Buh-bye, No-Buy

And, just like that, No-Buy July ended.

I don't even have a decent excuse. I didn't even try particularly valiantly to resist the lure of consumerism. Very, very poor of me. I have the sneaking feeling that I am one of those personality types...you know, the one who is drawn to doing something only when they are not actually supposed to be doing it. In which case, a Go-on-a-mad-buying-spree July would have been more apt.

Anyway, Pat and I went shopping today, ostensibly for new work shirts for him (he wasn't bound by No-Buy July's rules), and ended up buying three big bags of tea from T2 and two pairs of shoes and a pair of thongs (in winter. I know) for me. I reasoned that the tea was consumable and thus within the No-Buy July guidelines, but the footwear was new. And amazingly cheap - $34 for two pairs of slip-on boating-type shoes and a pair of Champagne-coloured Havaianas.

Okay, that's my confession. It's pretty sad that I found it so hard! Here are the things I'll take from this little episode:

* keeping one day a week a Buy-Nothing day - not even food. This means I'll have to be organised and make sure we have the things we need in advance, or go without;

* not buying takeaway hot beverages;

* not buying bottled beverages;

* I'm going to attempt to keep a one-thing-in, one-thing-out rule. If I bring something new into the house (food and basic toiletries being the exception), I need to take something out - old clothes to the op-shop, other useful items to charity, etc.

These, I think I can manage...

On a crafty mission...

I've been feeling crafty lately, and, it being No-Buy July and all, of course I'm itching to start new projects. Which all invariably involve some sort of purchase. So first I pout, then make a cup of tea, and then have a think about the projects I currently have in the pipeline and that need finishing. And being the kind of person who tends to start things with vigour and then never finish them, I have plenty of half-finished little enterprises lying around.


Like this embroidery! My grandmother, who claims that she never would've gotten around to finishing it herself, gave me this tablecloth to finish. True to form, I started diligently back in January, as a way to pass the long, hot days while I waited for the imminent arrival of our little Baboushka. And as soon as she popped out, so did my motivation for anything arts and crafts.

Until now :-)

No-Buy July - Week 2: Anger, Bargaining

Even though July only started last Tuesday, I am embarrassed to admit that it's already making me cranky. We had Stage One: Denial last week when I was completely ignorant to the fact that July had already started, and had a little op-shop frenzy. Eeep.

I recently went through Stage 2: Anger. Suddenly I was reminded of all the things I want to buy, whether I 'need' them (new trainers, more socks) or not (vintage summer dresses despite the fact that it's currently winter - I blame the likes of Strawberry Koi and other lovely vintage bloggers!). Plus, I have two birthday presents to buy - one for my brother Mont, the other for Pat. Both want gadget-y things for their computers, which I may or may not be able to find secondhand.

I seem to have arrived at Stage 3: Bargaining, and, in the interest of preserving my sanity, I have declared this a Compacting July, whereby I abstain from buying anything new and/or unnecessary. So food-type groceries are allowed, as are a present each for Pat and Mont, and if Baboushka has one of her radioactive growth-spurts I'll source baby clothes from the op-shop.


No-Buy July has not been all denial and crankyness, however; I have banned myself from a purchasing a number of things, like takeaway coffees and food in packets like oats and rice, and I will continue my prohibition of these items even after July is over. We're lucky to have a local shop where we can buy things like pulses, nuts and cereals by weight and bring them home in our own containers (we use the giant glass jars of artichoke hearts we get from the same shop), and there's a co-op at the university that does this as well.

It's so much nicer to shop at these places than at Coles or Woolies, as well. Last week I had a great conversation at the nut shop with a guy who'd studied French at Berkeley - he wanted to know if I thought wearing hats would make him look 'rakish' - and the ladies who work there are quite enamoured of Baboushka. Plus, they stock Samir's falafel and sahlep. I love Samir's!