a tragedy, and a little ingenuity

First the tragedy. The bodum broke. This is a real deprivation. We will look for another at Value Village but that may take time. We do have a little electric coffee pot that leaks and that we don't like, and which makes the coffee taste odd. I don't think I can handle months of that. I also recollected today that I bought a glass percolator in the thrift store in Nelson last summer for camping and it must be somewhere though possibly still in the now frozen shut trunk of the Crown Vic. The real irony here is that for years I had stuck in a cupboard a large coffee pot with an espresso attachment that I rarely used and a couple of months ago I gave it away.

The ingenuity involves the recycling box. Ours was stolen a few months ago and I have been using an old cardboard box. They usually throw it in the garbage but as long as I get out by 9 to fish it back out, that system has been working pretty well. Then winter arrived and cardboard boxes disintegrate when they get wet (actually moot until it warms up a bit). So I made a waterproof box by taping plastic bags to the outside. I now have a handsome box that can sit in the snowbank with impunity. [picture of recycling box. Note the historic Canadian touch with the Bay bag] The bonus is that the recycling guys didn't throw the box in the garbage this week.


The other good news recently is that I found a jaycloth buried at the bottom of the kitchen cupobard. Good news because we were down to one dishcloth and one raggedy jaycloth. [picture of raggedy jay cloth.]The other good news is that I found an old flannel shirt to use for a floor cloth because let me tell you, cotton sheets make lousy cloths.

The sins of november

Apparently the meaning of "sin" or rather the word from the original hebrew in the bible that we translate as "sin" means missing the mark. In that senses, November was again marked by sin. I bought new lightbulbs for the shower and the fridge. I tried it for a while in the dark. Of course I have managed to justify the energy expenditure if not the purchase by persuading myself that I would use more energy without the lights. It clearly takes a lot longer to find things in the fridge without the light but I may be a little on the wimpy side on the shower. Having sinned once, with perfection already shot, why not do it again. The poor cats were so truamatized by their trip to the vet that I bought them each a little toy--a felt mouse for one and a felt carrot for the other. Though if consumable means "nothing left for others to use when you are done" cat toys might count.

Of course so might my sheets count the way they are going. My next task will be to learn to mend sheets as I think we are down to one sheet with no holes. I cut a sheet up earlier this year to use as floor clothes, a bad idea with cotton weave, so can take the rest of that sheet and use it for patches. I think if I just cut the ragged material away, fold under the edges and then sow a piece onto the underside of the sheet it shouldn't be too lumpy and I won't need to hem the piece on the bottom. Any advice from the experienced gratefully recieved.

I walked through the mall a couple of weeks ago on my way to the library and was sucked into a shoe store by a pair of red blundstones. My year is up on April 29th and my current plan is to buy a pair of jeans, a sheet, some socks and the red blundstones and then take a crack at more non-shopping. I think it is getting addictive. Oh and maybe I'll have to get the pink reading glasses with the rhinestones. I have lost a couple of pairs of reading glasses and at this rate may be down to less than a dozen by April.

My progress of lack thereof through the Fall

September
...was not a stellar month. I am taking a Spanish class and there were no used textbooks available so the choice was either buy the books or don't take the class. I guess I can count that as a necessary expenditure. The more serious failing of the month was buying a new battery charger for my camera having, apparently, lost the old one. I can't really claim it was necessary as I could always borrow a camera, but I eventually persuaded myself that it was ridiculous to let a perfectly good camera sit unused. Though before buying I tried to borrow and I looked on Craig's list and ebay for used ones. No one had my kind of charger. The real lesson here may be, though, only buy cameras with standard size batteries.

On the plus side, I went through my desk diary, changed all the dates and erased all the pencil entries; except for a small number of ink-ridden days. Iit is almost as good as a new one. I plan this year to write only in pencil so that I can use it again next year. Who needs a PDA; a pencil, eraser and notebook do almost as well!

I made real progress on the present side. I discovered the second-hand kids store where I got a book and toy for my great niece's birthday. I also had great fun finding a present for my niece's 21st birthday. She had Mexican theme so I gave her two sombreros that I bought years ago in Mexico, a Mexican trinket that I also bought years ago, a few leftover pesos, some Mexican coffee and a bottle of Baja Rosa--and one of the birthday cards from my birthday--the one with the choice of ages (which she later sent on to her uncle). I had enormous fun thinking about it all. Who knows, this may restore my faith in gift giving. In other years I would have given her a book and some money, but I decided that money is out since it pretty much counts as indirect buying of stuff. I also managed to regift something to a 5 year old (don't ask). Seriously this present thing might turn out as a bonus to be a way of getting a few things out of my house guilt-free.

October
...has come close to the perfect month. Aside from food, alcohol and cigarettes, I bought a bottle of dish detergent ( in lieu of the refillable), a bottle of shower daily shower cleaner ( in lieu of vinegar and water) and bottle of hand soap (also in lieu of refilling) and my toilet paper although it is labelled 100% recycled also says only 80% post-consumer material. I'm not completely sure what pre-consumer recycled material is, so I can't quite figure out if that is a bad thing. I also was required to wear a T-shirt for some recruitment event, but I managed to kind of drape it over myself and then sneak it back into the box of unused t-shirts to be saved for the next event. So, pretty damned good, I'd say. I didn't even buy anything second-hand!

November starts tomorrow and I will aim for perfection. Of course I always aim for perfection, its just that vices get in the way. The buying non-refillables is really a matter of laziness as in not getting to the natural foods store before it closes and falling back on buying at Safeway.

shopping in England

I broke down in England and persuaded myself that I needed to buy an umbrella as it was raining heavily. Ten minutes later the rain stopped and an hour or two later I had managed to leave the umbrella somewhere. Karma! When I told this story to my cousin she very kindly lent me an umbrella and so I had one for the rest of my trip. Of course I own three umbrellas already so what kind of idiot shows up in England without one?

I also bought some plastic cups and cutlery so that Chris and I could have a picnic on the beach. I will now add cutlery and cups to my list of vacation essentials in case the issue arises again.

I wanted to buy, but didn't, a book about the architecture of Liverpoool. My friend Kate in Sheffield offered to lend us one, but we forgot to take it and so remained less acquainted than is desirable about the architecture. Did find a good second hand bookstore but did not think to ask about that. I was also able to borrow books for the plane home from Steve in Sheffield. Sheffield is my new second-hand mecca--especially the furniture stores. I didn't have time to explore, but they seem to be everywhere. I learned that Sheffield has deep socialist roots--they were targetted by the Thatcher government along with Liverpool for that reason--so maybe that explains a culture of second-hand.

I also took with me a travel book that I borrowed from the library. It was not the one I would have chosen had I been buying--Fodor's, which doesn't even mention Sheffield--but still much better than the usual practice of buying and tossing new books for every trip.

Blackpool was the place that tested me most. My greatest weakness is cheap markets and tacky souvenirs and Blackpool has them in abundance. I had to walk away from a watch with an orange face and an orange bracelet style band encrusted with tiny rhinestones (or something).

I have been thinking about the things that I will buy when I can--a cell phone possibly and an electronic book. But I have also been thinking that I need to permanently change my buying habits. No more unneeded shoes I will rarely wear, no more bags (I have a lifetime supply), no more scarves (ditto) and no more cheap trinkets. But maybe for the latter I will make an exception if I ever again get to Blackpool.

more iceland

It is strangely liberating not shopping while travelling--no spending time looking for token gifts that most people don't want anyway and no time searching for the perfect memento. Though a book would have been nice. The postcard problem was solved by using things like the back of my conference nametag or the paper napkin ring from the banquet, though it would be rather nice to have pictures.

I went back looking for the perfect pair of shoes that I had seen on my first day and they are much less perfect than I had recalled.

Found the second hand stores--not nearly as good as in Canada. Could it be that the Icelanders don't buy and throw away things quite as readily as we do?

not shopping in Iceland

I am in shopper's paradise. Oh the shoes! I have never seen so many wonderful shoes--not just in the stores but on people's feet. The perfect pair (in my price range) is a mere three or four blocks from where I am staying, surrounded by other spectacular pairs whose price I couldn't read through the window. My first thought, of course, was that I must come back in a year when I can shop. My second was that it is crazy (and not carbon friendly) to fly that far for shopping so I really should just buy them now. My intention was never to be a fanatic. The third thought--the return of sanity--I don't really need the perfect pair of shoes. Plus, there have been perfect pairs before, there will be again. The clothes are gorgeous too. But shoes are my thing. Such a bummer that I am not here for the flea market as all these beautiful things must end up there.

Heathrow, in contrast, was disappointing for not shopping--ordinary and overprices. I think my standards are going up in this year.

I just read Michelle's comments on the flea market in reykjavik. Now I feel better. Thanks Michelle.

July

July was marked by two purchases--one an accident and one a necessity.

I have always been in the habit of buying a cat toy from the dollar bin when I go to the vet's to buy catfood and so the last time I went, I automatically picked up a toy. It was so automatic that not until 2 weeks later, when I was staring longingly at the pink fluffy cat toy in Safeway, that I suddenly realised that I had bought a toy at the vet's.

The necessity was an alternator. We were headed from Enderby to Calgary and just east of Sicamous we developed a squeak and I smelt burning. We stopped and checked the belts. We couldn't see a problem. We started the engine and after a few seconds the squeak and the smell disappeared. No problem, we thought-- just one of those things--and we headed on our way. A half hour later some ten miles west of Revelstoke, we lost power. Got a boost and made it another few miles (into cell phone range). Alternator. It was either abandon the car or buy an alternator and aside from its being illegal, we were also loaded down with camping gear. So, I bought a rebuilt alternator. I might have been tempted to think that really counted as second hand except that the box says "more new parts".

I am getting better at the second hand, though. I managed to get stoned on second hand pot one night.

We came close to having to buy a new tent on the camping trip. When we unpacked our tent, it reeked of mould and mildew. Turns out the person we lent it to last summer packed it up wet and we never thought to check. Seemed bad enough to be a tent killer. We went on line and all the advice said the same--don't put it in the washing machine--swab with lemon juice or similar. Well, this tent was was past swabbing possibility so we figured what the heck. Through the tent and fly into two machines with 2 litres of vinegar in each, staked the tent in the sun for a few hours and the got some waterproof spray and sprayed the iffy looking areas. We camped in it for three nights, it smelled fine and we didn't get wet from the rain. Before this year I probably would have just dumped it. Seems like I have really in the past few years developed the bad habit of just throwing money at problems for a quick fix.

This camping trip was also noteworthy for its being the first time in years of camping in Enderby that I have not bought something tacky at the Enderby dollar store. The thrift stores in Nelson more than made up for that loss, though, including a birthday present for someone.

So to sum up July, total full on nonconsumables--1 catball and 1 rebuilt alternator. On the iffy list hair shine and nail polish.

The real challenge is about to start, though. I am off to Iceland and England for three weeks. No postcards, no souvenirs, no newspapers (unless I can find them). I'm a tacky souvenir junkie--this will be a first. However, Reykjavik is supposed to have a killer flea market with lots of garage sale stalls but only on weekends and England is loaded with charity shops so I may be able to do a little sublimating.

June

I have been too busy recovering from turning 50 to do much posting in June. I did pretty well on the birthday party--The only physical objects that I acquired (other than cards) were a book, a crankable LED mini light and a coffee cup. I also got a gift certificate for a bookstore and now need to decide whether to use it, but more on that when I do decide. People who knew were very good about respecting my no material goods wish and instead gave things like a donation to the Mustard Seed and a Kiva Gift certificate for making a microloan (very cool). My family banded together for a water buffalo for a family in Vietnam. This is so much more fun than getting more things one doesn't really need.

My best non-shopping for the month was going vicariously shopping with my sister--looking at bags, trying on shoes and hats. She was very abstemious, she only bought one bag, but the possibility that she might buy more was enough to keep things exciting.

Month two overall stacked up better than month one for buying. I bought two things on the iffy list, hair volumizer and shaving gel-otherwise only things I could eat, drink or smoke. But June did about like May in terms of overall acquisitions of non-used items--in addition to the b'day presents mentioned above, my internet started malfunctioning and when telus came to look at it, they gave me a new modem. Technically they own it, not me, but....

I am also turning my attention to giving stuff away and ridding my house of a few things not really used. I got off to a bad start--within 5 minutes of declaring to my sister my intention of reducing by half what I own, I left the house, saw a garage sale and was home 10 minutes later with 5 potted plants and a table. However, since then I have weeded out two boxes of books. But where to take them? Although this thought will no doubt horrify some, I occasionally wonder if there are not too many books in the world.

What I didn't buy in Vancouver

UBC had a kind of market set up in the student union building so that everytime I went for coffee, I ran a gamut of things I wanted. I resisted, but I was seriously tempted just to call the whole not shopping thing off. I didn't buy a pair of sunglasses with lavendar frames, I didn't buy a brown and black scarf and I didn't buy a zip up cloth bag, though they had so many great fabrics that I can't be sure of which one I didn't buy. The crazy thing is that although for sure I would have bought those things at those prices (and ohmygod they were cheap) when they were placed enticingly in my way, I own enough bags, scarves and probably sunglasses that I could live to be 90 and just use what I already have. Clearly I have been to these markets before.

There was a time in my life (it was called being a poor student) when I owned almost nothing. But in those days when I did buy something what a pleasure it was to choose that one thing and to go home and use it. But now often I won't even recall what I bought.

Vancouver

This is my first trip away since the non-shopping began (well except for having been in NO when I did begin). The airport on Thursday was hard--I adore airport shopping. Things not bought include a pashmina, a Globe and Mail and a little purse for carrying reading glasses. Ok, I might not have bought the pashimina, but the glasses case, yes. On Friday though I had to sublimate the shopping impulse with a sweater off the dollar rack at the thrift store (actually needed as I didn't bring warm enough clothes) and a belt (not needed). Being in a new city with a whole crop of cool stores really does set off my shopping impulse. I figure that acquisition is a very human activity but (rather like our desire for fats) only became a problem in the modern world when mass production has made aquisition so easy.

My nephew's 2nd birthday is coming up so I set out to see what I could find for him and came up with a yellow plastic dachshund that wags its tail and barks when you pull it. Pretty cool and lord knows the world does not need anything more spent on kids toys for kids who already have more than enough. He probably would have been equally happy had I sent him a cardboard box and a stick.

Almost had to buy a new toothbrush as I left mine at a friend's on Thursday night but my brother's partner has a large collection of dentist toothbrushes, so she gave me one. Not used, but at still likely something that might not have been used otherwise. I did, though, buy some hair volumizer and while it does appear to fit in the category of consumables--one can't exactly reuse product--I find it kind of hard to claim that more volume in my hair is really something that I need (though I am sure some would disagree with me about that).

the first month

It's been a month today since I first began the non-shopping, or rather the non-new shopping as I did have that lovely Value Village binge.

I was talking with some friends last night about responsible buying and I realized that buying from VV (instead of, say Women in Need) doesn't keep the money as much in the local economy. Also, I don't know whether they sell things largely where they receive them or whether they ship between stores. I have emailed them to ask.

So my non-food/drink/tobacco purchases in month one consist of 1 newspaper, 1 book (sort of second hand because someone else had already bought it), a set of watercolour crayons with sketch pad and brush for a child's present, a 12 pack roll of toilet paper and 2 pen refills. Not bad. Less than I would have done without the commitment. I plan to keep a list of all the non-used non-edibles (drinkables, smokables) that I buy this year and so I can see just how much it adds up to. (in dollars it amounts to about $70 and that plus the $120 I spent on second hand shopping a couple of weeks ago and my guess is it is somewhat less than I would normally spend. Since I figure this project will save me money I plan to put more money into making sure more of my food purchases are local.

I was walking by my local she store the other day and, as I always do when I pass it, I stopped to look in the window and dream about what shoes I might buy. This time what caught my eye was a pair of polka dot flats. But some of the joy has gone. Even though I rarely buy shoes there (seriously expensive) there has always before been an open-ended possibility but this time I quickly recalled that I couldn't buy anyway and moved on.

The thing I most want to buy is straws. I haven't bought any for a couple of years for obvious reasons but now that I can't buy them, any time my smoothie is too think I find myself longing for one. I wonder if anyone makes a resuable straw--one without bisphenol A. I have 11 months to research it.

In which I hit the second hand stores

I realize now I misnamed the blog--it should be my year without shopping for new stuff, since second hand is still fair game. Had some great second scores on the weekend. On sunday we hit a garage sale and got a cooler and a phone. Inspired by that Bill and I headed to Value Village where I got myself a summer wardrobe and Chris jeans and t-shirts--badly needed in his case as his work jeans have not much more room for patches. On monday I found an ironing board in the alley, which is perfect as some of my new summer wardrobe needs ironing. Then we headed back to the thrift stores where I got some flower pots and a pair of shoes that I can wear on the rare occasions that I need to look quasi dressed-up. I have been looking for the perfect pair of shoes for two years now with no luck, but for $7, good enough can sub in for perfect. Then, two more great found items-- flower pots sitting by the road in a pile of free stuff (so much for the yoghurt containers) and three large bobby pins that Bill spotted on the ground. And today as I was checking out some clothes beside the dumpster I fished out someone's reclycables and scored a trashy magazine--not something I would buy normally but it did for my magazine fix.

I was checking out Michelle's blog on the weekend and she asks why so many people have blogs about stuff they buy or stuff they have that they want to get rid of. Interesting question. I don't know the answer but it did get me thinking about the role of trade and the fact that human civilization is based on making stuff and trading it. Civilization got started when humans began to produce more stuff than they needed to stay alive and then started hoarding and/or trading it. Philosophy, literature, music and pretty much everything we take for granted came from making and trading stuff. Its hard to think about anything I do outside of taking a walk along the river that isn't based somehow on trade in material goods. It blows me away to think about it. A lot of it's bad but it also sustains much of what I think is great about human beings. Even though I am trying a year without buying anything new, I'm not anti-consumption, I just think we need to learn more sustainable consumption--part of that for me involves not throwing away perfectly good things and buying second-hand where feasible.

I have a theory about the wanting to get rid of stuff. As indicated above, I think that trading and acquistion are pretty natural human activities. But, I figure that until fairly recently (say post WW I) most people owned very little. The rich had lots of stuff, but the rest of just had pretty minimal possessions. That worked out pretty well because the rich also had servants to take care of their stuff. But with the rise of mass production stuff became cheap enough that all of us could buy as much stuff as the rich used to have but we had to look after it ourselves. Our age and place is unique in being able to afford lots of stuff without also having servants to tidy and dust it. Hence we feel overwhelmed.

May 15, 2008

So far a good week. I wrestled with tempation in the form of a pink reading glasses with little fake diamonds and won. Reading glasses, bags and shoes are my weak spots which is why I own enough of each to never buy any again.

The best part of the week so far is solving the newspaper problem in the form of a friend who will pass on his Saturday globe to me. This is huge because although, as Ellen and Michelle note, newspapers can be read on line, one of life's great pleasures is to curl up on my couch with the Saturday globe and, the saturday crytpic, another of life's great pleasures, is not on line. I have also discovered that my community association has a small library with magazines.

And we are back to the tampon issue since thanks to Margaret I have just learned about sponges. I think I could rationalize buying those unless menopause hits before I use up my existing tampon supply. Part of the point of this exercise for me is to see what I can do without and I don't want to get too pedantic about the definitions and buy disposables when I could buy a reusable instead.

May 11 2008

The second week has gone much better than the first. The only thing I have bought in the last 6 days that I can't eat, drink or smoke, is toilet paper.

I think I have come up with a principle on how I will count things as consumable (I can buy) versus non-consumable (I can't). For something to be consumable at least two things need to be true of it: it can't be used by someone else when one is done with it (newspapers can be, toilet paper can't); and there are not resuable alternatives (diapers and paper towels have reusable alternatives, toilet paper, at least for me, does not). I think this definition works for me because it means I should be able to borrow or acquire second hand anything that counts as a non-consumable on it, which was my original plan. I can see, though, that tampons are destined to be my fail point since they don't count as consumable (there are alternatives) yet the alternatives for me are either painful (the keeper) or unpalatable (the rags).

What I like about this project is how aware it is making me of our (my) tendency to buy what we fancy instead of making do. And, I look forward to the yoghurt flower pots.

May 7

I bought a book on Monday that I had agreed a couple of weeks ago to buy. It sort of counts as used--I bought it from a women who had a spare copy so in buying it I added no new material items to the world. I'm not doing very well in my first week, though--beads, books and a birthday present. Oh, and the newspaper.

But there are all sorts of things I didn't buy. Today I didn't buy an umbrella. It was raining when I came out of my meeting and I thought of going across to the corner store to buy one. A week ago I likely would have, which is why I never carry an umbrella yet still own several. I also dodged the "killing time at Safeway waiting for a prescription" shopping trap, instead amusing myself with reading magazines and taking my blood pressure several times.

I'm still trying to decide what is consumable. My brother says newspapers are definitely not consumables. His analogy--disposable diapers. It made sense when he said it. Then I thought of tampons! And what about toilet paper? If "consumable" means things that are literally used up, then crayons are and toilet paper isn't. I will keep buying toilet paper and tampons--I can't imagine the subsitutes (or more accurately am not willing to use them) but no more paper towels or sandwich bags.

the first week of not shopping

After many times of threatening to do so I have decided to go a year without buying anything new except consumables. Maybe I can recapture my 20s when I couldn't solve problems by throwing money at them. It is almost 20 years since I got my first credit card. I also hope this will force me to find something creative to do with all those yoghurt containers.



April 28th, day one of my year without shopping, doesn't go well. In Mardi Gras World (New Orleans) I spot a string of pink beads with flamingos--perfect for my bathroom. After I whinge for awhile about how much I regret having chosen today to begin, my friend buys me the beads.



April 29th, day 2, I manage to resist the perfect orange purse--sleek and beautiful. Although it is not something I would be likely to use, at 50 bucks I probably would have bought it except for the no-shopping vow. This forces me to reflect on my penchant for shopping. I own a dozen or more bags and use my 10 dollar Korean backpack pretty much every day.



April 30th, back home to Calgary. Airports are my serious weakness so its lucky that my stopover in Denver is only long enough to buy a cup of coffee.



May 1st I tell my sister that I am going to go a year without buying anything new except consumables. She asks me what a consumable is and I realise that I don't know. She suggests that books are consumable because I can read them and pass them on--but I rarely do pass them on. I will probably make an exception for books for work.


But this all raises lots of other questions--what about bobby pins and elastic bands? I lose them so fast they may as well be consumable. Getting a haircut just to avoid buying bobby pins seems ridiculous. Maybe Value Village sells hairclips.


I also realize that I have to buy my 6 year old niece a birthday present. I'm sure one can buy kids second hand presents but as I this will need to be learned I cheat and buy her something new. I persuade myself that as it is art supplies it is still consumable but worry that at this rate I can end up defining everything that wears out as a consumable.



May 3rd I buy a newspaper. I can't decide if that is a consumable or not. If my aim is to avoid bringing new material objects into the world newspapers are probably out. Magazines maybe I can justify by passing on, but it is clearly time to renew my library card.


Having bought the paper I find myself reading the future shop ads in the back "no payment, no interest for one year" and thinking that if I got something under that plan it would really count as buying next year.


I find myself obsessing about things--worrying that the blender will break, noticing that the cordless phone is nearing the end of its life, remembering that I never bought the new cell phone that I wanted.