My goal this year:
With the exception of food and medicine/cosmetics, to buy nothing new for twelve months. I've basically been attempting to live as if it's the post-apocalypse and all the stores have been emptied by looters. This is a big change, because I used to spend quite a bit of money on useless things. I blew a lot of money on weekly trips to Target.
So far, I feel like I've been successful. I feel like there are a couple of objectives of this Compact:
- Environmental Impact: To reduce the harm to the environment.
- Corporate Independence: To reduce one's reliance upon the basically destructive corporate structure of modern consumer society. As a rule, by buying only used, one's money goes to local small businesses.
- Personal Enrichment: To foster creativity and problem-solving skills in overcoming those challenges which in non-Compact life are solved by buying something.
The third objective was kind of surprising - I thought this whole thing would be an interesting experiment in getting off the grid but I didn't expect its impact on my emotional status and problem-solving skillss, nor did I expect it to be so fulfilling. Example: My bathroom doorknob broke. I searched fruitlessly through a handful of surplus and used houseware shops (ReStore) for a doorknob of the right size. I ended up cannibalizing the closet doors in my house for parts, and in the process learned how a doorknob works. This may not be impressive to those of you who are skilled with your hands or who were gifted with an inborn mechanical ability, but any technical knowledge is a big step for me.
Similarly, I'm finding it a lot more fulfilling when I
do buy things: when you have to search through antique shops and junk stores for something as simple as a box of staples, you start to really value those staples. The process of hunting the thing you need down becomes fun in itself, too.
All 3 objectives are closely intertwined, but what was surprising was the peace of mind that came with simply not entering into the want/need-purchase-fulfillment-crash cycle of buying things.
The main gray areas are in consumables and services: Things like razor blades, toilet paper, gasoline, and (significantly) scotch whiskey simply aren't available on the used market, and I lack the time or skill necessary to manufacture them. And how does something like a tire rotation or a massage fit in? I'm not sure how to fit those in the taxonomy of "new and used," but the guiding philosophy of this is to use less, and that informs my use of services and consumables.
I've made a few exceptions to the rule. A few I've attempted to justify and a few I'm outright embarrassed about. However, I will note that I think this guilt and embarrassment is a positive sign: I feel as if I've somewhat internalized the basic concept of buying less. (That's another thing: This has kind of taught me the value of guilt.) Here's the breakdown.
One pair of earrings,
and one papercraft Charles BronsonI bought both as gifts from
Etsy.
I justified these to myself because I was buying pretty much directly from the craftsperson, and in that way they contribute to the Corporate Independence objective. As the middleman, Etsy takes a small percentage of the proceeds, but the rest of the money goes directly to the maker of the object. The earrings were made of found materials, which is good from an environmental standpoint. Those are kind of shoddy justifications, though, because when it comes down to it, I bought new things and I didn't really need them. I should have *made* gifts in both these instances.
A pack of plastic rubbermaid-style food containersI was running low on them at home and I didn't think I'd be able to find used ones that weren't disgusting. On the other hand, I didn't really need them: I did have two left.
Tires and struts for my carOn the one hand, I feel pretty good about this: used struts weren't available and I'm hard enough on my car that refurbished tires would've been a terrible investment resulting in a blowout ... and a new set of tires. On the other hand, just maintaining and owning a car runs contrary to the Environmental Impact and Corporate Independence objectives. I'm too in thrall to the convenience of my car to really even consider getting rid of it, though, so this whole purchase is fraught with practical and philosophical problems.
A Moleskine sketchpadThere's no justification for this. None whatsoever.
I foresee some potential problems in the near future, too:
Chopsticks: I broke mine and could really use new ones. The only answer I can think of is to steal some of the plastic ones from an Asian restaurant, but I'd prefer to buy new than steal.
Reading Glasses: I don't need them yet, but I will, probably a pair of +1.00 magnification. I don't like the idea of buying used ones.
Laptop: After I move I'll need a new one. I had a used (refurbished) laptop that died quite quickly. I'm thinking of buying an
Asus EEE, because they're very cheap and very no frills and seem as close as a new product can get to the spirit of buying used and less.
None of these upcoming purchases things are
necessary, though, not in the sense that they're required for me to keep my heart beating, so the ultimate challenge may be simply doing without them. The upcoming move may present me with some challenges as well. Fortunately, I've accumulated enough stuff that my main problem will be deciding what not to bring with me.
