The Compact Challenge 2010 (formally "Need help for a challenge")

pink_numbers

This thread is for people that are taking on The Compact Challenge for 2010, wholehartedly, or even just dipping their toes in

The basic principles of The Compact is that you buy nothing new, apart from essentials. Taken from sfcompact blog:

1) to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of U.S. consumer culture, to resist global corporatism, and to support local businesses, farms, etc. -- a step, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact

2) to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er)

3) to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

Now, what classifies as essentials is entirely up to you, but the original rules were:

food, drink, and necessary medicine (no elective treatments like Viagra or Botox)
necessary cleaning products, but not equipment (don't go out and buy the Dyson Animal, for example).
socks and underwear (utilitarian--non-couture or ornamental)
pajamas for the children

For us (my OH and I) personally, we will only buy what is edible and/or liquid. This is due to the fact that if something is edible or come in a liquid form, they are quite hard to come by second hand.

The Madness List (things I have caved in and bought!)
7th January - Yarn

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Original Post

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My OH and I are starting the compact challenge next year - I'm sure most people on hear have heard of the challenge, it's where you do not buy anything new for a set period of time, with exceptions for certain things. For us, we are only going to buy food, medication and pet stuff. Everything else must be bought second hand.

Since it takes a bit of planning, I was wondering if any of you wonderful people can think of anything that we might have a problem with during the year.

• Clothes, underwear and shoes (basically any fashion items) are not a problem as we're have plenty to keep us going for a year.
• Toiletries - I make all our toiletries myself.
• Cleaning stuff - I make all of them myself also.
• Books - second hand book stores.
• House hold stuff - we have a box of "spares" that we gathered when we merged our two households.

Can you think of anything else that we might run short of? We are a household of two adults and two cats.

ETA: we are not going to run out of the house and stock up on things, we much rather reduce the use of stuff and find alternative ways.

Many thanks in advance

sunflower76

Isn't it cheating if you buy things 'just in case' before the year starts though?

pink_numbers

We haven't bought anything "just in case" yet I would rather not buy anything beforehand, I was thinking more in the lines of "oh we'll run out of this - ok so how can we cope with that? Are there ways to reduce the amount we use? Can we change the way we do things?"

does that make sense?

sunflower76

Ah, I see. The one that springs to mind is light bulbs although this may come under heating and energy so you might not include this. Am I thinking too hard about this?

pink_numbers

That is a good point, and I like your hard thinking!

Just checked what spare bulbs we have, and I *think* we'll be ok. We have couple of spare bulbs for the side lamps that gets used most (hardly ever use the "big lights"), and all our bulbs are CFLs so hopefully, they'll last the year... if not, I can imagine us sitting in ONE room of the house with the only working light bulb!!

huston_kw

First thing that sprung to my head was the light bulbs, but I guess your covered.

May be a little personnel but condoms and lil-lets, this first can be covered by other ways (either a trip to the doctors or you can get condoms free from family planning) and you can make your own towels (I read some where about this) or invest in a moon cup.

thriftlady_2

Loo paper -but I expect you will be buying that new or maybe you are are going to be really old style and use newspaper, in which case I admire your fortitude:D

You probably know this site The Non-Consumer Advocate but for those who don't know what the Compact is it explains it all. I read it every day, she's very inspiring.

What about TV licence- does that count as buying new? It would be essential for me! And your internet server, but please don't give that up I want to know how you get on! Keep us posted and good luck I'm full of admiration for such a challenge:T

culpepper

Fuses or fuse wire.
Matches or lighter and fuel or disposable lighter.
candles or wind up lantern in case of power outs.

Aril

Are you well stocked up on thread for mending and shoe polish to keep your shoes in decent nick? What about haircuts?
Please do let us know how you get on in your experiment. This type of challenge absolutely fascinates me. There was a book by an American woman who spent a year spending as little as possible a few years ago. Have you joined freecycle?
Aril

Olliebeak

Would you need vacuum cleaner bags?

pink_numbers

Wow, thank you all for your thoughts, there are some that I didn't think about before!

I think services, such as TV license and Internet, is not a thing so I would feel ok about "buying new" of those - otherwise, we would have to cut off electricity, water, gas and post service too. However, they are all "consumption" so I guess we should be keeping an eye on them, thank you for pointing them out to me

Condoms (another one that I really didn't think about!) - I'm on the pill, so this is ok (in a long term relationship).

Tampons - I bought loads last year when Boots was doing offers, and I still have enough for about another year (yup, I totally over estimated how many I use!). I have thought about mooncup. It took me over a year to just get over the idea of it, now I have to get over the price!

Loo paper - yes, I think we will be buying those! Can you flush newspaper these days? We use recycled paper, so that will reduce our consumptions a *little* bit.

Fuses & fuse wire - I will have to ask my OH about our stock of this... I wonder if you can buy them in car boot sales?

I have a box of matches, three lighters and zillions of tea lights - the lighters I bought as a set of 10 at a pound shop. I have full tin of shoe polish in black and clear.

I think I have enough threads, yarn, craft material for the year, but I guess it's one of those things that I will find out as the year goes along. I am worried about yarn (I crochet a lot) and not having the right yarn, but I guess that's also the art of this challenge!

I also read the non-consumer advocate blog, I really enjoy her writing I can highly recommend it too if you haven't seen it before.

I have been amazed by how many things you have come up with that I didn't even think about, thank you so much and please keep them coming