One good thing about being very busy is not having a chance to buy anything...
It also means you don't get a chance to post to a blog very much. Now that I've caught up a bit, I'm having a chance to post.
It's been a month and a half so far, and I haven't bought anything (according to the rules). Interestingly enough, it hasn't been that hard. Occasionally I have had to remind myself that I'm not buying anything, but, other than that, not too bad. I've actually had thoughts that I could keep this going for quite a while, maybe longer than a year. It is only a month and half, so, I don't want to speak too soon...
One thing I have noticed: it actually is just as much (or more) fun buying for someone else than for yourself. I know it's a trite saying, but I have really gotten just as much out of buying for other people as I have for buying for myself. I probably wouldn't have noticed this had I not intentionally stopped buying for myself...
Friday, February 13, 2015
Rice and Beans
I have a friend who just had a baby. She came back from maternity leave and announced that she was now going to work part-time.
This person has a well paying job and her husband does also. What's interesting, is that I don't know many people who are making the choice that she is making.
I sent her a message saying how nice it would be to spend time with her new baby. She responded by telling me that she wouldn't have been able to do it had it not been for me and my wife.
What?
A while back, my wife and I did Dave Ramsey. We're not quite as on top of it lately, but we did everything we could to pay off our debts. Work extra jobs, stop eating out, stop buying so much, buying a reasonable home, getting rid of credit cards, etc. My friend asked me about all of this a few years ago and I enthusiastically told her all about it...
So, she and her husband started doing it. Eating Rice and Beans and Beans and Rice, paying off debt, buying reasonable home, living like no one else today so they can live like no one else tomorrow.
Now, she doesn't have to work full time and can spend time with her newborn baby.
It brings up the question: Why are we working? I know quite a few people who are working a lot of hours for a lot of money to buy a lot of stuff. I think this might be missing the point.
Will Rogers said:
“We spend money that we do not have, on things we do not need, to impress people who do not care.”
Well Said Will...
Friday, January 16, 2015
Things are Amazing...
I've actually been gaining a little bit of perspective lately (crazy, I know), particularly around the things I own. I'm starting to think that I one of the reasons for buying more things is the low value that I put on material things in the first place.
Now, granted, putting a lot of value in material things seems, well... shallow and material. But that's not what I'm talking about. I don't realize (and I don't think many people realize either) the amount of work and amazing advancements that are used to produce the things we buy or consume.
One of my favorite quotes around this subject is from the comedian Louis CK.
Seriously, our cell phones go to space! It really is amazing... That's not the only thinig.
Our clothes are made from cotton, which took time to grow, someone to pick it, it had to be processed, then dyed, then sewn, then shipped across the country (or from another part of the world), to a store where other people had to display it and tag it with a price... a price that is a fraction of a percent of my income.
It's pretty amazing... Most of my clothes are from the other side of the world! I eat food from anywhere in the world! I can have almost any book I want on my doorstep in 24 hours! I can talk to friends on the other side of the world anytime I want!
It's the ease and speed by which we obtain these things that I think diminishes the amazing-ness of what we actually do have. And, I think if we recognized more of the amazing-ness of what we already have, the urge to buy and consume things we don't have might decrease.
Now, granted, putting a lot of value in material things seems, well... shallow and material. But that's not what I'm talking about. I don't realize (and I don't think many people realize either) the amount of work and amazing advancements that are used to produce the things we buy or consume.
One of my favorite quotes around this subject is from the comedian Louis CK.
In my lifetime, the changes in the world have been incredible. Now we live in an amazing, amazing, world and it's wasted on the crappiest generation of just spoiled idiots that don't care, because this what people are like now: they've got their phone and they're like "Uh... it won't..." GIVE IT A SECOND! It's going to space! Can you give it a second to get back from space! Is the speed of light too slow for you?!?!?!
Our clothes are made from cotton, which took time to grow, someone to pick it, it had to be processed, then dyed, then sewn, then shipped across the country (or from another part of the world), to a store where other people had to display it and tag it with a price... a price that is a fraction of a percent of my income.
It's pretty amazing... Most of my clothes are from the other side of the world! I eat food from anywhere in the world! I can have almost any book I want on my doorstep in 24 hours! I can talk to friends on the other side of the world anytime I want!
It's the ease and speed by which we obtain these things that I think diminishes the amazing-ness of what we actually do have. And, I think if we recognized more of the amazing-ness of what we already have, the urge to buy and consume things we don't have might decrease.
Friday, January 9, 2015
It's the Little Things
So far, I haven't bought anything... I know it's only been about a week, and, to be honest, it has been relatively easy.
However, I have noticed something about how I think.
I was pulling on my socks yesterday and one of them started to tear. Immediately, I thought, 'Oh, I should just go get some new ones'. Then I realized I wasn't buying anything, and my thoughts changed to 'I should be more careful' and 'What will I do if they do tear and how could I fix them?'.
I also momentarily thought 'Are my feet getting fatter?'. This could be true considering how many cookies I ate over the Christmas holiday.
I thought it was interesting how my initial reaction to something breaking was immediately to go buy more. No thoughts of trying to make it last, no thoughts of fixing, no thoughts of really anything else other than buying. I came across this quote, which, apparently originated during the Great Depression.
However, I have noticed something about how I think.
I was pulling on my socks yesterday and one of them started to tear. Immediately, I thought, 'Oh, I should just go get some new ones'. Then I realized I wasn't buying anything, and my thoughts changed to 'I should be more careful' and 'What will I do if they do tear and how could I fix them?'.
I also momentarily thought 'Are my feet getting fatter?'. This could be true considering how many cookies I ate over the Christmas holiday.
I thought it was interesting how my initial reaction to something breaking was immediately to go buy more. No thoughts of trying to make it last, no thoughts of fixing, no thoughts of really anything else other than buying. I came across this quote, which, apparently originated during the Great Depression.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”
Honestly, I think that sounds crazy in the culture we live in. But it wasn't very long ago (our grandparents) that this would have been a completely normal way of thinking. Maybe this year will teach me to think a little more like that...
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Rules of the Game
There are several questions that come up when I say I'm not buying anything for a year, such as...
After excluding the necessities (healthcare, food, gas/car maintenance, home maintenance), I decided to classify things into 2 categories: Those that directly affect me, and those that indirectly affect me. The direct things are things that I, and only I, would receive any benefit from. The indirect things are those things that I would receive some benefit from, but were not solely spent on me. Examples...
Things that I spend money on that affect me directly:
That's the plan. I'm already feeling a bit nervous about it and I haven't even started yet...
- What about food?
- What about gas for your car?
- If you get sick, are you not going to go to the doctor?
- That sounds like a terrible idea (not so much a question but does come up every now and again)
After excluding the necessities (healthcare, food, gas/car maintenance, home maintenance), I decided to classify things into 2 categories: Those that directly affect me, and those that indirectly affect me. The direct things are things that I, and only I, would receive any benefit from. The indirect things are those things that I would receive some benefit from, but were not solely spent on me. Examples...
Things that I spend money on that affect me directly:
- Clothes
- Shoes
- Books
- Gadgets
- Eating out by myself
- Projects around the house
- Eating out with family / friends
- Events / vacations with the family
That's the plan. I'm already feeling a bit nervous about it and I haven't even started yet...
The Start of Something Small
How much do I really need?
That is a question I have been having over the past few months, and one that I do not have an answer to.
My family and I have been on a journey of 'minimalism' over the past 18 months. The journey was prompted by me being stressed out, overwhelmed, and feeling like I didn't have enough time for anything. I started diving into books about efficiency, time management, and simplification. There were a few that were extremely helpful:
While we have been getting rid of a lot of stuff over the past year (and reaping tremendous benefits from having less stuff), part of the challenge is having less stuff come in.
Thus this blog, for a challenge for the year. I am testing the idea that, right now, I have all that I need to live for one year. Therefore...
I am not buying stuff for one entire year.
At first, the idea seemed a bit extreme. But over the past 18 months, I have been getting rid of stuff like it was all covered in Ebola. The more that I have thought about it, the more embarrassed I get that I don't know how much I need to survive, much less thrive. For example:
So, over the next year, an experiment in not buying things and trying to figure out how much I really need...
That is a question I have been having over the past few months, and one that I do not have an answer to.
My family and I have been on a journey of 'minimalism' over the past 18 months. The journey was prompted by me being stressed out, overwhelmed, and feeling like I didn't have enough time for anything. I started diving into books about efficiency, time management, and simplification. There were a few that were extremely helpful:
- The Power of Less, by Leo Babauta (www.zenhabits.net)
- Simplify, by Joshua Becker (www.becomingminimalist.com)
- Getting Things Done, by David Allen
- Inside Out Simplicity, by Joshua Becker
- Be More With Less, by Courtney Carver (www.bemorewithless.com)
- The Minimalists (www.themins.com)
While we have been getting rid of a lot of stuff over the past year (and reaping tremendous benefits from having less stuff), part of the challenge is having less stuff come in.
Thus this blog, for a challenge for the year. I am testing the idea that, right now, I have all that I need to live for one year. Therefore...
I am not buying stuff for one entire year.
At first, the idea seemed a bit extreme. But over the past 18 months, I have been getting rid of stuff like it was all covered in Ebola. The more that I have thought about it, the more embarrassed I get that I don't know how much I need to survive, much less thrive. For example:
- How much do I need to eat each day?
- How many clothes do I need to have?
- How much exercise do I need?
- How much time should I be spending on work?
So, over the next year, an experiment in not buying things and trying to figure out how much I really need...
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