30 Days of Nothing
Ever heard of this? I've been tossing this idea around in my head for the last two weeks and I'm going to do it. 30 Days of Nothing is a personal challenge that means exactly what it implies: a whole month of not buying anything that is not absolutely necessary. Other bloggers I know have tried (and successfully completed) this challenge, and it was fascinating for me to read their thoughts.
A little history on our family. When we first moved to Colorado, Carver was 2 and a half and Lily was two months old. David took an enormous pay cut and I was working (sporadically) as a freelance editor. We were incredibly blessed, but money was tight. We had one car (David walked to work). It was the kind of budget that if you ran out of light bulbs but there were still 2 weeks until pay day, you went without light bulbs. When David became an Assistant Principal, I remember the joy of going to Target and buying light bulbs whenever I wanted. We are still careful with our finances and very grateful for all we've been blessed with, but I want to make sure I'm really aware of where every penny is going. Also, with Thanksgiving around the corner, the timing is right.
For the month of November I am going to do my darnedest to not... buy... a... single... thing. Disclaimer: Obviously, we need to eat. Groceries do not count in this challenge. But let it be said that this won't be the month to try new Ina Garten recipes that call for saffron threads or other such nonsense that would defeat the purpose of trying to cut back. I'll try to keep things simple. Also, I am not about to go into emergency mode and put scraps of recycled newspaper in the bathrooms should we run out of toilet paper. If we run out, I WILL BUY MORE. Lastly, if one of the cars breaks down, we'll fix it.
I'll also come clean and tell you that I spent money today. I had long-standing plans to meet a good friend for coffee this morning. It was her birthday so I treated her to a latte. And in anticipation for a birthday party Carver is invited to in 10 days, I bought a gift card at Target. But that's it. It's the evening of November 2, and the challenge begins NOW!
6 comments:
Good for you! Honestly, I don't know if I could do it...which probably means I should. I'm sure it's even harder than I'm imagining would be. I'll look forward to hearing how it goes.
Cathy, I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this as you go through it. Though we try to be thoughtful about how we spend money (it's definitely different to be on one income rather than two!), we still are ridiculously dependent on buying whatever we *need* right when we want it. I'm sure this month will give you a new perspective and I'm excited to share in it--and maybe be inspired to do it myself (though December would be a mighty tough month for that!!)
awesome! As you know we've done it before but I have never had the guts to do it during November or December! You go! We may do it again in January or March. I'll let you know! Can't wait to hear your experiences.
I wish I had the will power to do this. I just spent $55 on diapers, formula and wipes alone...and about had a heart attack when I checked out! I'm going to keep track of you...if you are successful, I just might do this in January!
This is a fabulous idea. I really want to try it. Not sure when (maybe tomorrow) but I think I'll give this some thought. I am not much of a shopper (other than groceries) but we do eat out once a week. Hmmm.... this may motivate me to also start cloth diapering back up and forgo disposables. Thanks for sharing this with us. I look forward to following along. Best of luck!
I love (and desperately need) this idea. You've inspired me to do some deep reflecting on how and why we spend money. I think a spending moratorium would be a really really great idea.
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