Simple September : 30 days of Nothing

I saw a post about this here, and it spoke to me.

While I am not necessarily into feeling deprived, the whole idea of green, earth-friendly consumerism really appeals to me. Our (read: my) propensity to spend so much more than necessary, for the acquiring of things seems very wasteful. The idea that I could get along with spending much less $$ is very appealing. I am taking up this challenge: Less Spending in September.

During the next month, I will not buy anything unless absolutely necessary. (And nothing knit related. I already have a huge stash of books, patterns and supplies. I have yarn AND books on order that have already been paid for but are en-route.) I also have fabrics sitting there waiting to be made into clothing, so I will not be buying more clothes. I am going to shop for groceries in a minimalist-style (no more frozen dinners) and locally if I can. It's not too late in the year for our local farmers market...Keeping in mind that simple dinners go a long way, I should be able to pare down our grocery bill by at least half.

For entertainment, we will enjoy simple pleasures. DD is coming over for a "first fest" of this sort in 2 days. We are planning a Scrabble tournament, for which I will probably bake something special to eat. Cheap, easy, fun, and family-oriented. Reading, gardening, cooking, organizing, embroidery, quilting....I need to stay in touch with my family, when I am not at work.

No more excess consumerism. I still have my old car, and my 3-year old cell-phone. Do I need new ones? No, mine are working fine.

Simple September is going to be the way of things around here. It's about slowing down the consumer treadmill, constantly working so hard to keep up the purchase power. I want to spend less, and start saving, so I actually feel ahead of the game! (Lest anyone think I'm scroogy for doing this, just read back over my knitterly acquisitions for the past 2 months....YIKES!)

So, no pedicures unless they are of my own doing, I will keep trimming my own hair (been doing that for a while--what the heck, it's only 2 straight lines!), I may even try to start walking to work. It's about a 12-14 block walk, but I always drive. I could definitely use some exercise....

If the sound of this appeals to you too, read what No-Impact Man has to say.

More on this later. I must knit now =D



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