It's true I haven't hit the new downtown Macy's yet - despite the fact that it's a mere two blocks from my desk. Heroic? No, buy nothing month at our house - again! But that was October, and this, mamas, is November. NOT a buy nothing month on the quarterly system of denial at our house. But this is a special month. For not only does November bring my birthday, it brings us Black Friday. A uniquely American kind of (non)event.
Now this might sound surreal, but there are services that will e-mail your mobile phone with the latest sale news. No joke. If this makes you even a little queasy, you might just be up for a consumer fast. A what? Yup. A 24-hour buy-nothing day. If I can survive four months a year, I know you can swing a day, I just know it. Check out the Adbusters info on Buy Nothing Day. They've been at it for years - 15, to be exact. As one Adbuster founder describes it:
Buy Nothing Day isn't just about changing your routine for one day. It’s about starting a lasting lifestyle commitment. With over six billion people on the planet, it is the responsibility of the most affluent – the upper 20% that consumes 80% of the world’s resources – to set out on a new path.
So what about you? Gonna shop till you drop? Or set out a new path? What'll it be, mamas, what'll it be?
And Then Some. If you're really into it, Adbusters has an online forum where activists can find each other & coordinate. Sound familiar?!? I took a quick look and there's nothing yet for Portland (now's your chance). I was impressed with Bellingham's tagline: Consume This. Like that. A lot.
Go forth and buy nothing, mamas. Staying home and eating leftovers sounds way better, anyway.
No shopping for us. We haven't got any money, so it's not as hard a choice as it could be, but we believe strongly in reducing consumerism. We can't say we're not going to consume anything, though - we're definitely going to turn the heat on...
Sometimes it feels like the world wants me to consume my way to being a good parent (and a successful person). I've internalized this too much to not feel like my life would be much better if I had a nice house, a car, new clothes for everyone, a spiffy couch, new wooden educational lead-free toys, etc. But it would sure be nice if I didn't have to feel that way.
Posted by: Sara | November 22, 2007 at 08:44 AM
I'm with Sara. We're broke. I probably wouldn't ever wake up to go shopping at 4am anyway, plus, I work in retail, so today Friday is a work day for me, but still...we're broke.
This is such an odd subject to me. It seems like those who have money are touting ways to live more like those of us who don't (ie. spending less, buying used, conserving resources). It's just not a choice for some of us...so yeah, a buy nothing month might make you feel good, but try a buy nothing year (or three). I carry very little guilt about what I do buy, because I know it's something we absolutely need (food, electricity, heat), or something we have really, really wanted (concert tickets, birthday gifts for the kids). I guess what is odd to me, is that if a person has extra money and chooses not to spend it, they are being a "smart consumer." But if you don't have money, you're just broke.
Posted by: KIM | November 23, 2007 at 12:54 PM
Nothing scares me more than being stuck under fluorescent lights in endless rows of mass produced items with hordes of other shoppers fighting long lines and endless circling of the parking lot just to buy the exact same toy/utensil/gadget/tool that everyone else on your block is getting because the TV said you couldn't live without it. It seems like an odd way to say that you care.
Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. We skip the presents,and just do stockings filled with homemade goodies.It's all about the homemade pie, secret sledding spots, bonfires, and hot cocoa.
I dare ya'll to skip the malls this year. Spend your money on an escapade, or an event . Get out into the snow and make snow angels.I bet your kids won't hate you(for long, anyways!) and someday they'll remember it more than any iPod or 'tickle me elmo'.
Posted by: Lea | November 24, 2007 at 03:30 AM
Nothing scares me more than being stuck under fluorescent lights in endless rows of mass produced items with hordes of other shoppers fighting long lines and endless circling of the parking lot just to buy the exact same toy/utensil/gadget/tool that everyone else on your block is getting because the TV said you couldn't live without it. It seems like an odd way to say that you care.
Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. We skip the presents,and just do stockings filled with homemade goodies.It's all about the homemade pie, secret sledding spots, bonfires, and hot cocoa.
I dare ya'll to skip the malls this year. Spend your money on an escapade, or an event . Get out into the snow and make snow angels.I bet your kids won't hate you(for long, anyways!) and someday they'll remember it more than any iPod or 'tickle me elmo'.
Posted by: Lea | November 24, 2007 at 03:31 AM
I think Kim makes an interesting point that drives at the old have vs. have not problem. But, consumerism in this country relates to those with and without expendable funds thanks to the credit card. So, I have always thought of all this buy nothing stuff applying to people of varying means.
The fact that those with expendable $ to 'not spend' are considered do gooders in some way/in some circles while those without funds spend less by necessity is just the age-old issue that some people wind up with more money than others for a whole host of reasons.
In a way, it's like the public school transfer policy. We were all busy debating charter schools when the real issue was income differences and the choices associated with that. In this case, we're talking about buying / not buying and the deeper issue is income disparity - a whopper. Thoughts?
Posted by: lisa | November 26, 2007 at 08:13 PM