Mother Talkers

Consumerism Diet

by K C

Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:52:26 AM PDT

Several months ago, I heard a segment on NPR about a couple who had recently had their second child.  They were deep in credit card debt, but the woman wanted to be a SAHM.  Their solution was a year-long consumerism diet where they bough only the bare necessities.  They bought groceries, hygiene and child-related necessities, and the adults each got one new pair of shoes and new underwear ONCE during the year.  At the end of the year, they were debt-free and being a SAHM was economically feasible, without all the financial restriction.

At about the same time, I went on a major cleaning rampage in our house.  It sounds great to have a lot of closet space, but I seem to create reasons to fill it up.  I was disgusted with how much "stuff" we have that is completely unnecessary or never really even gets used.  Never mind the extra work I seem to keep creating for myself, trying to keep everything organized and clean.  Not that I'm a clean freak by any means, but I can't stand the constant clutter and shifting of junk because nobody knows where to put it, where it came from, or why we have it in the first place.

Then there's the "what am I teaching my children" consideration.  I thought about how often I tell them "no" when they ask for something, because they already have so many toys.  How often do we have "use your money wisely" conversations, then I turn around and buy another book, completely on impulse and ignoring the stack of books already threatening to topple off of my bedside table, still waiting to be opened.  

It's not like I'm out power shopping multiple times a week; in fact, I hate browsing and don't find shopping relaxing in the least.  Yet, random stuff seems to just hop into the cart every time I go into Target.  When I look at my home and my life on a "what does your stuff say about you" kind of scale, the words that come to mind are "unnecessary excess".

So, on March 1st, I started my own consumerism diet with three of my friends.  Two are dong this purely from an economic standpoint, two of us are doing it to take a step back from a consumer culture.  We all made our own exclusion rules, which we shared with each other to try to keep each other in line.  We've decided to do this for three non-consecutive months this year, and see what we think at the end of the year.  I'm curious to see if my spending habits really change, or if I find myself going on a shopping rampage on April 1st.  I wonder how much of a financial benefit I'll see, and how much of it I can sustain, even on non-diet months.

Wish me luck!  And self-control.

Tags: consumerism (all tags)

Permalink | 67 comments

  • Diary stealer! (0 / 0)

    :) I was JUST going to write about this. The STUFF factor. Last night we went to Target, they didn't have what we needed at all, and we still spent $60. Unbelievable.

    DH and I have gone on consumer diets in the past, and they work, but we weren't able to maintain it. We've been able to get away from significant debt, save for large purchases, etc. all by Not Buying Things. Well, not buying things with the exception of new DVDs- they were our only purchases. Man we saved a ton! But the upkeep- not so much. It's like any diet, really, that is the perfect term for it.

    by lilianna28 on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:35:53 AM PDT

    • Target (0 / 0)

      Target is totally evil!  I can't go into that place without coming out with 100 bucks in the cart.  Thankfully, our new house doesn't have one nearby anymore. Good riddance!!!

      by NJmom on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:15:13 AM PDT

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      • seriously (0 / 0)

        it is the target factor, I swear. Why is it all so compelling? The prices are OK, not super stellar but the products, I am just their "target" customer (bad pun intended).

        by lilianna28 on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:23:54 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        • crazy! (0 / 0)

          I don't know what it is!  I used to go there instead of CVS or the local supermarket for personal care stuff and cleaning stuff, let's say, when I needed a whole bunch of stuff, thinking that it would be cheaper there.  But when you add in the rest of the crap I would buy, it wasn't worth it.  And I would get home, I wouldn't even know what I bought.

          It must be the layout or the lighting or subliminal messages playing.  

          by NJmom on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:35:41 AM PDT

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          • the layout (0 / 0)

            Whoever designed the store layout better have gotten an excellent bonus and promotion.  I have said this for years!  It's a rare trip where I don't spend $100, too!

            by tessajp on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:56:20 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            • guy (0 / 0)

              Supposedly, the guy did, I can't remember his name.  One trick is they don't put crap out in the middle of that center aisle.  But there is something else going on in there!

              by NJmom on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 05:24:48 AM PDT

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            • It is totally about the merchandising! (0 / 0)

              God, I love Target, like a addict loves her drugs. The glowy lights, the wide aisles, the neat displays, the clear pricing. Wal-Mart and K-Mart make me vaguely nauseous and claustrophobic. But Target? It feels like home . . .

              We say $100 is the manadatory Target minimum. I don't ever feel like we buy tons of crap there, but the fact there is a grocery store and a home good section and kids' clothes all in one place? It's hard to escape for less.

              by minnmom on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 05:31:19 AM PDT

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        • What kills me (0 / 0)

          Is now I will walk out of there spending that $100 and I may have 1-2 items that are above $10, but the rest of it is stuff around $5 or less, just a lot of it.

          That's how they do it - we all might stop to think about speding $20, but who stops at under $5...

          Jen

          by MrsPastor on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 01:36:06 PM PDT

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  • neat idea! (0 / 0)

    I am eager to reduce the number of hours I work on a weekly basis so that I can be home for the boys after school when Eli starts kindergarten in the fall.  Perhaps we should have a family talk and talk about going on this plan.

    We'd have to have some sort of toy and book purchasing schedule though.  Just something small every couple of months or so.

    Miles and His Favorites: The World As Seen By an Eight Year Old

    by Hillary on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:54:05 AM PDT

  • great diary (0 / 0)

    Great diary and good luck!  I'm sure you will all do great, especially with the support of each other, that is a great idea.

    I have been working on this for a while now, and especially since we bought this new house.  Our mortgage payment is higher now, which is fine, we can afford it, but it made me aware of how much money we were just blowing every month.

    We've pretty much eliminated take-out, although we are allowed to eat out if we can get a babysitter because that counts as a date : )  

    I can admit this now, but I had a serious mail-order shopping problem going on.  Books, musics, clothes, toys for the kids.  I've done well on reducing that.  You know when you're scurrying around at 4 pm trying to get rid of the evidence before your husband gets home, you're ordering too much.  Not that my DH cared, nicest guy in the world, but still.

    I also took ourselves off of that equal payment plan thing that the utility companies will do for you. I want to know the truth now, not conceal it by averaging it out all year.  Since we've done that, we've become much more conservative with heat and electricity usage.  I'm really convinced, that on the household level, being green is being frugal.  Sure, a few things might cost more, like some organic food or personal care products, but overall, the two concepts go hand-in-hand.

    Besides all of this, though, I'm am also astonished at how expensive just normal things are becoming over the past year or so.  Gas.  Heating fuel.  Food. Milk.  You name it.  It's a good time to become frugal because I think we're all going to need it.

    Sorry for the blogvel!

    by NJmom on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:14:18 AM PDT

    • budget plans (0 / 0)

      I think that is why they have them- so you're never really aware. I've always gone with the ebbs and flows rather than the budget for that very reason. we lowered the thermostat by 2 degrees overall, dropped it a bit at night and saved somewhere like, $200 a month in the winter!

      by lilianna28 on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:25:20 AM PDT

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    • Food increases. (0 / 0)

      What I've found funny about this is I keep hearing it, and I've barely noticed it. I did wander round the supermarket recently to try to figure out why I wasn't noticing, and it seems the answer is that while most staples have gone up, organics and the like have had their prices stay static. I don't know how long that'll last, but it explains why I haven't seen a burgeoning food budget. (And y'all don't know what expensive gas looks like.)

      We're going to have to figure out where we're going to cut back in the next month or two. I'm switching to a part time job, and while an increase in my hourly rate will mean it won't sting too hard, we're still going to have to make things cheaper somehow. I doubt we could do a consumerism diet right now, however - given our dog and dieting, we've both been losing weight at a staggering rate, and so have been spending an obscene amount of money on clothing. It's a necessity, however - my wife needs to look smart for work, and so despite how annoying it is to have had to replace her entire wardrobe (twice!), it's not something we could shirk on.

      "You're never more alone than when you're alone in a crowd."

      by Expat Briton on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:37:56 AM PDT

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      • organics (0 / 0)

        That could be, about the organics.  The only way I've been noticing it is that I basically buy the same groceries each week, and they've slowly been costing more and more.

        by NJmom on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:49:53 AM PDT

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      • dairy (0 / 0)

        Organic dairy is outta control, though.  A half gallon of organic milk has increased by 50 cents just in the last month or so.

        It seems to me that the $2.99 price point at the grocery store has slipped up to $3.49 for many many things.

        Miles and His Favorites: The World As Seen By an Eight Year Old

        by Hillary on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 09:16:54 AM PDT

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        • Weird. (0 / 0)

          Our organic milk has been static for the last year, if not longer. It's been $3.99 for a half gallon carton for as long as I've been buying it.

          "You're never more alone than when you're alone in a crowd."

          by Expat Briton on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 09:20:21 AM PDT

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        • I've noticed, too (0 / 0)

          My grocery bills are much higher in the past 3 months.

          by GiGi on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 09:23:08 AM PDT

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          • absolutely (0 / 0)

            we pride ourselves on real cooking, which means our grocery bills are milk, veggies, fruit, meat, cheese, flour, oil, bread almost exclusively. A couple of 'quick meals' for DD like a can of ravioli. The advice about processed foods and extra packaging don't really apply to us, since we're not really doing that anyway. still, we're spending $200/week just on food! for 3 people! One of which is very small! (ok, a couple of bottles of cheap wine are in there too).

            these prices have clearly skyrocketed. I'm finding the fruit and vegetable stand is the place to go for almost everything we buy excepting meat-- I'm not sure how much, but I know I can fill a basket there for under $20 every time.

            if you wobba cypress trees then I will wobba you

            by thais on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 10:44:36 AM PDT

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            • I'm actually reassured to hear you say this (0 / 0)

              I'm the same way - do tons of cooking, make all of our bread, and use lots of organics, and that's what I'm spending too (maybe a bit more) for four people.

              I had thought it was me and my spendthrift ways! But even though I've tried to reduce our food spending, I haven't beens super successful lately.

              by mpg on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 01:15:00 PM PDT

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              • right (0 / 0)

                same way here. other than getting draconian, which for me would mean planning out every single meal and calculating exactly what we need and sticking to that list like glue (who has the time? and then the ingredients aren't fresh) I haven't been able to reduce it much either.

                Our biggest culprit is lunches. It's the only time I buy prepackaged anything-- the six-packs of applesauce are awesome-- but I get those for $2.50 and the jar of applesauce is $2.00 so we're not taking a huge hit there.

                if you wobba cypress trees then I will wobba you

                by thais on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 07:31:02 AM PDT

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      • I think it is going to hit in the next 2 weeks (0 / 0)

        Grain is up across the board.  I know this because we are regulars at a local pizza place for lunch.  Their wholesale flour costs just shot up from 19.99 to 50.00 for a 100 lb sack of flour last week.  Their prices are set to go up as are many local bakeries.  Also, grain for animal feeds is skyrocketing so eggs and meat costs are going up as well.  Then there's the cost of shipping these goods and with the gas climbing those costs are increasing as well.  I don't know if organic grain is cushioned or not because of growing practices but everything is going to jump soon if it hasn't already.

        by music teacher on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 12:02:30 PM PDT

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        • I'm sorry. (0 / 0)

          Flour shot up almost 55%????  That's insane!!!!!!!!  Holy cow.

          I read an article today blaming it all on the ethanol craze and how many farmers are growing corn just for that.  Great.  So, its bad for the environment AND bad for my pocketbook.

          by tessajp on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:00:27 PM PDT

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          • about the only upside (0 / 0)

            is that HFCS is also going to get hella expensive, too. Plus, palm oil is also being increasingly used as a biofuel, which means that it's also getting wicked expensive and no longer useful as a cheap ingredient. Market forces working in our favor just the once!?

            by Rachel on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 09:20:32 PM PDT

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          • No (0 / 0)

            Flour has more than doubled. 120%.

            Our local baker wrote a book about his bakery. I snorted when I read the intro about bread being  "a luxury for well under $5". It's up to $4.50.

            Farmers are tearing out all other crops to plant corn.

            This is reverberating into food somewhat. Meat gets hit the worst, because all the grains have gone up. Hay has doubled, between the drought and the tighter supply.

            On top of that, grains are heavy, low value-for-weight products, so when fuel prices double, the shipping goes up too.

            Currently it's exponential, but it should settle out soon.

            Now if only my grass would grow. These night frosts that we've had are going to force me to buy hay at $16 a bale to make it to May - hay that I can normally get for $6.

            by shenanigans on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 10:01:51 PM PDT

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      • organics (0 / 0)

        you make a great point, and one I've been noticing as well here in Melbourne. There has been significant price inflation in "conventional" produce and products, but very little/no inflation in organic produce. In South East Australia (Victoria, NSW and South Australia), a lot of the price increases can be attributed to the horrible, lingereing drought we've been experiencing (in some places, seven years and counting). Water and feed have all been getting more expensive, so the knock-on effect is evident. But our local organic farm/co-op shop emphasizes growers who recycle water or harvest rainwater in tanks and use sustainable growing practices. So while two years ago, the organic produce looked quite expensive in comparison to standard supermarket produce (price difference of more than 30% and sometimes upwards of 50%), this difference has dwindled and in some cases, I've noticed that organic prices have dropped as farmers have amortized the costs of water-recycling/harvesting technology.

        As for saving money, where do you live, EB? Do you guys have a decent backyard space? Are either of you interested in gardening? As it's heading on to spring in the northern hemisphere, is planting a veg garden an option?

        by Rachel on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 01:36:16 PM PDT

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        • There'll be some insulation. (0 / 0)

          Thinking about this, most of the artificial fertilisers and many other agri-chemicals are derived from oil, if a lot of the price inflation is due to spiralling oil costs, then while transport costs are increasing, the other costs associated with farming won't be going up nearly as much for organic farmers.

          We have a decent backyard, but it needs work. A lot of work. We're going to try and sort that out over the next year or two, but as we live in the desert, I don't think a veggie garden is likely a good option. We've been looking at low water use plants and the like, and I expect that's what we'll go with for most of the space.

          "You're never more alone than when you're alone in a crowd."

          by Expat Briton on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 01:57:26 PM PDT

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          • as soon as I wrote this (0 / 0)

            I saw on another thread that you're in NM. (OT slightly, how do you find the contrast between Scotland - Glasgow, no? - and NM?) Well, you can always put in citrus trees, avocado trees and things like passionfruit vines; they're all made for desert weather and water-wise consumption. They'll take awhile to produce fruit, but they're hardy. I have a beautiful lemon tree in my backyard. Sorry - I'm turning into a total garden geek and will be posting a diary on this soon so best to work it out there!

            I agree with your point on fertilisers, too. All the inputs that come with agribusiness are getting markedly more expensive. Sustainable growing like organics is increasingly looking less silly!

            by Rachel on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 03:02:13 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

            • Yes, Glasgow. (0 / 0)

              I like it here. It has a similar feel of "space." When I first moved to the US, we were in northern New Jersey (small town called Highland Park, outside New Brunswick, halfway between NYC and Philadelphia), and I found it a bit claustrophobic. Glasgow got me used to a feeling over open space being accessible, and we certainly have that here. I like that we can walk from our house to the mountains if we want (although by the time you've done that, you probably don't want to do any more hiking - still, it's the feeling of proximity that helps). In a lot of ways, because that's how I perceive of space, it feels more like Scotland than somewhere like London.
              I'll keep the citrus in mind - we have 2 apple trees that we need to get torn out. One's diseased, and they're both too big - taller than the house, and it felt like we spent every weekend late summer and into autumn picking rotting apples up off the ground in our yard. Not pleasant, at all. We're not garden people at all - we're looking for low maintenance, but thankfully most low water plants are exactly that.

              "You're never more alone than when you're alone in a crowd."

              by Expat Briton on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 08:31:22 AM PDT

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              • Highland Park... (0 / 0)

                I know where it is, although I'm from North Jersey (and there's a whole rivalry. Like being in London - you're either Norf the River or Saaarf the River and neither the twain shall meet.)

                What an interesting comparison; I never would have contimplated that desert NM would be similar to Scotland, but when you say it, I can totally see it!

                If you're really not a gardener in the slightest and you do go for trees, avoid olives; they will also fall down and rot and the smell is atrocious. There are also beautiful succulents these days.

                by Rachel on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 01:23:02 PM PDT

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    • Milk has gone way up here (0 / 0)

      It is now more for a gallon of milk than it is a gallon of gas, and we live in Wisconsin where there are cows everywhere!

      Our local grocery store had been running a special where if you bought 6 boxes of cereal you'd get a coupon for 2 free gallons of milk.  I took advantage of it every time.  I noticed this week it's now $5 off grocery order, not the milk coupons.

      Jen

      by MrsPastor on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 01:39:47 PM PDT

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  • Just don't go in (0 / 0)

    One of the surprising side effects of living far in the sticks is that I've become aware of just how much of that kind of spending is related to going into the store. I find it astonishing how long I can go between the idea of "hmm, I should get [thing]" and the actual going to the store to get it. Sometimes by then I realize maybe we can just do without.

    When DD was an infant, I often took her to the mall to get her and me out and about to keep our sanity. I don't think I bought excessively (we did need baby clothes) but I certainly bought more than I do now.

    Things like those 40% off coupons at Michael's are terrible too. It's hard to walk in the store and walk away. I try to only go inside if I really need something quite specific.

    The good news is that I am enjoying just being at home a lot more now, perhaps in part because DD is older and we don't need the crutch of the car to get her to sleep or calm down. With that, I just don't have TIME to go into stores unnecessarily.

    by shenanigans on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:43:48 AM PDT

    • ITA (0 / 0)

      when we go on a spending diet I find that I have to stay out of the stores and stop looking at catalogs or I start to covet! If I don't see, I don't want. I find I can't even do grocery shopping at those big hypermarkets (we have Mejier's close by) because I wander through the non-grocery aisles and buy stuff we really don't need.

      Since I can't handle being in the house all day and can't go shopping, the library has become a very good friend since it is an outing but it doesn't cost me anything.

      by GiGi on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 09:22:23 AM PDT

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      • non grocery aisles (0 / 0)

        are my total weakness. I can't bring myself to pay the inflated Dominicks and Jewel prices, but sometimes I think it's a savings just to stay away from the other shirts!

        It's kind of crazy.

        by lilianna28 on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 10:04:44 AM PDT

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      • Yeah Libraries! (0 / 0)

        Same here, GiGi.  I don't know how much money I've saved over the last two years making a library trip instead of a shopping trip my son.  We can walk there... I can scan the mags there... Ahhhh.  It also helps cut down my book buying proclivities since I can browse the new release shelf there, take the book home, and then find out if its something I just "have" to have.  

        One caution, though:  We found ourselves spending so much time at the library that my husband joined the board of trustees and we both volunteer for story time.  It's too, too easy to become a library addict!

        Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. ~Benjamin Franklin

        by reggaemom on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 11:13:07 AM PDT

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  • I am on a location based consumerism diet (0 / 0)

    There are two grocery stores in town, one drugstore and a Kmart/bait shop hybrid. When I got pregnant I had to wait until I was visiting family on mainland Florida to get some maternity clothes at Target (oh how I miss thee).

    So, I hope to be seeing some savings, because organic milk is $4.05 a half gallon at Publix right now and I can't keep up with that. We are hitting Costco everytime we go north to buy bulk supplies, but milk eggs bread stuff can't come from there. (There's only 3 of us).

    by Suzanne77 on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 11:13:09 AM PDT

  • None of you have ebay problems? Guess that is (0 / 0)

    just me.  What are your exclusions from your diet?

    by OldMother on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 12:20:12 PM PDT

    • Oh, yes (0 / 0)

      I go in spurts...I've been off of it lately, but when I'm on, oh boy, am I on!

      by GiGi on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 02:33:40 PM PDT

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    • Well, yes (0 / 0)

      But I've confined myself to only vintage charms & charm bracelets, and I have very specific lists of what I'm looking for and how much I'm willing to pay.  eBay really is the only place to get that type of collection without wasting a lot of time, and plenty of money.  I'm happy to say I pass by way more things than I buy.  

      by cynmill on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 08:44:21 PM PDT

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  • I love this diary! (0 / 0)

    Can you give us any more details about what this kind of "diet" entails?

    by mpg on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 01:15:40 PM PDT

  • great diary! (0 / 0)

    It was really easy for us to stay away from overshopping when we were living in different countries and moving so frequently because we could always say "eh, do we like it enough to pack it up and heft it around in six months?" The answer was usually "no." Plus, any of our spare money was to be saved up for travelling.

    Now that we have Jess and we're planted here in Melbourne, I've been noticing the "stuff" factor is definitely creeping up! Fortunately, we're not overly blessed with closet/storage space, so we can't hide the stuff for too long. But I defintely look around and go "why? what for? a lot.

    One thing that I'm looking into is a toy library - they have a good one in our area that friends recommend. It's free to join aond they apparently have good toys like model kitchens and the like. You borrow them for up to two weeks which is enough time to really get some good play in. We also haunt the book library, although I'm not that impressed with our branch's selection. It's okay, but in a couple of years, we're going to have gone through most of the kids stuff!

    by Rachel on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 01:42:00 PM PDT

    • Toy library? (0 / 0)

      wow, that is brilliant. I've never heard of one, is it an Australian invention?

      by RachelD on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 02:16:49 PM PDT

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    • Love the toy library... (0 / 0)

      It's saved me sooo much money over the years! I've been secretary of our local one for two years now..I just quit so that I could do more of my "selfish year" stuff. But my American sister came over, saw the amazing potential of the toy library, and went home and started one in her town! I don't know why they aren't common in the US...it's a truly brilliant thing. Especially if you do a bit of "afterschooling" with your kids. Are they interested in numbers right now? Don't go buy that numbers puzzle or game...have a look at the toy library catalogue.

      by aussieyank on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 02:47:53 PM PDT

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      • good for your sister (0 / 0)

        I imagine that it wouldn't be too difficult to organise a toy library. I don't say that to denigrate her achievment at all, but rather to say that it could be doable in a number of towns in the US.

        by Rachel on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 03:03:58 PM PDT

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        • Definitely. (0 / 0)

          She started with high quality used things that she and five or so friends had hanging around. Once it got going, she used the membership fees and a small local community grant to buy more great stuff. It's pretty fantastic now! She's amazing, that little sis of mine...

          by aussieyank on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:38:05 PM PDT

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          • good for her! (0 / 0)

            I'm looking forward to donating some of Jess's stuff to a toy library. I'm being sabotaged at both ends by Jess and by DH - I keep packing up bags, but DH and Jess find them and both howl at me putting them away. I'm ripping my hair out here!

            by Rachel on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:57:59 PM PDT

            [ Parent ]

  • I did this for a year and LOVED it!! (0 / 0)

    In the second year of my master's I decided to do away with shopping altogether. Not that I was shopping a lot in my first year, but it does take a while for habits to change. I had been working prior to going back to school, and my shopping habits did a long slow decline, until I decided to stop altogether.

    I wanted to make it through with some money to spare, of course, but more importantly, shopping takes a lot of TIME. And it's the FRUITLESS shopping that takes the most time ... trying on 15 things to buy one thing, looking for a bargain, returning things that turned out pointless or just didn't work, driving to the store, and making decisions about what to buy. And then if you have 10 lipsticks (which I never had), don't you then have to decide which one to wear? What if you only had two, doesn't that make it a nanosecond of a decision?

    That's why a consumerism diet sounds hard, but in reality it is LIBERATING, and you'll love it.

    It's actually hard to go back to buying and shopping after taking a long hiatus from the PITA that is shopping. Today I have exactly one pair of everyday pants, and when I wear those into the ground, I'll get another. Someday I'm sure I'll graduate to two pair of pants :).

    Anyway, go for it!!

    by RachelD on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 02:36:04 PM PDT

  • Exceptions and elaboration (0 / 0)

    My exceptions are:
    Groceries.
    Basic cleaning supplies - no "gee, I wonder if that works" products.
    Date night and one additional dinner out per week.
    One lunch out, per week.
    Emergency clothes for the boys.
    School supplies.
    Renovation related expenses, closing costs for HELOC.

    We also live pretty far away from just about everything (other than Wal-Mart).  I tend to do most of my shopping in one fell swoop, and it's bookstores and craft stores that get me in trouble.  You know, the "I just need that one thing..." but I end up with five or six because it looked interesting.  I'm also a bit of a product whore.  Because of COURSE this shampoo is better because it smells like pumpkin pie!  I added a few meals as exceptions because we end up eating on our way to/from places and I'm not sure how to make the timing work otherwise.  Sure, I could pack lunches, and I might in future months, but for now, if we're 45 minutes away from home for Sunday school from 9:00-12:30, we can stop for lunch on the way home.  Also, date night saved my marriage, so I'm not messing with it.  :)  The renovation stuff is in-progress and totally necessary.  If it were really up to me, we'd be remodeling the kitchen, but no, we're being all responsible and fixing a lot of water damage.  I'd really much rather NOT spend that money, but I can't find any real way around it.

    So far, my biggest hurdle has been the public library.  I'm really trying.  But it looks like there's no way for me to get book club books in time to actually have them read.  I'm borrowing a copy from a friend for book club on the 20th, but ended up buying one for book club next Tuesday (yes, I belong to two.  Actually, I go to one other one periodically, too) on the 29th because it was clear there was no way I was going to get it in time.  So I'm going to beg/borrow/steal for those books, but I plan on getting all of my other reading material from the library.

    It's funny to say that I've found any challenges, only three days in!  We went to my favorite farmers market over the weekend, and I had to walk right past all of the flowers, the cookbooks, the kitchen gadgets and the wine.  Sure, none of it is stuff I NEED, but prior to this, I haven't had to censor myself as much.  A bottle of wine or two would have DEFINITELY been in the basket.  I did joke about that with one of my friends... if it's actually IN the grocery store, it's fair game, right?  But I'm trying to take this seriously.  Kind of like people who give up chocolate for lent, but only eat chocolate once or twice a month to start with... that's missing the point.  I'm not trying to make my family miserable either; I'm just trying to be more mindful of what I accumulate and make sure I actually need it.  (end zen moment)

    by K C on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 06:13:48 PM PDT

  • Bravo! What a great Diet! (0 / 0)

    This type of commitment is really terrific, especially when you have friends supporting you. Do you have the support and encouragement of your spouse, as well?

    I am one of the few people I know who can go into Target and emerge with either nothing (when they do not have what I need) or only a small item.  I just don't like shopping there very much and I rarely need anything they carry.  As for impulse items, I only get impulsive when I have a really good coupon in my hot little hands!  I was just there on Sunday and bought nothing, mainly because they were out of the Dove chocolate I went in for. (Chocolate is a necessary food item, BTW.  Just had to point that out).

    One "diet plan" we implemented was the Craig's List furniture buying spree of 2007. In September, I realized my house felt like a prison so the decorating needed to be updated urgently.  I spent several months checking Craig's List every day.  We bought nearly everything used, and the place looks much better.  I also sold things to put money back into the "CL fund." My rule is no used upholstered items, though, so we got a new sofa from a consignment store- a closeout item from Macy's.

    As part of my own "consumerism diet" I also stopped buying greeting cards and gifts a few years ago.  Well, okay, when the kids get invited to birthday parties, those are store-bought gifts.  But I do not exchange gifts with other adults for birthdays or holidays.  This helps us keep more of our modest income here in the family where we still think of dinners in restaurants as a real treat!  

    by MsMarvel on Mon Mar 03, 2008 at 07:14:34 PM PDT

  • Outside on the driveway (0 / 0)

    and washable fingerpaint and stamp pads.  You can stretch out a REALLY long stretch of paper that way.  I've also put cardboard at one end, squirted a lot of finger paint on it, and let them ride bikes and scooters down it.   Fun stuff.

    by K C on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 05:26:17 AM PDT

  • I'm not an impulse shopper (0 / 0)

    Whenever I hear about stuff like this, or read articles on how to save money, I think "Wow, I should try that!" and then I realize I'm already doing it.  I'm definitely already in the new underwear and new shoes once a year (or less!) category.

    One thing that has really helped this lifestyle be normal for me is urban/carfree living.  We do have a car, but we generally only use it to drive to work 6 days a week, which leaves the non-working spouse without a car to shop.  So we just don't shop much, don't accumulate much, and don't spend much money.  We also don't watch commercial TV, which I'm sure helps.

    When I do make a purchase, it tends to be a thoughtful one.  We generally don't do new toys outside of birthdays and holidays, but I've noticed my 3-year-old might have some fine motor issues, so I think I'm going to get him some stringing beads.  Doing something like that is a big deal, though, since we don't want them to expect this constant stream of new stuff.  

    I think part of my attitude is because my parents are very, very good consumers, and the excess in their lives sometimes makes me nauseous.  I much prefer our simple life.  Although the grandparents have probably supplied the vast majority of the toys in our house, so I guess their lifestyle allows us to be so minimalist, in some ways (though I hate the clutter!).

    I've linked to this video before, but if you haven't seen it it's worth a look:

    by Treena on Tue Mar 04, 2008 at 07:08:00 AM PDT

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