NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

meritaten · 1 December 2014 at 8:47PM

Good for you - but do build in 'It gets replaced when it gets broken'! that means no 'upgrades' but you can buy a replacement without feeling you have broken your rules! (especially if you can get it cheaper than the original).
and do not forget you MUST have little 'treats' for everyone so nobody feels totally deprived! just give a maximum amount - like £1!

fiftyeighter_2 · 1 December 2014 at 8:49PM

Well done Slowdown on an inspiring thread. I hope you don't mind me joining you all.
I'm not sure I will be buying nothing and I am quite frugal. I have to be . But I no i waste money so I would like to haul myself in a little or a lot as the case may be.
I look forward to everybody's ideas. And good luck.

camelot1001 · 1 December 2014 at 9:48PM

What a great idea! I would love to try this but as meritaten says, we should be able to replace when things break, I will be doing this but will see if I can manage without whatever it is first.

I am sure I have enough coats, shoes, etc to see me through (although summer sandals may have to be purchased, my trusted clarks pair had to be binned after 3 years).

I will certainly give it a go, look forward to reading what everyone else comes up with.

[Deleted User] · 1 December 2014 at 10:12PM

Recycle,re-use or repair seems to work for me ,well done on getting your 'lightbulb ' moment The more the merrier.I too hate all the kerfuffle with the multi-nationals and large SM groups telling us what we need and want instead of giving us what's really required, which is a better service, and better quality.

I came home tonight from my DDs with a discarded plastic bowl that had held a chocolate trifle that had been eaten over the weekend. It will be reused for something else (what yet I haven't thought

) but its not going to be chucked away into landfill.Just had a thought whilst typing,I may fill it with compost (got some left over in a bag on the patio) and throw some seeds in it (have some free parsley seeds that a friend gave me off the front cover of her gardening magazine) a small herb garden that can sit on the window sill in my conservatory, sorted

Often its just a case of thinkng 'what can I do with this'

Good luck with your consumer holiday I am pretty frugal anyway and love to streeetch meals as a challenge .Look on the 'fiscal fasting' boards we are a pretty good lot on there as well

thriftwizard · 1 December 2014 at 10:17PM

Brilliant idea; I'd like to join in too. Some years ago I tried to do "The Compact" for a year, which involves buying nothing new with the exception of underwear & work/craft materials. I was doing pretty well, but the kids' (teens, then) birthday presents were difficult; courses of lessons for something they fancied (art, driving) or tickets for events was the best I could come up with, but that worked OK. Probably wouldn't work with younger ones, though.

However I fell at the last fence; 10 months in, our 3rd Freecycled cooker in a row died on me, and I cracked & bought a new one. Even that only lasted 3 years; there are 6-8 of us living here and we cook just about everything from scratch, and it just couldn't last the pace! So I had to spend some serious money & get one that stands a good chance of lasting 15 years like the one I'd had before. I would go along with being able to replace items.

Somehow the fact that I got hold of a book I'd been hunting for several years today seems like a favourable omen; it's never been in stock on Amaz0n, Abe never seems to have any copies, and it never comes up in charity shops. Where did I finally find it? In a skip...

ScarletRibbons · 1 December 2014 at 10:36PM

Good for you Slowdown. In the past year I have tried (and sometimes failed) to stop buying stuff I don't really need.

I also try to de-clutter regularly, so the charity shops are benefiting.

One thing I have learned to do is to come out of the supermarket just with the things I went in for, not staggering under the weight of a load of stuff I don't need.

Eyeore · 1 December 2014 at 10:39PM

Good Luck Slowdown!

I shall follow with interest, would love to give it a go as getting fed up with buying 'stuff'. Shall try my best to be good and only replace what I need to. Good luck to everyone else joining in too :-)

grunnie · 1 December 2014 at 10:44PM

I would love to join in too. I have too much stuff and after my son moved house this weekend and I counted more than 200 boxes of stuff and a few still in my loft I think I should either stop buying and also get rid of some stuff. I have sent all my fiction books to a charity shop and downloaded the ones I will read again to my kindle. I am not spending any money on clothes - I will shop my wardrobe as someone on TV called it last week and I will stay out of charity shops as I always come out with something when I hand in stuff.

ruby_eskimo · 1 December 2014 at 10:50PM

I think this is a challenge I really need to get on board with if you'll have me. Next year is a year of big changes and I want to save as much as possible. I think I'll be instigating the one in one out policy if I need to purchase something but I'm going to try and get through without purchasing anything unnecessary!

Slowdown · 1 December 2014 at 11:19PM

Welcome me hearties!

This ship has no maximum load so all aboard I say.

It would seem my fit of anti - consumerism has struck many a chord out there. It would seem I'm not the only one fed up with buy, buy, buy! So now it's bye bye to buy, buy.

I totally agree with the replacement of broken goods, but I want to make my own choices and not be sucked in by the giant outlets that persuade me bigger is better, more knobs and dials means more happiness and contentment. I want to replace because I have to on my terms.

I also think treats are essential for an enjoyable life but I need to change my idea of what treat is. It's an occasional meal out or trip to the pics. Its a snuggle up on the sofa with a DVD I've bought and forgotten about or preloved by someone else. It's a book I already own but have not yet read.

So therein lies my first Guiding Light : work my way through what I have, be it books, DVDs, bits of make up before borrowing, swapping or charity shopping more.

You shipmates are an amazing resource of ideas. I will treat you with respect and admiration during my voyage and take on board all your suggestions and ideas. I will attempt to steer our ship through tricky waters, hazardous outcrops and through wind and rain. And if we spring a leak I'm sure between us we can patch it up and stay afloat!

Now it's time to snuggle under the covers as I put the log burner on and heating off this evening and the embers are now dwindling! I'm sure my cabin boy won't be too disappointed with that!!!

Kind regards
Slowdown

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NOT BUYING IT! 2015 - A consumer holiday

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