy Nothing 2018' challenge, clearly. But fuck it, better late than never.

So, here are the guidelines for my amended 2018 Shopping Ban. 

I am allowed to buy: 
- Basic Cosmetics and hair products - only when I use up what I have. (Nothing I don't already use already.)

- Groceries, Cleaning Supplies, etc
- If something breaks and we need it, I can replace it.
- Sketchbook and drawing pens (if they run out and I need new ones)
- Supplies for my art shop.
- Patreon rewards (but I can't add any new ones) and charitable donations
- Gifts for birthday parties or holidays

I am not allowed to buy: 
- books of any kind
- art supplies that I don't need, including new markers
- office supplies (I have enough)
- toys or games
- electronics, DVDs, video games
- clothes and shoes
- household decorations and appliances
- takeout coffee (unless it's a coffee 'date' with a friend.)
- fast food

So I've done another purge. Donated another huge shopping bag of books. Given away a few bags of clothes. And I will not be buying anything for myself until the end of the year (possibly longer). We have a great local library in Victoria where I can get out books, and I have enough to make art for probably ten years. I don't need to buy more. 

I'm posting this to keep me accountable! Please tell me off if you notice me buying things I don't need.

Some links to useful information on this topic: 
https://caitflanders.com/start-here/ (The Year of Less)
https://konmari.com/ (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up)Thanks!

Chris