Author Topic: Can you go a year without shopping?  (Read 3059 times)

Offline YaadPyar

  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,668
Can you go a year without shopping?
« on: January 04, 2007, 06:21:48 pm »
S.F. group enjoys shopping sabbatical
By LISA LEFF, Associated Press
Wed Jan 3, 4:12 AM ET
 

It began, as grand ideas often do, over a dinner — risotto, artisan cheese and wine. What would it be like, 10 environmentally conscious friends wondered as they discussed the state of the planet, to go a year without buying anything new?

Twelve months later, the results from their experiment in anti-consumption for 2006 are in: Staying 100 percent true to the goal proved both harder and easier than those who signed on expected.

And while broken vacuum cleaners and malfunctioning cell phones posed challenges, some of the group's original members say the self-imposed shopping sabbatical was so liberating that they've resolved to do it for another year.

"It started in a lighthearted way, but it is very serious," said John Perry, 42, a father of two who works for a Silicon Valley technology company. "It is about being aware of the excesses of consumer culture and the fact we are drawing down our resources and making people miserable around the world."

The pledge they half-jokingly named The Compact, after the Mayflower pilgrims, spread to other cities through the Internet and an appearance on the "Today" show.

As it turned out, The Compact was modest as far as economic boycotts go. Several cities in the United States and Europe have communities of "freegans," people whose contempt for consumerism is so complete they eat food foraged from Dumpsters whenever possible, train hop and sleep in abandoned buildings on principle.

The San Francisco group, by contrast, exempted food, essential toiletries like toothpaste and shampoo, underwear and other purchases that fell under the categories of health and safety from their pledge.

But perhaps because its members included middle-class professionals who could afford to shop recreationally, their cause caught on. Nearly 3,000 people have joined a user group Perry set up on Yahoo so participants could swap goods and tips.

Besides thrift stores and garage sales, participants found a wealth of free or previously owned merchandise in online classifieds and sites where people post stuff they want to get rid of, such as http://www.freecycle.org and http://www.garbagescout.com.

After going through an initial period of retail withdrawal, discovering just how easy it was to score pretty much anything with a little time and effort was an eye-opener, according to participants.

Rachel Kesel, 26, who works as a dog walker, said she was astonished by how often the items she needed simply materialized — the friend who offered a bicycle seat when hers was stolen, the Apple store employees who fixed her laptop at no cost.

Similarly fortuitous timing happened often enough that group members came up with a name for it — "Compact Karma."

After postponing purchases such as a new wind breaker and a different stud for her pierced tongue — she couldn't bring herself to buy a used one — Kesel broke down only twice.

Once was when she was planning a trip to Israel and couldn't find a used guidebook that reflected current political realities. The other was after her commuter coffee cup suffered a fatal crack.

"I really found a lot of times there were things I thought I needed that I don't need that much," she said.

The pledge provided unexpected dividends as well, such as the joy of getting reacquainted with the local library and paying down credit cards. Gone, too, was the hangover of buyer's remorse.

Perry got satisfaction out of finding he had a knack for fixing things and how often manufacturers were willing to send replacement parts and manuals for products that had long since outlived their warranties.

"One of the byproducts of The Compact has been I have a completely different relationship with the things in my life. I appreciate the stuff I have more," he said. "I don't think I need to buy another pair of shoes until I'm entering Leisure World."

Over the holidays, Compact members gave homemade gifts or charitable donations in a recipients name instead of engaging in the usual Grinch-making shopping crush. Kate Boyd, 45, a set designer and high school drama teacher, visited a new downtown shopping mall and felt like she had just stepped off a flying saucer.

"It was all stuff that had nothing to do with me, yet for so many people that's how they spend their weekends," she said. "It's entertainment and it is the opposite of where I've been for a year."

Now that they know they can do it, Boyd, Kesel and Perry are ready to extend the pledge into 2007. But first, they plan to give themselves a one-day reprieve to stock up on essentials — windshield wipers, bicycle brakes and tongue studs.

__

On the Net:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thecompact



Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.


Copyright © 2007 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions or Comments
Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy - Ad Feedback
"Vice, Virtue. It's best not to be too moral. You cheat yourself out of too much life. Aim above morality. If you apply that to life, then you're bound to live life fully." (Harold & Maude - 1971)

Offline Front-Ranger

  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 30,288
  • Brokeback got us good.
Re: Can you go a year without shopping?
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2007, 06:56:01 pm »
I clicked on this, thinking it was going to say, "Can you go a year without a high-altitude etc. etc."??  :laugh:
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline delalluvia

  • BetterMost 5000+ Posts Club
  • *******
  • Posts: 8,289
  • "Truth is an iron bride"
Re: Can you go a year without shopping?
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2007, 01:48:23 am »
Well, based on the above article, they DID buy things, shop for them, they just didn't pay full retail price.  Am I understanding that right?

Offline southendmd

  • Town Administration
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 18,965
  • well, I won't
Re: Can you go a year without shopping?
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2007, 10:09:34 am »
Well, based on the above article, they DID buy things, shop for them, they just didn't pay full retail price.  Am I understanding that right?

I believe it was less about price and more about being conscious of where things come from and where they go.

I think that their effort was not to buy new  things that eat up resources; rather to search out used things. Also to repair stuff rather than throw it out and buy new; less stuff in landfills.

Thanks for the article, Celeste.

Paul

Offline Shakesthecoffecan

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • BetterMost 5000+ Posts Club
  • *******
  • Posts: 9,566
  • Those were the days, Alberta 2007.
Re: Can you go a year without shopping?
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2007, 03:12:15 pm »
Milli! Don't look!
"It was only you in my life, and it will always be only you, Jack, I swear."

Offline Kelda

  • BetterMost Supporter!
  • BetterMost Moderator
  • The BetterMost 10,000 Post Club
  • *****
  • Posts: 14,703
  • Zorbing....
    • Keldas Facebook Page!
Re: Can you go a year without shopping?
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2007, 04:49:52 pm »
I am not a shopaholic by any stretch of the imagination but I really do not think i coudl do this!!!
http://www.idbrass.com

Please use the following links when shopping online -It will help us raise money without costing you a penny.

http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/idb

http://idb.easysearch.org.uk/

Offline jpwagoneer1964

  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,720
  • Me and my 1951 DeSoto Suburban
Re: Can you go a year without shopping?
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2007, 05:25:49 pm »
My mom still owes me a Christmas present (desk lamp) from last year that all I have to do is shop for!

Mark
Thank you Heath and Jake for showing us Ennis and Jack,  teaching us how much they loved one another.

Offline YaadPyar

  • BetterMost 1000+ Posts Club
  • ******
  • Posts: 1,668
Re: Can you go a year without shopping?
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2007, 05:55:54 pm »
I have a huge aversion to used stuff regardless of the condition.  I think the energy of the person who had it before me comes with it, and that's not always a good thing.  It's why I don't like sharing or borrowing 'stuff' either...just want things to have my energy only.

What these folks did, on one level, is to re-shuffle their value system.  And when earning-to-spend stops being one of your highest values, I guess everything else starts to shift around too.  I'm certainly going to think more carefully before I buy.
"Vice, Virtue. It's best not to be too moral. You cheat yourself out of too much life. Aim above morality. If you apply that to life, then you're bound to live life fully." (Harold & Maude - 1971)