Resisting Consumerism

Another part of my stillness this year will be resisting consumerism. Boy is it hard.

Because first of all, I don't window shop. I think of someone's present super far ahead of time and sometimes come up with a great gift, sometimes just settle on an acceptable gift. But I don't search around first because I hate shopping.

So when I'm buying something, it's for a good reason. Or in the case of the $1 aisle in Target, buying something that I can justify because it's such a deal for something that I would have needed to buy anyway.  Earlier in 2010 I enrolled for Groupons and found it to be very dangerous. It's all such a great deal on things that I would like to do/have/eat.  I can make an excuse to buy it for a future event or future gift.  I ended up buying one set of Groupons (I bought three) because I thought it was such a good deal on local mini-golf. Never mind that Jeremiah and I don't golf. Or that our kids are only 2 and 4. Or that we've never ever gone mini-golfing before and if we did, we probably do it maybe at the beach rather than starting at the local place off the highway.

But Groupon continues to offer up great, tempting deals. For a restaurant that I really like in Baltimore and wouldn't that be a handy deal for a sweet Valentines Day date? And for an acupuncture consultation and session and haven't I always wanted to do this? How about doing it now for 60% off?  Oooooh, so tempting.

Perhaps I'm burning money by not acting on these sales, just paying extra in the future by not jumping on these deals pro-actively. We all have heard from someone who pre-planned their gifts and got steals on them in advance, thus reducing their overall expenses.

But most likely, I'm justifying buying something for myself. And that is not good for our family budget when I would have skipped the restaurant date and the acupuncture visit without considering the Groupon.  I long for a luxurious lifestyle when I can buy all the organic, veggie food that I want and indulge in every New Age healing available. But, alas, we have to live within our strapped means right now. It's a part of eco-living, to resist consumerism and focus instead on meeting your needs and finding joy without buying anything.

I love "Buy Nothing Day", as it is known in the eco-community.  This happens annually on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when consumerism makes pigs of us all.  Since hearing about this day in college, I have made a conscious effort not to buy anything more than gas or fast food (it's a product of commuting home from NC before the rush on this day and sharing the car with little kids who really NEED a free, indoor play area during the 11 hour drive).  I almost ruined my streak this past year by forgetting what day it was, since we drove home on Sat instead of Fri. I almost bought something online since I was inside all day and finally thinking about the holiday gift list. But when I remembered, I observed the sacred day.

Now, I keep a record of all my spending in a notebook. I look back on it and applaud myself when I have my own little Buy Nothing Day. I try to see how many days I can go before buying something. My reward is my own sense of superiority. (Kidding!)  (But only just a little bit.)