From bad (yesterday) to almost as bad (today). Bought a present for one of Ben's friends and bought gift certificates for books for the kids' teachers.
Ben has been to four b-day parties during "no-more-new-things": for two of the parties we had stuff in our gift box we could use; for one we gave the kids a gift certificate to the candy store (the parents probably hate us!); and for the last one (today) I bought the kid a new thing (ironically, an environmental make-your-own-boat-with-used-water-bottles kit).
Teacher presents are always a little challenging; we usually do chocolates and a gift certificate to a bookstore. The bookstore is an independent, local, political (but with novels and other things) store; and so that's the plus. But it was still a new thing although--here's a loophole--chances are that the gift certificate won't be translated into a new thing until *after* 1 July--that is, after our 3-month project is over.
So we failed on the presents-front today but I can at least say that we bought no new things for ourselves.
Friday, 25 June 2010
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Food and Other Things
Bought caps for Ben's gun today. Worse: bought a washer/dryer, oven, stove, and refrigerator. Seriously. It's no wonder I haven't been posting of late.
I think I can declare June a failure for blog postings. I don't know what happened. I was inspired to think about and reflect on buying (and not buying) things for the first two months but for some reason in the third month I was less motivated. Perhaps it was because I knew all those appliances were looming on the horizon. We're renovating Joel's family cabin and need to get a kitchen. We spent several days in the middle of May looking for used appliances but it's hard from a distance. And then I found a good "remainders/and dents" appliances site and we thought we could use that but it didn't work either. Now we've put it off until the last possible moment and just bought everything NEW. Urghh. It makes me despair. I haven't bought hair elastics for 3 months and it has been driving me crazy and yet in a single day we buy all those huge metallic not-easily-recycable things. It does make me think about the small things vs. the big things. There are both the gradations of small things we do (elastics v. appliances) and then the things we as individuals do v. the things that corporations and big companies do. We can be careful individually but does it make any sort of impact when so many larger enterprises are not the least bit watchful about waste?
The caps I bought for Ben because he did well on his report card and he's struggled so much at school and there was nothing he wanted more in the world. So twice now Ben has got caps. A small thing that represents (for me) a big thing.
Yesterday mom sent me a new cotton shirt/dress in the mail. I could not have been more thrilled. It was my first new thing in almost three months and it was perfect. I opened it, put it on immediately, and wore it again today. The great thing (I've said this before) is that buying no-more-new-things does make me appreciate the specialness of new things so much more. And it's not just the thing, but the whole experience. In the case of this new shirt/dress: opening the package, unfolding it, the feel of the material, trying it on, and the pleasure of wearing it. I think I used to often overlook all these little parts of the new-thing experience before.
As for food, one thing I have paid more attention to these past few months is food. Food items are on the permitted list and I found myself often gravitating toward food to satisfy buying desires (to the extent that they existed--which was less than I expected). I also enjoyed food more than usual (and I usually enjoy food a lot!) And, needless to say, I also gained weight! Oh well.
I told the kids yesterday that there were only 7 more days of no more new things and they were both excited but also lowkey. They'd actually forgot all about it. Not buying new things has become a habit for them as well and that's the best result to come out of the last few months.
I'm hoping that the remaining six days won't be filled with more new purchases!
I think I can declare June a failure for blog postings. I don't know what happened. I was inspired to think about and reflect on buying (and not buying) things for the first two months but for some reason in the third month I was less motivated. Perhaps it was because I knew all those appliances were looming on the horizon. We're renovating Joel's family cabin and need to get a kitchen. We spent several days in the middle of May looking for used appliances but it's hard from a distance. And then I found a good "remainders/and dents" appliances site and we thought we could use that but it didn't work either. Now we've put it off until the last possible moment and just bought everything NEW. Urghh. It makes me despair. I haven't bought hair elastics for 3 months and it has been driving me crazy and yet in a single day we buy all those huge metallic not-easily-recycable things. It does make me think about the small things vs. the big things. There are both the gradations of small things we do (elastics v. appliances) and then the things we as individuals do v. the things that corporations and big companies do. We can be careful individually but does it make any sort of impact when so many larger enterprises are not the least bit watchful about waste?
The caps I bought for Ben because he did well on his report card and he's struggled so much at school and there was nothing he wanted more in the world. So twice now Ben has got caps. A small thing that represents (for me) a big thing.
Yesterday mom sent me a new cotton shirt/dress in the mail. I could not have been more thrilled. It was my first new thing in almost three months and it was perfect. I opened it, put it on immediately, and wore it again today. The great thing (I've said this before) is that buying no-more-new-things does make me appreciate the specialness of new things so much more. And it's not just the thing, but the whole experience. In the case of this new shirt/dress: opening the package, unfolding it, the feel of the material, trying it on, and the pleasure of wearing it. I think I used to often overlook all these little parts of the new-thing experience before.
As for food, one thing I have paid more attention to these past few months is food. Food items are on the permitted list and I found myself often gravitating toward food to satisfy buying desires (to the extent that they existed--which was less than I expected). I also enjoyed food more than usual (and I usually enjoy food a lot!) And, needless to say, I also gained weight! Oh well.
I told the kids yesterday that there were only 7 more days of no more new things and they were both excited but also lowkey. They'd actually forgot all about it. Not buying new things has become a habit for them as well and that's the best result to come out of the last few months.
I'm hoping that the remaining six days won't be filled with more new purchases!
Monday, 14 June 2010
Gold mine of summer clothes
Once again *I* bought no new things these past few days of not blogging. Joel, on the other hand, bought cheap ponchos for the kids when they were all camping this past weekend and it was raining hard. I wondered what he would have to buy: he left in a rush, late to meet Michal's bus in Montreal (she was there on a school trip and he didn't want to hold up her entire class), and I thought he was bound to need stuff. Like maybe a tent. But it turns out the only thing he forgot (or couldn't find) was rain gear.
I'm at the cottage now and stumbled across a gold mind of clothes in my closet here. All my summer clothes stuffed into two old garbage bags! I should have learned my lesson about putting clothes in garbage bags after Mom and Dad threw away all my clothes (stored in garbage bags) when I was a teenager. But no, there they were in garbage bags. I was so happy to see them: dresses, t-shirts, shorts. I'd thought I had more stuff than the motley collection I'd found at home. This is the one slight upside to being so disorganized: I occasionally get these great surprises!
After a slow and uninspired start to the month I'm going to try to do as many postings as I can in the last two weeks of this blog.
I'm at the cottage now and stumbled across a gold mind of clothes in my closet here. All my summer clothes stuffed into two old garbage bags! I should have learned my lesson about putting clothes in garbage bags after Mom and Dad threw away all my clothes (stored in garbage bags) when I was a teenager. But no, there they were in garbage bags. I was so happy to see them: dresses, t-shirts, shorts. I'd thought I had more stuff than the motley collection I'd found at home. This is the one slight upside to being so disorganized: I occasionally get these great surprises!
After a slow and uninspired start to the month I'm going to try to do as many postings as I can in the last two weeks of this blog.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Boredom
Bought no new things these past many days that I missed posting.
I worry that this blog is becoming boring because I'm not buying enough new things that I then have to justify. And I'm not wanting nearly as many new things as I imagined I would. And so there's less to think about along those lines as well. In the first few days and weeks of "no new things" I thought about this project every day--I was really really surprised by how often the purchase (or not-purchase) of a new thing came up in my life. But lately I have thought about it a lot less; the process has become internalized, a "habit" as I wrote earlier. Still, I do enjoy the challenges (a party Ben has to go to in a few weeks--can Joel make one of Steve's wooden swords for Ben to give?).
This past weekend was a pleasure on the buying front because it was Art in the Park, one of my stated exemptions when we first started (in anticipation of wanting something at Art in the Park!). I did buy things and it was fun to do so since I buy *things*--either new or old--so rarely now.
As 1 July approaches these are the things I find myself wanting: hair elastics, a new toothbrush, scissors for the kitchen; and maybe a new summer dress (do I really want this or just think I do?). I also wouldn't mind a car :)
I worry that this blog is becoming boring because I'm not buying enough new things that I then have to justify. And I'm not wanting nearly as many new things as I imagined I would. And so there's less to think about along those lines as well. In the first few days and weeks of "no new things" I thought about this project every day--I was really really surprised by how often the purchase (or not-purchase) of a new thing came up in my life. But lately I have thought about it a lot less; the process has become internalized, a "habit" as I wrote earlier. Still, I do enjoy the challenges (a party Ben has to go to in a few weeks--can Joel make one of Steve's wooden swords for Ben to give?).
This past weekend was a pleasure on the buying front because it was Art in the Park, one of my stated exemptions when we first started (in anticipation of wanting something at Art in the Park!). I did buy things and it was fun to do so since I buy *things*--either new or old--so rarely now.
As 1 July approaches these are the things I find myself wanting: hair elastics, a new toothbrush, scissors for the kitchen; and maybe a new summer dress (do I really want this or just think I do?). I also wouldn't mind a car :)
Friday, 4 June 2010
Why NEW things?
The other day Andre asked in a comment why we have chosen to concentrate on new things. If our goal is not to add more stuff to the environment, he notes, doesn't it make more sense to shop wisely, buy less, but also sometimes buy new things (he gives the example of the electric car but there are also all sorts of examples where one might buy something new to fix something that would otherwise be thrown out etc).
My first response is that "new new things" IS an arbitrary line. I find it easier to be black and white (and the kids definitely find it easier to be black and white!) with this and to just exclude all new things during this 3 month period. It's easier for us to have a simple and clear no-new-things policy than a "tread lightly on the earth policy" (especially since my mind is so good at rationalizing things).
But drawing this arbitrary line has made me reflect on it. In the first few weeks I was caught up in the excitement (surprisingly, given that we were literally doing nothing!) of buying no new things and I imagined this idea sweeping across the Western world and (in my delusions of grandeur) imagined the world being a much better place as a result. But that's not the case in any sort of easy way of course. I did *see* things differently; we live in a throw-away society and I have seen it so much more clearly in this three month period during which I'm wondering: where does all that stuff go? did we really need it? why do people (my family!) think they need so much stuff? what motivates that acquisition?
In defence of no new things: old things have stories attached to them and I like that; no new things forces us to be creative and think of how we could do things otherwise; while sometimes buying other people's old things encourages consumption on the part of those other people, in many other cases I think those old things would just be tossed, rather than re-used.
I was talking to Ted early on and he wondered about having a policy of buying only used things and things made by someone one knows or made within a hundred kilometre radius of where one lives or buying only craft items. If we did so, stuff would be more expensive but we would pause more before purchasing. Then again, right now I'm reading a book that addresses 19thc poverty issues and at the time there was a great push for mass-produced items so that the poor could afford things that were not otherwise available to them. And so it is not straightforward at all.
In the end, though, I think some combination of cutting one's consumption, seeking, wherever possible, not to add to things in the world, focusing on craft items where possible, and buying wisely probably makes sense.
My first response is that "new new things" IS an arbitrary line. I find it easier to be black and white (and the kids definitely find it easier to be black and white!) with this and to just exclude all new things during this 3 month period. It's easier for us to have a simple and clear no-new-things policy than a "tread lightly on the earth policy" (especially since my mind is so good at rationalizing things).
But drawing this arbitrary line has made me reflect on it. In the first few weeks I was caught up in the excitement (surprisingly, given that we were literally doing nothing!) of buying no new things and I imagined this idea sweeping across the Western world and (in my delusions of grandeur) imagined the world being a much better place as a result. But that's not the case in any sort of easy way of course. I did *see* things differently; we live in a throw-away society and I have seen it so much more clearly in this three month period during which I'm wondering: where does all that stuff go? did we really need it? why do people (my family!) think they need so much stuff? what motivates that acquisition?
In defence of no new things: old things have stories attached to them and I like that; no new things forces us to be creative and think of how we could do things otherwise; while sometimes buying other people's old things encourages consumption on the part of those other people, in many other cases I think those old things would just be tossed, rather than re-used.
I was talking to Ted early on and he wondered about having a policy of buying only used things and things made by someone one knows or made within a hundred kilometre radius of where one lives or buying only craft items. If we did so, stuff would be more expensive but we would pause more before purchasing. Then again, right now I'm reading a book that addresses 19thc poverty issues and at the time there was a great push for mass-produced items so that the poor could afford things that were not otherwise available to them. And so it is not straightforward at all.
In the end, though, I think some combination of cutting one's consumption, seeking, wherever possible, not to add to things in the world, focusing on craft items where possible, and buying wisely probably makes sense.
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
rule#1. "Rules are made to be broken"
Bought . . . 1) disc shooter for Ben; 2) a book for Michal yesterday. Bought no new things today (thank goodness, after the crashing fall of yesterday).
The book is easier to explain than the disc shooter. Michal lost a book she borrowed from a friend before our 4(!) moves during the renovation. We turned the house upside down looking for it (her friend wanted it back), tried to find it secondhand, and then finally capitulated to buying it (by following the "we won't inconvenience other people too too much" rule).
As I wrote in my last post, Ben begged and begged for a disc shooter the other day. I said no. He pulled himself together (uncharacteristically) despite his huge disappointment and we left the store. The next morning we woke up and Ben asked me why I was smiling and I said, "why not be happy, it's a new day" or something mundane like that. And he said, "why should I be happy? I don't have a disc shooter," in a glum little voice. And I thought about it and remembered that weekend his teacher had dropped by our house when we were out and left a note telling us how well Ben is doing in school and that he had just mastered a really difficult math strategy that he'd been working on all year; and then I thought of how unfair Ben had thought it was that Michal got new sandals but that he'd been okay with that; and then I thought he'd been pretty good (for him) in the store the other day (that is, he really really tried to get over his disappointment); and then I thought, okay, we'll break this rule this one time. I told him all of this and he was thrilled. The delight on his face with that disc shooter was worth breaking a million rules (but its worth noting that he would never have been as delighted if he hadn't had no-more-new-things, or any expectation of new things, these past two months). So that's the explanation. I probably shouldn't have done it but . . .
Oddly, after a complete evaporation of my desire for anything new, I am wanting a new summer dress these days. I'm not sure where that's coming from and I'm surprised by it. But I've noted it ever since the hot weather began and I looked in my closet and everything felt a bit old and boring and unappealing. With the exception of the bike in the window close to when we first began, it's my *first* strong desire for a new thing (just when I thought all such desires were gone for good and I'd never buy a new thing again!)
The book is easier to explain than the disc shooter. Michal lost a book she borrowed from a friend before our 4(!) moves during the renovation. We turned the house upside down looking for it (her friend wanted it back), tried to find it secondhand, and then finally capitulated to buying it (by following the "we won't inconvenience other people too too much" rule).
As I wrote in my last post, Ben begged and begged for a disc shooter the other day. I said no. He pulled himself together (uncharacteristically) despite his huge disappointment and we left the store. The next morning we woke up and Ben asked me why I was smiling and I said, "why not be happy, it's a new day" or something mundane like that. And he said, "why should I be happy? I don't have a disc shooter," in a glum little voice. And I thought about it and remembered that weekend his teacher had dropped by our house when we were out and left a note telling us how well Ben is doing in school and that he had just mastered a really difficult math strategy that he'd been working on all year; and then I thought of how unfair Ben had thought it was that Michal got new sandals but that he'd been okay with that; and then I thought he'd been pretty good (for him) in the store the other day (that is, he really really tried to get over his disappointment); and then I thought, okay, we'll break this rule this one time. I told him all of this and he was thrilled. The delight on his face with that disc shooter was worth breaking a million rules (but its worth noting that he would never have been as delighted if he hadn't had no-more-new-things, or any expectation of new things, these past two months). So that's the explanation. I probably shouldn't have done it but . . .
Oddly, after a complete evaporation of my desire for anything new, I am wanting a new summer dress these days. I'm not sure where that's coming from and I'm surprised by it. But I've noted it ever since the hot weather began and I looked in my closet and everything felt a bit old and boring and unappealing. With the exception of the bike in the window close to when we first began, it's my *first* strong desire for a new thing (just when I thought all such desires were gone for good and I'd never buy a new thing again!)
Sunday, 30 May 2010
great glebe garage sale (2) + "buying mind"
Bought a few small "prizes" for kids for our block party as well as a few small block party games yesterday. Bought no new things today.
The most difficult thing about no-new-things is when it impinges on someone else (birthdays are the best example). Michal was one of the organizers for kid's games for our block party and so we felt we had to buy new things (balloons for water balloons, some rings to play a hoop game, string for three-legged races etc) so that she could organize.
The Great Glebe Garage sale was, as predicted, amazing. Joel was out at 7:00 am and I met him half an hour later. We got our best finds in that first hour but one great treasure trove--a (broken!) chair, old antique wood thing and old quilts all at one place--was found at the very end of the day. I love the festive feel of the day, live music on front lawns and street corners, people's stuff displayed everywhere with that haphazard look of a closet unpacked and spread across the grass. We gave each of the kids $5 to spend and Ben spent his all at once on a stuffed animal that is as big as he is.
The other day Ben went with his friend and his friend's dad to Boomerang (secondhand store with some new stuff close to here). His friend bought a disc shooter and Ben has been longing for one ever since. I told him he could buy something secondhand at Boomerang with his own money and he has been begging me to go ever since. We headed there this afternoon. Disappointment was Ben's first response. There was nothing he wanted! But after looking for awhile he was happy with two things he found (a model car set and a mini-golf game, $6 and $2 respectively). He was trying on (used) shorts when his eye spotted the disc shooter his friend had bought. He asked if he could get it early. I said no. He then came up with fifty or so reasons why he needed it now. His desire and frustration escalated as I kept saying no. I noted two things: 1) it is much easier to say no when we have this no-more-new-things policy. He knows about it and knows it is inflexible; 2) even so, this time Ben--for the first time since we began 2 months ago-- was really really upset about not being able to buy something. And I wondered if he was in some sort of "buying mind" space: just so completely focused on buying something that he couldn't be logical and couldn't let go of this desire *to buy.* I've often noticed that he sometimes gets fixed on wanting something but that it is more about *buying* the thing than playing with it that motivates him. He can beg and beg for something, Joel or I may give in (before our no-buying policy!) and then Ben forgets about this most-desired item in a matter of hours. Interestingly, as soon as we left the store Ben was fine again. You would have never known he'd been utterly beside himself only moments earlier. The trick, I think, is not to get into this buying mentality in the first place.
Andre wrote a comment on my last post that deserves an entirely new posting in response. I'll save that for tomorrow or one day later this week!
The most difficult thing about no-new-things is when it impinges on someone else (birthdays are the best example). Michal was one of the organizers for kid's games for our block party and so we felt we had to buy new things (balloons for water balloons, some rings to play a hoop game, string for three-legged races etc) so that she could organize.
The Great Glebe Garage sale was, as predicted, amazing. Joel was out at 7:00 am and I met him half an hour later. We got our best finds in that first hour but one great treasure trove--a (broken!) chair, old antique wood thing and old quilts all at one place--was found at the very end of the day. I love the festive feel of the day, live music on front lawns and street corners, people's stuff displayed everywhere with that haphazard look of a closet unpacked and spread across the grass. We gave each of the kids $5 to spend and Ben spent his all at once on a stuffed animal that is as big as he is.
The other day Ben went with his friend and his friend's dad to Boomerang (secondhand store with some new stuff close to here). His friend bought a disc shooter and Ben has been longing for one ever since. I told him he could buy something secondhand at Boomerang with his own money and he has been begging me to go ever since. We headed there this afternoon. Disappointment was Ben's first response. There was nothing he wanted! But after looking for awhile he was happy with two things he found (a model car set and a mini-golf game, $6 and $2 respectively). He was trying on (used) shorts when his eye spotted the disc shooter his friend had bought. He asked if he could get it early. I said no. He then came up with fifty or so reasons why he needed it now. His desire and frustration escalated as I kept saying no. I noted two things: 1) it is much easier to say no when we have this no-more-new-things policy. He knows about it and knows it is inflexible; 2) even so, this time Ben--for the first time since we began 2 months ago-- was really really upset about not being able to buy something. And I wondered if he was in some sort of "buying mind" space: just so completely focused on buying something that he couldn't be logical and couldn't let go of this desire *to buy.* I've often noticed that he sometimes gets fixed on wanting something but that it is more about *buying* the thing than playing with it that motivates him. He can beg and beg for something, Joel or I may give in (before our no-buying policy!) and then Ben forgets about this most-desired item in a matter of hours. Interestingly, as soon as we left the store Ben was fine again. You would have never known he'd been utterly beside himself only moments earlier. The trick, I think, is not to get into this buying mentality in the first place.
Andre wrote a comment on my last post that deserves an entirely new posting in response. I'll save that for tomorrow or one day later this week!
Friday, 28 May 2010
great glebe garage sale (1)
Bought no new things yesterday or today.
Tomorrow is the great glebe garage sale. Under ordinary circumstances, this is an amazing event, one of the best of the year. But under our no-new-things circumstances we are looking more forward to it than ever before. And so I have to go to sleep early in anticipation of our entire neighbourhood selling great used things (no new things! or at least hardly any) starting at 7 tomorrow morning!
Tomorrow is the great glebe garage sale. Under ordinary circumstances, this is an amazing event, one of the best of the year. But under our no-new-things circumstances we are looking more forward to it than ever before. And so I have to go to sleep early in anticipation of our entire neighbourhood selling great used things (no new things! or at least hardly any) starting at 7 tomorrow morning!
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
The Weather of Buying
Bought no new things today.
In fact, it was too hot to buy new things today (35 degrees). Or to do anything for that matter. Which makes me wonder about the relationship between weather and shopping. Do people shop more in good weather? Is there shopping weather just as there's shopping music and shopping lighting? If so, I would guess that hot weather would not be good for consumer activity (with the exception, possibly, of fans, air conditioners, light shirts, and ice cream). Hot weather is also not good for blog posting alas! It is too hot to think.
In fact, it was too hot to buy new things today (35 degrees). Or to do anything for that matter. Which makes me wonder about the relationship between weather and shopping. Do people shop more in good weather? Is there shopping weather just as there's shopping music and shopping lighting? If so, I would guess that hot weather would not be good for consumer activity (with the exception, possibly, of fans, air conditioners, light shirts, and ice cream). Hot weather is also not good for blog posting alas! It is too hot to think.
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Not Needing Much
Bought no new things today (or for the past six or seven days)
The last week has been my first long break from this blog (with the exception of my one "flowers" entry). I was at our cottage and not only were there no new things to buy but I also did not find myself thinking about buying things. I had a backlog of buying-related topics I'd wanted to write on but they all evaporated while I was there.
I did finish the book *Not Buying It* while I was at the cottage. Levine came to the same conclusions after a year that I'd come to after a month (hah!) But I'm sure she probably came to those conclusions earlier on. And she had a much much tougher project. The main point: she didn't need much. Today in the G&M there was an article on a guy who had lost his fortune to Bernie Madoff (a fortune ironically made on selling books about simple living). His conclusion: you don't need much to be happy. It's obvious of course. But we have *felt* the reality of that more from not buying new things than we did when we just knew intellectually that we didn't need that much.
Michal, who has been so good about not getting anything new, recently found out she won a (new) digital camera in a contest for a poster she designed. She receives it tomorrow. And so she is getting one HUGE and unexpected new thing in the middle of this project. She's excited about it. It's interesting to watch. Is it the camera? Or is it winning? Or is it both?
The last week has been my first long break from this blog (with the exception of my one "flowers" entry). I was at our cottage and not only were there no new things to buy but I also did not find myself thinking about buying things. I had a backlog of buying-related topics I'd wanted to write on but they all evaporated while I was there.
I did finish the book *Not Buying It* while I was at the cottage. Levine came to the same conclusions after a year that I'd come to after a month (hah!) But I'm sure she probably came to those conclusions earlier on. And she had a much much tougher project. The main point: she didn't need much. Today in the G&M there was an article on a guy who had lost his fortune to Bernie Madoff (a fortune ironically made on selling books about simple living). His conclusion: you don't need much to be happy. It's obvious of course. But we have *felt* the reality of that more from not buying new things than we did when we just knew intellectually that we didn't need that much.
Michal, who has been so good about not getting anything new, recently found out she won a (new) digital camera in a contest for a poster she designed. She receives it tomorrow. And so she is getting one HUGE and unexpected new thing in the middle of this project. She's excited about it. It's interesting to watch. Is it the camera? Or is it winning? Or is it both?
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Flowers
Bought flower planters for our porch the day before yesterday; Bought hooks to hang the planters yesterday; Bought no new things today.
Brenda and I are at the cottage now and so I will have a constant stream of “bought no new things today” for the next few days since there are no new things to buy here.
On the flowers front: I debated about the planters. The flowers are biodegradeable; the plastic pots are not. Plus there’s the slippery slope problem: once we had the planters we needed the hooks and who knows what we’ll need next. Well, okay, probably nothing in this case but it reminded me of how often buying one thing leads to buying another thing.
Cut flowers are also a question mark for me. The flowers themselves are not strictly speaking things and seem okay as long as I don’t get them with all the wrappings. There are still the questions of transport, pesticides, using arable land for a luxury item . . . . What else? I’m sure there are other problems as well. But then I’m always reminded of something Ted often repeats (citing mom who apparently is citing granddad): if you have $2 left in your savings you should spend $1 on bread and the other $1 on flowers. I like that.
Brenda and I are at the cottage now and so I will have a constant stream of “bought no new things today” for the next few days since there are no new things to buy here.
On the flowers front: I debated about the planters. The flowers are biodegradeable; the plastic pots are not. Plus there’s the slippery slope problem: once we had the planters we needed the hooks and who knows what we’ll need next. Well, okay, probably nothing in this case but it reminded me of how often buying one thing leads to buying another thing.
Cut flowers are also a question mark for me. The flowers themselves are not strictly speaking things and seem okay as long as I don’t get them with all the wrappings. There are still the questions of transport, pesticides, using arable land for a luxury item . . . . What else? I’m sure there are other problems as well. But then I’m always reminded of something Ted often repeats (citing mom who apparently is citing granddad): if you have $2 left in your savings you should spend $1 on bread and the other $1 on flowers. I like that.
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Stockpiling
Bought no new things today.
Since we started this project a month and a half ago we have bought no new: soap, shampoo or conditioner, dishwashing or dishwasher detergent, tinfoil, saran wrap, handcream etc. This is not because we have gone without these things but because we have *so many of these things* already sitting around the house. Is this normal? Do families usually have multiple bottles of shampoo, trillions of soaps etc? I'm thinking of all the space this sort of stuff takes up (both physical and psychological).
I have run out of little baggies (and not replaced them--it's a category that's a bit on the fence but we can get by without). Tinfoil is another story. We're about to run out (I'm rationing) and I think it should be the same category as baggies--we should get by--but I can't imagine doing so. I ran out of my conditioner but now I just use Joel's (which actually isn't as good). I ran out of my favourite soap but am feeling some satisfaction working through all the other soaps.
I'm thinking about making shampoo and conditioner from recipes I found online when our current supplies run out. I may be taking this too far :) . . . .
Since we started this project a month and a half ago we have bought no new: soap, shampoo or conditioner, dishwashing or dishwasher detergent, tinfoil, saran wrap, handcream etc. This is not because we have gone without these things but because we have *so many of these things* already sitting around the house. Is this normal? Do families usually have multiple bottles of shampoo, trillions of soaps etc? I'm thinking of all the space this sort of stuff takes up (both physical and psychological).
I have run out of little baggies (and not replaced them--it's a category that's a bit on the fence but we can get by without). Tinfoil is another story. We're about to run out (I'm rationing) and I think it should be the same category as baggies--we should get by--but I can't imagine doing so. I ran out of my conditioner but now I just use Joel's (which actually isn't as good). I ran out of my favourite soap but am feeling some satisfaction working through all the other soaps.
I'm thinking about making shampoo and conditioner from recipes I found online when our current supplies run out. I may be taking this too far :) . . . .
Friday, 14 May 2010
Wood (again and again!)
Bought no new things today.
Last night after writing my posting about Joel's wood purchase I turned again to Levine's *Not Buying It* (which I am reading exceptionally slowly--a few pages a day only--because it is not the sort of book one zooms through) and I came across the following passage:
"Paul brings home $500 worth of Mill's Pride coated particle board closet drawers, shelves, dividers, and poles from Home Depot. It's a permissible purchase, since it's part of the new construction" (189).
This is written by a woman, you may recall, who is buying next to nothing for *an entire year*; she and her partner, Paul, don't go to cafes, they don't go to restaurants, they don't go to movies, or music events, or theatre. They don't buy wine! And yet she breezily announces on p. 189 that wood is okay! I almost leapt out of bed to update my blog immediately. I must have missed this exemption when she noted it at the beginning of the book because I don't remember anything about it. We're doing nothing even remotely close to what Levine and her partner did. And yet if we take our guidelines from the strictest, austerest of the strict and austere: wood is okay!
This evening, at any rate, I thought it was more than okay. Joel showed me what he'd been making in the basement and it is truly spectacular. I literally could not believe he'd done it by himself. I'll try to take pictures for another post. Ted, he's even incorporated old windows into our new storage unit. It looks amazing.
Last night after writing my posting about Joel's wood purchase I turned again to Levine's *Not Buying It* (which I am reading exceptionally slowly--a few pages a day only--because it is not the sort of book one zooms through) and I came across the following passage:
"Paul brings home $500 worth of Mill's Pride coated particle board closet drawers, shelves, dividers, and poles from Home Depot. It's a permissible purchase, since it's part of the new construction" (189).
This is written by a woman, you may recall, who is buying next to nothing for *an entire year*; she and her partner, Paul, don't go to cafes, they don't go to restaurants, they don't go to movies, or music events, or theatre. They don't buy wine! And yet she breezily announces on p. 189 that wood is okay! I almost leapt out of bed to update my blog immediately. I must have missed this exemption when she noted it at the beginning of the book because I don't remember anything about it. We're doing nothing even remotely close to what Levine and her partner did. And yet if we take our guidelines from the strictest, austerest of the strict and austere: wood is okay!
This evening, at any rate, I thought it was more than okay. Joel showed me what he'd been making in the basement and it is truly spectacular. I literally could not believe he'd done it by himself. I'll try to take pictures for another post. Ted, he's even incorporated old windows into our new storage unit. It looks amazing.
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Wood
Joel bought wood today (again!)
He's thinking that maybe wood should have been on our initial exemption list (a necessary item we can't live without???). He might make a case for this in some future post . . .
There *has* been a lot of hammering and sawing coming from the basement these past few days.
I bought no new things today. Ben wanted a new book. Michal wanted a new lunchbox. Oh well, so much for quenching the desire for new things.
He's thinking that maybe wood should have been on our initial exemption list (a necessary item we can't live without???). He might make a case for this in some future post . . .
There *has* been a lot of hammering and sawing coming from the basement these past few days.
I bought no new things today. Ben wanted a new book. Michal wanted a new lunchbox. Oh well, so much for quenching the desire for new things.
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Time and Money
Bought no new things today.
Someone I was talking to recently said that it must take us a lot longer to get things (seeking out used things, making things, thinking about how to deal with things we used to buy) than it used to. I agreed. I had suggested that point in an earlier post as well (re. bicycles): it takes longer, but I still prefer it. On reflection, though, I don't think we spend any more time getting the things that we need than we used to. But we have saved time seeking out, thinking about, weighing the options on, putting away, things *we don't need*. And so, in the end, I think we spend *less* time getting things than we used to and now we only have the things that we need. On balance, we save time and money!
Someone I was talking to recently said that it must take us a lot longer to get things (seeking out used things, making things, thinking about how to deal with things we used to buy) than it used to. I agreed. I had suggested that point in an earlier post as well (re. bicycles): it takes longer, but I still prefer it. On reflection, though, I don't think we spend any more time getting the things that we need than we used to. But we have saved time seeking out, thinking about, weighing the options on, putting away, things *we don't need*. And so, in the end, I think we spend *less* time getting things than we used to and now we only have the things that we need. On balance, we save time and money!
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Less is more . . .
Bought no new things today.
Here are two quotations from architects that I came across today:
"Less is more." Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe
"Less is a bore." Robert Venturi
You choose.
A conundrum: tonight Joel was searching on the internet for a used book for Michal. He found the book used but with shipping costs it was more expensive than it would be to buy it new. I said: buy it used anyway. He said: but it costs more! For me, adding new (and necessary) things to the world trumps cost. Joel's not so sure. To add to the issue: shipping itself involves fossil fuels, labour, packaging. And so at what point does it cancel out the new-thingness of the new thing?
Here are two quotations from architects that I came across today:
"Less is more." Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe
"Less is a bore." Robert Venturi
You choose.
A conundrum: tonight Joel was searching on the internet for a used book for Michal. He found the book used but with shipping costs it was more expensive than it would be to buy it new. I said: buy it used anyway. He said: but it costs more! For me, adding new (and necessary) things to the world trumps cost. Joel's not so sure. To add to the issue: shipping itself involves fossil fuels, labour, packaging. And so at what point does it cancel out the new-thingness of the new thing?
Monday, 10 May 2010
New Habits and a Necklace
Bought no new things the day before yesterday; Joel bought 2x4s yesterday; today we bought small styrofoam balls for Michal.
I think at some point in the past five days or so I have entirely forgotten about buying or not buying new things. That is, it has become a habit not to buy new things. It's interesting. It wasn't that way at first. Even though it wasn't that difficult I did think about it. Weirdly, in a way, I miss thinking about it, noticing my patterns, and being aware of them (although writing this blog does force me to think about it at least at the end of the day). And, on the positive side, my new not-buying habit probably now frees me up to notice different things. I was really intrigued (actually, fascinated) buy how prominent consumption was in my life before this no-new-things project. At that point, I didn't notice how much I was buying and to what degree it was a reflex (I didn't think of ways of doing things otherwise).
About the styrofoam balls: Michal needed them for a school project (she had to make an imaginary planet; she'd already done most of it with papier mache but was stumped by circular houses she needed to make). After some discussion we all decided (with the exception of Ben who couldn't see why caps shouldn't fit into this category) that if Joel and I get exemptions for work-related items then Michal should have an exemption for a necessary school-related item. On the work-buying front, btw, I have not bought a single new thing in the past 40 days (and I don't think Joel has either). Actually, I did buy 2 new books in the early days but haven't since. I had anticipated buying a lot of work-related things (if only to satisfy that desire to consume) but have not even been tempted. Nevertheless, when we run out of printer paper that will be a necessary purchase.
On the Mother's Day front, Michal made me truffles (delicious!), Ben made me a painted plaque (he was sweetly proud of it), and Michal also made me a necklace. Today Michal noticed that I hadn't taken my necklace off since she gave it to me. I told her that since I hadn't had anything "new" for the last while it was exciting to have a new necklace to wear. And that was true! I definitely notice and appreciate this necklace in a way that I don't think I would have before.
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Mildewy 2 x 4s
Joel writing here. Barbara mentioned the 2 x 4s story (April 30: "Kijiji addiction") and said I would fill in the details. There's not actually much more to fill in. But it is true that once I started down this Kijiji path, I was surprised to find out (a) how much I liked it, and (b) how incredibly easy it is to find anything used within more or less a 15 minute drive away.
Kijiji, for those who don't know, is a kind of local ebay. You look for stuff people have posted under various categories for sale or for free, but only in the city where you are located. So I use Kijiji Ottawa, but someone elsewhere would use their local Kijiji site. In big cities, it's broken down by areas. Kijiji purportedly means "village" in Swahili. The whole enterprise has a community-building aesthetic to it. It's really amazing how different this is than ebay -- which has never really appealed to me either for buying or selling or giving away. The local aspect means you end up meeting people in your 'hood.
Barbara already told the story of the radiator, but she neglected to say that we had several offers of $130 or more for the rad. The artist who came to pick it up had her check book (cheque book, for Canadian readers) in her hand and was ready to write a cheque for $130. Since, in the name of art, we couldn't think to take that kind of money, we ended up giving it to her for free and she, in return, thanked us profusely and gave us an invitation to the opening of the show. (She was using the rad, by the way, as a sound-making device -- her installation is concerned with acoustics and every-day objects). One other thing about this, in my rambling post here: these rads can weigh hundreds of pounds each - they are cast iron. Vince (our neighbour) and I had one hell of a time lifting it into her trunk - and the back of her car sank almost to the ground when we managed to drop it in. I wouldn't have been at all surprised to see her car do a wheely with the front end up in the air as she drove off into the artistic sunset.
Ok, about that wood. I figured, hey, I've found light fixtures and tools, and I've sold or given away almost anything on Kijiji. Why not wood? So I looked up wood and 2 x 4s. Sure enough, a hand full of ads popped up. So, I contacted a seller who had a pile of 2 x 4s. Unfortunately, after seeing his offering, I was worried it was damp and possibly moldy. That's when I headed straight to Home Depot. Capitalism and breezy exploitation of non-unionized workers means that I can get 2 x 4s for $2.19 each. But given all our recent home-made projects, the whole thing felt entirely without any guilt to me. It all seemed within the spirit of the project.
One last thing: I, like Barbara, am absolutely stunned at how much the kids have gotten into the whole thing. Michal has made more arts and crafts things as gifts and for other reasons than one could possibly imagine. And the recipients of home-made birthday gifts seem reasonably impressed and grateful. These are 12-year old recipients! Sure, their parents go on and on about how special and nice these gifts are, but that's to be expected, but the kids themselves seem genuinely happy about the gifts.
Ben, too, has just taken the whole project at face-value, probably following Michal's lead. Now requests for things like ice-cream or a trip to the candy store have substituted for begging to go to the local toy store, Ms. Tiggy Winkles or to Toys R Us.
I don't think 3 months will be enough.
jw
Friday, 7 May 2010
Junk Raiders; All for Nothing; Michal's sandals
Bought no new things yesterday. Bought ONE new thing today: Michal's sandals (more below).
The other day Bethany told me about an Ottawa tv show called All For Nothing. People are selected to improve/renovate their homes without spending very much money. They're encouraged to buy things on kijiji, find bargains, and so on. The focus of the show (I think) is less on cutting down on things in the world and more on saving money but I'm still curious to see it. It also reminded me that I've been meaning to post a link to reality tv-show that someone we knew did for the Discovery channel in Toronto. The show starts with a large loft in need of renovation; it then teams Gordie (the guy we know) and another guy who are both good at raiding dumpsters, recycling, fre-cycling, and basically finding ways to resuse old things with a bunch of designers and architects. The camera tracks their efforts to do a high-end renovation of the loft space using mainly "found" materials for only $5,000. Here's the link: http://watch.discoverychannel.ca/junk-raiders/season-1/junk-raiders-episode-1/#clip215922
On to Michal's sandals. The purchase of her sandals mark the first really unnecessary new purchase that we've made since we started this project. (Michal could, after all, have found used sandals). I decided to relent since Michal has been so good overall. She was really happy with her sandals (thrilled, in fact--the one plus of the purchase was that no-new-things has made her more aware of the specialness of buying something new).
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Bicycle Mode
Bought no new things yesterday or today.
Tonight when I got out of my meditation class it was pouring rain and dark. My first thought was, "I should have brought the car." Instead, I put on my rain pants, unlocked by bike, and biked home. As I was biking I realized that I was much happier on my bike than in the car even with the rain. I could smell (and feel!) the rain, smell the many flowering trees along the canal, be fully in the darkness of the night. It reminded me of what I like about not buying new things. When I'm on my bike I'm much more aware of the world and the same thing holds for this "not buying" mode. (It made me wonder how many other areas of my life are not in "bicycle mode" but could be.)
Riding my bike might be a bit more difficult and take a little longer but it is much more rewarding. The same holds, in general, for not buying new things. Both slow me down and make me think. Still, I know there is a time and place for the car (if I were going to some fancy dress event and it was raining, for example). So, too, there is a time and place for new things (possibly Michal's sandals). But going to an extreme--saying "no new things"--can help bring into focus those times when buying something new really does make sense (even if, in most cases, "bicycle mode" is better!).
Monday, 3 May 2010
a very quick reversal!
Bought no new things yesterday or today.
No sooner did I write my positive monthly reflection on buying no new things than the kids suddenly switched from complacent to complaining. It was uncanny. I wondered if they had read the blog overnight and had colluded together to contradict it! I woke up Sunday morning (after writing Saturday night) and the very first thing Michal said was that her sandals were broken, she couldn't fix them with crazy glue, and she needed NEW shoes. I had been impressed by her earlier in the week because she'd been eager to fix them with crazy glue. But she had now suddenly found the perfect pair of sandals, they were not available on any of the used websites, and she wanted to buy them that very day. Ben then chimed in that if Michal got new shoes, it would only be fair if he got caps for his gun. This conversation went on all day and has persisted through today.
Michal has a point. She now has no sandals. Also, we'd told her she could buy shoes in France but she didn't find any that were right and so wisely waited. I may give in.
We were also stymied yesterday by Leo's ten-year old birthday present. When I casually asked him if he liked plants he looked puzzled and said, not really. The kids then said, hah! told you! We decided to give him a gift certificate to the candy store close to us but this doesn't feel like a great solution. Oh well.
One large (the shoes) dent, one small (the present) dent, in our project. I hope this isn't an indication of a change of mood in our second month.
Saturday, 1 May 2010
One Month of (Almost) No New Things
Today marks one month of our no-more-new-things project. I told this to Ben when he asked if he could buy a Lego star wars set he'd found online this morning and he was impressed. "It's been one month already!?" he asked, surprised. (Ben, in fact, asked if Lego "counted" as a new thing. I smiled to myself since for me lego [plastic! expensive! excessive!] is the epitome of what counts.)
This one month marker seems like a good time to reflect on the project thus far. I expected it to be relatively easy to avoid buying new things during this time period and it has, as predicted, been relatively easy. What I didn't expect is that it would have such a palpable impact on the quality of my life. That is, I thought it wouldn't be too hard but I hadn't imagined that it would actually improve our lives in so many unexpected ways. It turns out that it is fun to think about other ways to do things. Often these other ways of doing things are creative (art projects, thinking outside the box on various things) or involve meeting and talking to people (going to other people's houses and buying stuff from them, meeting people who come to our house, and so each consumer exchange is also a mini people exchange [one example: we were selling our old radiators and an artist responded to the ad, came by and explained her art project as we stood outside our house in the rain trying to figure out how to get the rad into her car, told us where we'd see our old rad--as art!--in the show she was doing downtown, enlisted our neighbour to help lift the rad into her car; the whole exchange was a small interlude in our lives that we would not have had if we'd just put the rad in the dumpster--and now our old thing is going on to a new life]). It turns out, not surprisingly, that doing things creatively, thinking about things, meeting people and talking to them, makes life better. And just noticing what we buy and don't buy makes me more aware of how I live my life in general; and that simple fact of noticing and being aware also makes life better. So one unexpected thing was that instead of struggling to get by with fewer things our lives improved with fewer things.
Another unexpected thing was the way that this project spilled over into other areas of our life. Partly it's just our weird turn to a nineteenth-century world where we're making more things now: not just arts and crafts but meals and games too. It started with the need to make presents and then shifted to the desire just to make things (and food) in general. (The other day Michal was baking and we didn't have baking powder [or soda, I can't remember] and so she made it by looking it up on the internet.) Even more weirdly, the kids are watching less tv. The most surprising shift for me, though, is that not buying new things has spilled over into not really feeling like buying anything. I never imagined that. I thought I would be spending lots of spare time in secondhand stores and that my buying desires would be satisfied by used and secondhand stuff but this hasn't been the case at all. I also noted at the outset that magazines would be an exemption since I buy magazines all the time and could not imagine not doing so, and yet in the past month I have bought only one magazine. This new awareness of things has also made me more aware of all of the packaging in our lives and I've found myself seeking ways to minimize it much more than I'd anticipated I would initially.
The last unexpected thing relates to the kids. They have been so great. They have not complained once. And Ben's old pleas to buy something (anything!) on the weekend and when he walked home from school have evaporated. His request for the lego this morning was the first request he had made of that sort the entire time and when I told him that lego was, in fact, a new thing he dropped it and didn't argue at all. I'm still kind of shocked that they accept this just because "we say so." But it is also instructive with respect to the way we raise our kids; they will follow our lead and they don't waffle, as it turns out, when there are clear boundaries.
Final thing: I have learned that, in terms of things, we don't, in fact, need that much.
So this is all very positive (too positive!), I know; we'll see what the next month brings.
Friday, 30 April 2010
Kijiji addiction
Bought new wood today (there's a story here but I don't know it!).
Yesterday as Joel was running down the stairs he cheerily called out, "I'm a kijiji addict!" He was going to buy 2x4's he'd found on kijiji and we both marvelled that one get practically everything on the used websites (we also use usedottawa and craigslist). Later that day I ran into him in the car as I was biking to meet someone. The car was filled with wood but Joel looked disappointed. He rolled down the window and said he'd have to write the blog that night to explain why the car was filled with NEW wood instead of the used/old wood he'd set out to get. He muttered something about mildew or dampness or stains--I'm not sure--and drove off. And then last night at midnight as he was preparing to leave for Denver early this morning he realized he didn't have time to write the blog. And I never got the story!
Meanwhile, we have tons of people coming by this wknd to pick up stuff we (aka Joel) posted on Kijiji that would otherwise have been dumpstered.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
buying app
Joel bought little hooks to hang our curtains yesterday. Bought no new things today.
It was frustrating to have to buy the hooks especially because they didn't work and the curtains now are still tacked to the windows (which looks, you guessed it, tacky!).
It's probably not appropriate to note a buying app in a no-new-things-blog but I came across a website called goodguide.com that also apparently has an iphone app that lets you scan barcodes to determine what it's best to buy from a green point of view. It rates food according to health, environment, and society. So it fits for me for buying food. The website rates a range of things from deodorants to household cleaners to food. When we have to buy new things, it does make sense to consider green issues (I wonder if Joel's little plastic hooks were on the app?). I don't have this app yet but I'll probably get it (and then I'll have to resist the urge to move through stores scanning everything I see and buying weird things just because they have good ratings!)
Monday, 26 April 2010
fixing old furniture
Bought one small hinge for a piece of furniture today.
I was going to write that we bought no new things today but then I remembered that Joel had called me from Home Hardware earlier in the day on his cell phone. And so I had to ask him: "what were you doing in Home Hardware? Did you buy anything?" "Yes!" he said, "a hinge to fix a piece of furniture." "But that's a new thing," I said. "I thought small pieces of hardware didn't count," he said. (????). But then he explained: he was fixing an old piece of furniture so that we wouldn't have to buy a new piece of furniture. Better to buy the little hinge than the whole new piece of furniture. True. Still, he might have tried to find a hinge or at least to think how to use an old hinge. Oh well. At least it was a purchase in the spirit of our general project.
Sunday, 25 April 2010
ted and melissa's kitchen
Bought no new things yesterday or today.
I am sitting at Ted and Melissa's kitchen table right now and it is very beautiful. I'm struck by how much I like things that show their wear (there is a chipped shelf to my right and I love the lived-in look of those bit of paint showing through). One surprise about not buying new things: on the few occasions when I now go into stores I'm struck by how flimsy and cheap things look. New things are looking less appealing to me, not more. I hadn't excepted that. Even clothes. It makes me think about the construction of desire, how "unreal" (and yet so real) our desires are. But here at Ted and Melissa's kitchen table it is very peaceful: there is the sound of wind chimes just outside the French doors and there are mason jars full of grains and rice and sugars and I'm sitting on an old chair at an old table and there is a history here that one loses with new things. (Although it does remain true that these things were once new and I used to love, and will again no doubt, buying new things with a history [ie. buying something from someone who told me a story and then that story got built into the thing]).
I take the train back to Ottawa today and normally I would have walked out to Roncesvalles and with great pleasure bought a couple of new books for the train. This time I will have to just raid Ted's book shelf instead (sorry Ted).
Friday, 23 April 2010
the day after earth day
Bought no new things yesterday or the day before.
When we were talking on the phone the other day Ted told me about coming across Levine's Not Buying It in the bookstore and beginning to read it. His first thought was, "this book is great, I'm going to buy it." But then as he kept reading, he thought, "wait! I can't buy it!" And so he left the store to try to get the book at the library. Unable to find it there, he then decided to return to the store to buy it. And now he's sent it to me. And I'll pass it on to someone else (or back to Ted to do the same). And so it is having a well-read life. (The Story of Stuff writer, Annie Leonard, comments on this issue of books and their thingness in her interview with Kohlbert posted below).
Today is the day after earth day. The concept of earth day makes me think of that joke our kids make about mother's and father's day. They ask: why isn't there a kids' day? And we tell them because every other day of the year is kids' day. The worry about earth day is that it becomes an exception after which we return to some sort of unearth day norm when, of course, every day should be earth day. (Just like every day should be mother's day :) Okay, not just like that, but it would be nice.)
ps. Wrote this the day after earth day but am posting it late. The day after the day after the day after etc.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Voluntary Simplicity
Bought no new things today.
The other day Andre told me about a movement called Voluntary Simplicity. (For more info see: http://www.simpleliving.net/). I had never heard of it but that evening (synchronetically--is that a word?) the chapter I was reading in Not Buying It was titled "In/Voluntary Simplicity" and was on this very topic. Because she lives in Brooklyn, Levine was able to find a "Voluntary Simplicity" group right around the corner from where she lives; her description of her attendance at one of their meetings is laugh-out-loud funny. She does make make the movement sound less appealing (very earnest, a little sad) than the website Andre sent me (which I found intriguing for its back-to-the-farm planting suggestions which I immediately began picturing in our garden--no doubt unrealistically, especially because I was picturing my homemade wooden planter boxes alongside the chickens and goat that Joel is not eager to get). I found the planter instructions in the Newsletter which you can get to from the website above; the homepage of the website, though, is unappealing and odd in its push to "sell" simplicity.
For a good interview with Richard Sennett, the author of The Craftsman (referred to in an earlier post) see: http://www.utne.com/Spirituality/Crafting-a-New-World.aspx
Monday, 19 April 2010
The Gift of Nothing
Bought no new things yesterday or today.
Weirdly, Ben has become obsessed with the book The Gift of Nothing lately. He likes me to read it to him every night (for the past three nights) and as soon as I finish he asks if I can please please please read it again, just one more time. Why this fascination? He hasn't made any connection with our buying-no-new-things project but there is definitely something in this book that captivates him. It is about a cat who seeks out a gift of nothing for his friend. After looking everywhere for nothing he finally finds it when he's not trying and immediately gets a box for it. My favorite part is when he looks at the box: "Then Mooch thought, Hmmm . . . maybe Earl deserves more than this." I like this part because I get tricked; I thought he was rethinking the idea of nothing. But instead he gets a bigger box and puts more nothing in. The book is cute but still not so cute as to account for Ben's obsession.
The fine print: yesterday I bought Ben caps(!) for his gun(!!). This actually doesn't count--I know that sounds ridiculous--BUT we promised each kid a small new thing before we started. Ben wanted caps, the store was out of caps, they came in over the weekend, Ben wanted them. So. But we would never had had this glaring slip if the caps had been in the store in the first place. (And the question of the gun(!) is a whole other subject).
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Making Things
Bought no new things today.
Our "no new things" policy has an offshoot of "making things." In part, the focus on making things was inspired by a great book I'm reading, Richard Sennett's The Craftsman (he talks about the value of making things, slowly and attentively, with one's hands). I'll write more about this book later when I'm not tired. And in part, the focus on making things happened organically: with our veto on buying no new things, we started to make things instead. I think it probably also has something to do with noticing things (which I'll also write about later).
Michal is the most industrious in our family in this respect. She made (today alone): a bird feeder, several pages of her scrapbook, more shrink art, a plaster cast of her hand, paper(!) (she pulled out a paper-making kit she has--it won't be finished until tomorrow), and dinner for herself, me, and Joel. I made a box to hold kleenex (cut up squares of flannel--not everyone's cup of tea but I'm preparing for when we run out of kleenex). Ben drew. Joel surpassed us all with the size and ambition of his project: he made a new 6' high shelf-like structure (which is almost a cabinet) for our firewood. It took all day but it looks great and is practical.
Today, for the first time since we began this project I saw something new that I wanted to buy: a new bicycle (I "need" a bicycle) that is gorgeous and looks just like a bike I used to own (that I loved) that was stolen from my cottage over fifteen years ago.
Today we into Chapters, browsed for 20 minutes (before a movie we were seeing), and bought . . . nothing! Probably a first for us. I did write down the titles of a bunch of books that I will try to get at the library.
Friday, 16 April 2010
Thinking about Buying
I bought one new thing today: an arm for my broken glasses. Technically, I think this should fall into the medicine category (I need my glasses) and I could have--and was tempted to!--buy new glasses but instead restrained myself and fixed my old ones. It is another great example though of how I gravitate toward buying something instead of thinking about how I could do things otherwise. While buying no new things has so far been relatively easy, it has made me think a lot more about this reflex to buy and how often I used to indulge it.
Michal, for example, decided not to give her friend the movie and dinner for her birthday but instead spent yesterday evening making her a necklace and earrings from a shrink art kit she has. She had much more fun doing this than she would have going out to buy the same things. (I must admit that I still felt she should give her friend a movie and/or dinner as well but Michal wanted to stick with the jewellery; I do have an ingrained feeling that one should spend money on someone else's birthday and I felt bad that we didn't but I also didn't want to interfere with what M wanted to do.)
Our lamps were another great case in point. Normally, I would have thought I couldn't find adequate used lamps and would have bought new ones. Instead we massively reduced our looking time by limiting ourselves to used lamps and worked with what was available. I liked that the look of our rooms was no longer a free-ranging, it-can-be-whatever-you-want, but rather was restricted by the used lights that we could find. And the lights we found were great.
I've been reading through Not Buying It, the book by Judith Levine that Ted recommended. It's full of fascinating facts. For example, in 2004 the average new American house was 2,400 square feet (bigger than our current house!). I was shocked by that. One of the reasons I don't agree with the comment quoted in my first (or second) blog entry that "not buying things" is radical, is that it is very different for us not to buy things than for many others. That is, it places an unequal burden on one based on what one has already. Because we have pretty much everything one could want (and more), it is easy for us to choose not to buy new things. But for so many people who don't have a television (how many families I wonder? what percentage?) or a good coffee maker or a microwave or a music system or whatever, it's not nearly so viable. Also, I rely on people buying new things so that I can so easily not. Someone, after all, bought the used books I'm now reading, someone bought those lamps, someone bought the car (that we have always bought used). I also like things. I wouldn't want there to be a world without things. But it does make sense to recognize to what extent we (at least our family!) buy things without really thinking about it.
Thursday, 15 April 2010
No New Things
Bought no new things yesterday or the day before yesterday. Actually, Joel bought a lightbulb. He thought that light bulbs are sort of like food. I guess it's okay as long as its an enviro friendly bulb. Pete Halewood alerted me to the importance of clean-up/disposal issues for fluorescent bulbs. Here's a website with more info:Frequently Asked Questions Information on Compact Fluorescent ...
Monday, 12 April 2010
Bought one new thing today
Bought one new thing today: a metal plate for one of our used lights so that it could be installed.
In general, I'm finding this not-buying-new-things much easier than I imagined. Michal pointed out one website she found in which a family decides to spend no money for a month (here's the link:http://digg.com/arts_culture/My_Family_s_No_Buy_Experiment) and Ted's Not Buying It book is about not spending money on anything except essentials for a year (so no movies, books, etc). Both of these projects would be hard for me (and for our family). But I'm not so interested in doing something difficult as doing something we can sustain over time. For now, it's been fun brainstorming alternative ways to do the things we usually do. And it has been liberating to walk by stores and not to even think if I need/want anything. I don't. I know that already. So there's no pause in front of the store, no browsing, no impulse buys. It does save a lot of time (it's not as if I ever spent that much time shopping before but this "no more new things" project has made me aware of how often I used to think about shopping without even realizing I was thinking about it.) So far, though, it seems, with the exception of metal light plates and a few other things, we can easily (and happily!) get by with used things or no things.
Sunday, 11 April 2010
lights and happiness
Bought no new stuff today. Well, not really. By Ted's calculation we bought 2 plastic bags for 3 cents each because we went shopping unexpectedly and didn't have our regular bags with us. I guess that should count. We did resist buying lunch baggies--a staple we've relied on in the past.
The lights were a success: we sent out 4 emails to various "used ottawa" type sites. One person replied and we were about to go down and pick up his light (perfect for our basement, only $10) when Joel found an old light in our garage that we could use instead; our neighbours who recently renovated gave us another light that they hadn't used; and I bought a third light at an antique place (expensive: $85--but when one considers that this was the total cost for all three lights it's not bad). We're hoping that one of the used ottawa places gets back to us since we're still short one light.
Ted sent this quotation today "We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something that we don't have but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." Fredrick Koeing It echoes one of the points made in "The Story of Stuff": that we often mistake buying things with happiness when really all our buying, and all our stuff, is making us less and less happy.
Andre also sent this very funny Colbert interview with Annie Leonard, the writer and producer of "The Story of Stuff":
It reminded me that environmentalists could probably be a lot more effective if they were a lot less serious. Leonard is ultra-serious and earnest in this interview--I wanted her to laugh more!--but still it was fun to watch. Colbert's hilarious.
Btw, the kids have been the most amazing part of this project. They haven't questioned it at all (well, after the first half hour of utter disbelief). And (so far!) they love imagining the things they will buy at some future point but actually never ask to buy anything at all now. For most kids, this is probably normal, but for our kids, esp. Ben, this is a momentous change.
Bought no new things yesterday.
Early on Ted sent me the "story of stuff" video and yesterday Andre sent it to me too (as well as the "story of bottled water" video). Here are the links:http://storyofstuff.org,
http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/ And here is the storyofstuff blog (it's great): http://storyofstuff.org/blog/
About a year and a half ago I stopped buying bottled water (from August 2009 until now). In that period I have probably bought about 4 bottles of water;except when we were on our trip and forgot our water bottles and so bought bottled water on occasion for the train (but we did reuse our bottles). We had a brita water filter in our kitchen (filters plus that plastic jug) until about 9 months ago when we had our water tested and found it was fine. So now we drink tap water (which we put in a ceramic jug so that the chlorine which is in all city water can evaporate).
Another challenge: Ben has been invited to a birthday party next weekend but probably won't want to give his friend a plant or a movie/dinner certificate. What to do?
Friday, 9 April 2010
Bought no new things today.
Two points of note: Ted sent me a great book in the mail, Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping. I'm looking fwd to reading it. It was also great because he didn't suggest I buy it(!), but rather passed it on through the mail. This seems like a good exchange system and definitely could reduce a need for things (at least things like books). Plus, there the was all the excitement of the mailman ringing our bell, a real package(!), opening the package etc.
We successfully solved our first "new things" challenge (I hope). Michal is invited to a birthday party next weekend and she did not think her friend would appreciate a flowering plant (my idea). After some discussion we settled on a gift certificate to a movie and dinner for Michal and her friend; in the end, Michal thought her friend would really like that and it is more original and better than other gifts (at least in her circles). Phewff.
Finally, I joined freecycle tonight. I'm annoyed with myself for not joining earlier since we could have given away a number of things during the renovation. But better late than never.
My challenge for this weekend: we have to supply our electrician with lights for our basement bathroom and guestroom by Monday morning. Can I find used lights by then?
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Bought no new things today.
I did come across this in the G&M today:
See what I’ve bought
“Somewhere in America’s suburbs, 16-year-old Blair sits in her pink-walled bedroom and shows off a slew of recent purchases,” Marisa Meltzer writes for Slate.com. The adolescent taped them via webcam and posted the video to YouTube. “She’s not just posting it for her clique at school – her video has nearly 600,000 views to date. Online videos like Blair’s are known as ‘hauls.’ They involve mostly young women showing off the fruits of shopping trips. … [The haulers] resemble the popular girls at any high school, which is precisely why they are so appealing to other teens.”
She probably won't be signing up to buy no more new things anytime soon . . .
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Bought two new books today. Technically, they fall under the exemptions category for books; I needed them for work but I didn't need-need-need them and so I felt a bit guilty about it. I did look in the library and the used bookstore in our area before buying them. I could have looked further afield; it's clear that it would be easier to buy no more new things if I had more time to seek out used or borrowed versions of things I need.
Monday, 5 April 2010
Bought one new thing today: sponges for washing the dishes. I could have cut up old rags and I debated doing this but I so much prefer having sponges with a rough side for dishes. Oh well. Day Three and we have one slip.
On the positive side Joel called me from the Apple store in NYC; he was surrounded by new (very entrancing, shiny, stylish, and beautiful) ipads. But he didn't buy one despite the fact that he had fifty clever rationales for why it didn't really count in the terms of "no-more-new-things."
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Bought no new things today (although it was easy because it was Easter Sunday and NO stores were open). I did come across this in the online versions of the NYTimes (from a review of a book called Green Gone Wrong):
"It would have been better had Ms. Rogers delved more deeply into another of her suggestions: instead of buying green, we simply need to buy less stuff. She seems reluctant to push this too hard because it’s a truly radical idea that flies in the face of capitalism — green or not.
“Around the world, many politicians, the conventional energy sector and manufacturers of all kinds oppose any major reduction in consumption,” Ms. Rogers writes. “If people start using less, then economies based on consumption — such as that of the United States, where buying goods and services comprises 70 percent of all economic activity — will be forced to undergo a colossal transformation.”
At first, her muted call for a new frugality sounds almost as far-fetched as a carbon tax in the United States anytime soon. But it isn’t. This is something individuals could do on their own instead of waiting for reluctant politicians to act.
If there was ever a time to ponder the long-term consequences of our spending habits, it’s in the wake of the worst economic crisis in decades, which was fueled by rampant consumer borrowing. Is it possible that we could save the planet and restore the economy at the same time?"
I don't agree with all of this but still think that buying less stuff can't hurt.
Saturday, 3 April 2010
No More New Things (for 3 Months)
Inspired in part by Ted’s comment that we have too much stuff, in part by the massive debt we have after our renovation, in part by the sobering fact that “too many things” are a problem for us when so many people have not enough things, and in part by environmental concerns I want to try to buy “no more new things” for the next three months (until 1 July at which point I’ll re-evaluate again). I’m turning this into a blog in an effort to keep myself on track but also because I’d be curious to have input from others who have tried to cut down on the stuff in their lives. I’m also wondering about what counts as essential “new stuff” and what does not. It seems pretty clear to me that even taking into consideration essential things it should be easy to avoid buying new things for three months (I can’t think of anything essential that can’t wait). But I’m interested to see what arises in this period that I may feel I need before the 3-month period elapses. Here are my exclusions from this project:
1) Food and drink (but I want to cut back on packaged food and also unnecessary food; in our household we throw away too much)
2) Medicine
3) Toilet paper, shampoo, and soap (although we may have enough shampoo and soap stock-piled in our house so that we don’t have to buy more for the next three months; all those little bars of soap that Ruth brings us!)
4) books (but I will try to cut back on anything I don’t “need”); magazines (ditto above); newspapers ( here I won’t cut back at all)
5) work supplies (papers, pens, ink cartridge for computer etc; but again I will try to limit myself only to what is absolutely necessary)
6) art (is this a fair category? It’s unlikely I’ll buy any art in this period, but just in case . . .)
7) flowers (another iffy category)
And so I guess I should call this project “not so many new things” instead of “no new things.” I’m not including music in my exemptions because I have so much music already but I can imagine that over time I’d want this to be an exemption as well (although one could limit oneself only to downloads to avoid the thingness of cds).
I am counting as okay anything that is not new: antiques, used clothing, etc. Here are some challenges I anticipate:
1) we have to do something to the mud pile that is currently our lawn. Do plants and grass count as new things? Is there a way to “find” these things? Perhaps dig up some plants already existing at the cottage? Poach on friends’ cuttings from their gardens?
2) Our renovation is still incomplete. What new things might we need to finish it and will it be possible to work around them? (We just bought a carpet for the basement, for example, but if I’d started this before we bought the carpet would there have been a way to find a used carpet [not appealing to me] or finish the concrete floor in some other way?)
3) Presents for people. Will I be able to find not-new things? Or make things? (If the latter, then what??) Kid’s birthday presents are probably the biggest challenge here. (I was just thinking I probably won’t be able to do this but then remembered that mom gave our kids plants for channukah [a bulb that turned into a massive flower] and it was one of their favorite presents and so, slightly extending my permitted categories above, I could maybe give kids plants).
4) The kids are going to want new stuff. I’m going to try to impose this regime on them as well but I’m not sure how successful it will be. How can I make it easier for them? Promise them one new thing at the end? But then the “reward” is a new thing and does that go against the spirit of the enterprise?
In general, though, it seems ridiculous that this project should be a challenge at all and I’m hoping that it won’t be. Mainly I’d like to be more aware of what I buy and I’m hoping that by recording purchases and thinking more about the role of consumption in my life, it will help me not to buy unnecessary things and, especially, to make the kids more aware of their desire constantly to buy things.
I'm doing this blog to keep myself accountable. I'm not expecting you to read it(!) and I'm hoping that it will be quite dull (all entries should read: "bought no new things today") but I'm also curious to see what difficulties arise.
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