I don't know how it happened and afterwards I completely forgot about it until I got home...but I bought something. *shock* Total impulse purchase and I'm disappointed because in a previous charity shop I'd seen a lovely little picture frame with ladybirds round the frame which was only 50p and I resisted that because I don't need it right now, and it would only end up being packed away until we've moved. Even in the charity shop where I succumbed I was on guard against picking up unnecessary items and was in fact looking for a pasta jar. Not that I really need a pasta jar but I was doing a bit of tiling the other day to cover up a space left by the electricians about three years ago (yes, that's how fast things happen in our house!) and because the old tiles are in inches and the new in mm, it doesn't match up and is quite noticeable, so I wanted something to stand in front of it to hide the anomaly. And at least I would actually be using the jar as well, so not a total waste.
Instead I ended up with a stained glass picture to hang in a window! I picked it up just as mum was at the counter and I was distracted as I was chatting to her. I saw the picture, thought wow, this is nice and there it was...in my bag. Alongside this I bought a new kitchen clock, which we don't really need either because there is a clock on the cooker, but we had a clock previously which is broken so I thought to buy a new one, not thinking that we didn't really need a new one anyway. The window ornament will now be packed away until we move! What a silly thing to buy!
Clock and piccie (very nice one of birds and the sea) were £2.50 each. I also bought four sheets of paper new from the craft shop as I need to print off an official document and it said to use something more than ordinary A4. I don't agree that I really needed anything other than plain white paper, but in a world driven by looks and not substance, I understand the reasoning.
So, a disappointing week this week. Hopefully in future weeks I'll remember about being distracted and how susceptible I am to buying things when my mind is not focussed on the task in hand. But it's early days, and reminiscent of when I decided to never again accept a plastic bag - it took me a long while before I remembered to take a bag out with me every single time, now I do it as a matter of course.
Onwards and upwards! *grin*
Total money spent this week: £6.20
New things bought: none
Unnecessary purchases: Clock (£2.50) and picture (£2.50)
Thursday, 24 January 2008
Sunday, 20 January 2008
Week Two
A little later than anticipated, week two finished on Thursday just gone, but I've been mulling over whether or not to continue including costs associated with us moving house in my buy-nothing endeavours. The outcome is that I'm not going to. The further down the line we go, the sillier it is going to get as Fees and purchase price of a new house drive things up and I begin to look like someone with money to burn!
I've also been thinking about what else won't be included, and these are: groceries, toiletries, household cleaning items. Even if one day we become self-sufficient in fruit and veg, we will still need to buy in other food. Likewise toiletries, if I make our own I still have to buy the ingredients. And for cleaning things as well.
So, what exactly did I spend last week? A few pounds on food and drink that weren't strictly necessary. We had Estate Agents in last week and their valuations were way above what we had imagined, so a small celebration was in order! (Well, we thought so! *grin*) That was £18.05. On Thursday, I was so suffused with excitement about the valuations that I didn't even venture into charity shops.
So, there we are. Until next week. :)
Total money spent this week: £18.05
New things bought: Celebratory Food & Drink
Unnecessary purchases: The above! *grin*
I've also been thinking about what else won't be included, and these are: groceries, toiletries, household cleaning items. Even if one day we become self-sufficient in fruit and veg, we will still need to buy in other food. Likewise toiletries, if I make our own I still have to buy the ingredients. And for cleaning things as well.
So, what exactly did I spend last week? A few pounds on food and drink that weren't strictly necessary. We had Estate Agents in last week and their valuations were way above what we had imagined, so a small celebration was in order! (Well, we thought so! *grin*) That was £18.05. On Thursday, I was so suffused with excitement about the valuations that I didn't even venture into charity shops.
So, there we are. Until next week. :)
Total money spent this week: £18.05
New things bought: Celebratory Food & Drink
Unnecessary purchases: The above! *grin*
Thursday, 10 January 2008
First real week
Thursday is shopping day and being out and about, dropping into charity shops, makes me susceptible to SPENDING! Today was my first real test. Necessary items such as food, cleaning materials and toiletries are not included.
In the last week I have spent £8.65 on two second hand books I got from BB on the Creative Living forum, which left me with £1.35 out of my weekly spending allowance. I did see a lot of things I wanted to buy, and usually I would have just snuck an extra tenner from the cash machine and tell myself that spending £20 a week wasn't really too bad. But not today. In Save the Children there was a beautiful notebook with a dragon pattern on the cover. I picked it up, sighed lovingly over it but put it back because at £2.50 it was too expensive. I also have many notebooks already; I do not need another one, no matter how pretty. In Iain Rennie there were two large Port Merion containers. Very useful items, but again they were about £4 for the two and besides we have plenty of glass jars that can be used instead. In fact, we have a slow but steady supply of Barleycup jars which are good for most things so we don't need to buy anything like that, charity shop or otherwise. I also saw some of those terracotta jars with cork lids. I think they were three for £5 but again I didn't have the money and even if I had we don't need them.
In the end I bought a Hospice Lottery Ticket and deposited the 35p I had left in the collecting box. So, all money gone this week. I'm one of those people who finds it hard to keep money in their purse!
I was telling the lovely ladies in my health food shop about my goal of buying less this year and my disappointment with the containers. One of them suggested I decorate my glass jars to make them look pretty. A brilliant idea!
I am planning to meet Hamster soon (Eating the Seasons), so will need to put by some money for the ticket which, if we meet in London, will be £15.50 for a day travelcard. I think I might try and put by a bit every week for that instead of it using up 1.5 weeks allowance all in one go. I also might see if there is a bus. I know there is a commuter one which leaves the village at 6.15am and takes two hours, but I think I would rather go by train later in the day if that's the only other option.
Talking of Hamster, I expressed an interest in a treadle sewing machine that she had seen on her local freecycle. Much as I would love this, I turned it down. We don't have our own car and borrow my mum's at a cost of 25p per mile when we need to. To pick up the sewing machine would have cost £20, I would have a horrible drive to a town I really hate driving to, I don't like driving anyway and it would be a 1hr 40 minute round trip. Also, we are moving soon and I am trying to get rid of things not invest in large items of heavy furniture. So, no machine.
One thing I did do this week was to hire a skip and get someone in to sort out the garden. But I've since decided not to include moving expenses here.
Total money spent this week: £10
New things bought: None
Unnecessary purchases: Books and a Hospice lottery ticket!
In the last week I have spent £8.65 on two second hand books I got from BB on the Creative Living forum, which left me with £1.35 out of my weekly spending allowance. I did see a lot of things I wanted to buy, and usually I would have just snuck an extra tenner from the cash machine and tell myself that spending £20 a week wasn't really too bad. But not today. In Save the Children there was a beautiful notebook with a dragon pattern on the cover. I picked it up, sighed lovingly over it but put it back because at £2.50 it was too expensive. I also have many notebooks already; I do not need another one, no matter how pretty. In Iain Rennie there were two large Port Merion containers. Very useful items, but again they were about £4 for the two and besides we have plenty of glass jars that can be used instead. In fact, we have a slow but steady supply of Barleycup jars which are good for most things so we don't need to buy anything like that, charity shop or otherwise. I also saw some of those terracotta jars with cork lids. I think they were three for £5 but again I didn't have the money and even if I had we don't need them.
In the end I bought a Hospice Lottery Ticket and deposited the 35p I had left in the collecting box. So, all money gone this week. I'm one of those people who finds it hard to keep money in their purse!
I was telling the lovely ladies in my health food shop about my goal of buying less this year and my disappointment with the containers. One of them suggested I decorate my glass jars to make them look pretty. A brilliant idea!
I am planning to meet Hamster soon (Eating the Seasons), so will need to put by some money for the ticket which, if we meet in London, will be £15.50 for a day travelcard. I think I might try and put by a bit every week for that instead of it using up 1.5 weeks allowance all in one go. I also might see if there is a bus. I know there is a commuter one which leaves the village at 6.15am and takes two hours, but I think I would rather go by train later in the day if that's the only other option.
Talking of Hamster, I expressed an interest in a treadle sewing machine that she had seen on her local freecycle. Much as I would love this, I turned it down. We don't have our own car and borrow my mum's at a cost of 25p per mile when we need to. To pick up the sewing machine would have cost £20, I would have a horrible drive to a town I really hate driving to, I don't like driving anyway and it would be a 1hr 40 minute round trip. Also, we are moving soon and I am trying to get rid of things not invest in large items of heavy furniture. So, no machine.
One thing I did do this week was to hire a skip and get someone in to sort out the garden. But I've since decided not to include moving expenses here.
Total money spent this week: £10
New things bought: None
Unnecessary purchases: Books and a Hospice lottery ticket!
Friday, 4 January 2008
Christmas
At Christmas 2007 I managed to buy most of my presents second hand. Alas, many were brand new and came from a high street store. It may seem early to start thinking about Christmas 2008, but one of the reasons I DID buy new was that I ran out of time - time to wait for suitable presents to appear in charity shops, time to see them come up on freecycle, etc. One of the great pleasures for me is to find something I have been searching for for a while in a charity shop; it gives me such a thrill to have the item in that way, so much more enriching than if I had popped into the high street and bought one because there were a thousand available.
I'm really looking forward to being more resourceful than ever in making do with what I have.
I'm really looking forward to being more resourceful than ever in making do with what I have.
Thursday, 3 January 2008
The Year of Living Without Buying
I have decided to make this year one where I make a bigger effort than ever to NOT CONSUME. This blog is going to be the place where I record my successes and failures, where I wrestle with conscience v. desire.
I have a feeling that I will most probably cheat every now and again - it is okay to get someone to buy something and give it to me as a present isn't it? *grin*
I also know that I won't be able to fulfil every need and want by charity shops, freecycling or swaps. But, here I am, giving it a go.
I have a feeling that I will most probably cheat every now and again - it is okay to get someone to buy something and give it to me as a present isn't it? *grin*
I also know that I won't be able to fulfil every need and want by charity shops, freecycling or swaps. But, here I am, giving it a go.
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