It's now past 5 PM on New Year's Day, and the stores are closed, so I made it through day one of quitting shopping. It wasn't too difficult, but the paper was full of great sale ideas. I spent the whole day messing around with setting up this blog. I want it to look good with consistent entries and colors I like. So I've chosen Lucida Grande for my font, normal for the font size and even margins for the margin setting. Back to quitting shopping. It helped that it's freezing in Chicago today and there is lots of icy snow on the ground.
It's tough to avoid the Special Holiday Sale Shopping. The department stores have fabulous sales on all the holiday items. It's a great time to buy 75% off Christmas stuff, especially wrapping paper and next year's Christmas cards. Except I don't send cards every year, and I sent them this year, so next year is an off year, so I don't need cards for next year. I hope I haven't missed out on gorgeous high end cards, but if so, there's always next year. Besides, I said I'd make next year's cards, not buy. And then I said that I'd send ecards next year to everyone with an email address with the reason (excuse) that it would be "green".
Here are the benefits of not going shopping:
*All the "Green" benefits. If you need these to be enumerated let me know, otherwise they are kind of boring.
*Saving Money benefit. Of course this benefit is slippery, because what am I saving it for? To shop more later!
*Saving Time benefit. This benefit is about having more time for my family, crafts and things I've been wanting to do.
Family: Kind of a joke. Steve is always working and keeps very busy with his own stuff. Peter is totally into WoW and happy to spend time at that and not with us.
Crafts: Where to start? I'm woefully behind on Scrapbooking and photos. The bead supplies are all on the dining room table where they have been for longer than I care to admit. (That's why you haven't been invited over for dinner). The wire working supplies are in a bag near the dining room table. The yarn and crochet stuff is in a few different places. The fabric and sewing supplies are all in my office and guestroom closet and I will organize it all and start working it while I'm not shopping this month.
Things I've Been Wanting To Do:
Decorating and Redecorating: This is fun, but is dangerously close to shopping, and may have to go by the wayside while I don't shop.
eBaying: I love this, but I've already sold most of the stuff that anyone would buy on eBay, unless I start selling things that I actually use in an effort to go minimal.
Straighten Out The Basement: This is a job that needs to be kept up with constantly. Right now it is somewhat neat but full to bursting. It's clean but full. It's full of decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of. It's a big thing to avoid.
Put Away the Christmas Decorations: Actually I have to do this, it's not something I want to do. But since this is the thing I'll probably do, then if I list it, once I do it, I can say that I did something and avoided shopping to do it.
Take Down the Christmas Tree: See Above.
Organize My Computers and Office: No Comment. What's less fun than this? I want to do it, I just don't WANT to do it.
Take Great Photos and Do Something With Them: This sounds really good. Maybe I could put them on my blog! Let's try one:
Cool! This is Pretty Bird, our parrot, as photographed by my friend Susan (wolfweave.com) a couple of years ago. I've been meaning to photoshop the water dish out of this photo.
Do More Entertaining: We have such wonderful friends and relatives. It would be great to clear off that dining room table and actually have them over for a meal. Made from things that are already in the cupboards since I won't be shopping. Oh well....there went that idea. There won't be any salad at this meal. Unless they bring it, but I like to entertain and have the guests be guests and not have to bring anything. Just come over without having to do any work for it. So maybe if we invite you over, and you say "Can I bring anything?" I might reply that you could bring a salad. I can probably scrape together the rest of the meal, especially if Steve barbecues.
Going Out To Lunch With Friends: Dilemma. This might be too close to shopping. Going out to lunch is not shopping per Se. BUT it puts you in the way of many shops between parking and the restaurant, and it's unnecessary spending and not using what you have which is part of what this is about.
OK, that's it for now. I've got to get to that putting the Christmas stuff away, finish reading the paper, and put some food into Peter.
My heart is now officially on my sleeve. I didn't start this post with a "Dear" but it now feels like a letter. You can reply to my letter by submitting a comment. Please?
Love,
Dianne
It's tough to avoid the Special Holiday Sale Shopping. The department stores have fabulous sales on all the holiday items. It's a great time to buy 75% off Christmas stuff, especially wrapping paper and next year's Christmas cards. Except I don't send cards every year, and I sent them this year, so next year is an off year, so I don't need cards for next year. I hope I haven't missed out on gorgeous high end cards, but if so, there's always next year. Besides, I said I'd make next year's cards, not buy. And then I said that I'd send ecards next year to everyone with an email address with the reason (excuse) that it would be "green".
Here are the benefits of not going shopping:
*All the "Green" benefits. If you need these to be enumerated let me know, otherwise they are kind of boring.
*Saving Money benefit. Of course this benefit is slippery, because what am I saving it for? To shop more later!
*Saving Time benefit. This benefit is about having more time for my family, crafts and things I've been wanting to do.
Family: Kind of a joke. Steve is always working and keeps very busy with his own stuff. Peter is totally into WoW and happy to spend time at that and not with us.
Crafts: Where to start? I'm woefully behind on Scrapbooking and photos. The bead supplies are all on the dining room table where they have been for longer than I care to admit. (That's why you haven't been invited over for dinner). The wire working supplies are in a bag near the dining room table. The yarn and crochet stuff is in a few different places. The fabric and sewing supplies are all in my office and guestroom closet and I will organize it all and start working it while I'm not shopping this month.
Things I've Been Wanting To Do:
Decorating and Redecorating: This is fun, but is dangerously close to shopping, and may have to go by the wayside while I don't shop.
eBaying: I love this, but I've already sold most of the stuff that anyone would buy on eBay, unless I start selling things that I actually use in an effort to go minimal.
Straighten Out The Basement: This is a job that needs to be kept up with constantly. Right now it is somewhat neat but full to bursting. It's clean but full. It's full of decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of. It's a big thing to avoid.
Put Away the Christmas Decorations: Actually I have to do this, it's not something I want to do. But since this is the thing I'll probably do, then if I list it, once I do it, I can say that I did something and avoided shopping to do it.
Take Down the Christmas Tree: See Above.
Organize My Computers and Office: No Comment. What's less fun than this? I want to do it, I just don't WANT to do it.
Take Great Photos and Do Something With Them: This sounds really good. Maybe I could put them on my blog! Let's try one:
Cool! This is Pretty Bird, our parrot, as photographed by my friend Susan (wolfweave.com) a couple of years ago. I've been meaning to photoshop the water dish out of this photo.Do More Entertaining: We have such wonderful friends and relatives. It would be great to clear off that dining room table and actually have them over for a meal. Made from things that are already in the cupboards since I won't be shopping. Oh well....there went that idea. There won't be any salad at this meal. Unless they bring it, but I like to entertain and have the guests be guests and not have to bring anything. Just come over without having to do any work for it. So maybe if we invite you over, and you say "Can I bring anything?" I might reply that you could bring a salad. I can probably scrape together the rest of the meal, especially if Steve barbecues.
Going Out To Lunch With Friends: Dilemma. This might be too close to shopping. Going out to lunch is not shopping per Se. BUT it puts you in the way of many shops between parking and the restaurant, and it's unnecessary spending and not using what you have which is part of what this is about.
OK, that's it for now. I've got to get to that putting the Christmas stuff away, finish reading the paper, and put some food into Peter.
My heart is now officially on my sleeve. I didn't start this post with a "Dear" but it now feels like a letter. You can reply to my letter by submitting a comment. Please?
Love,
Dianne
1 comment:
Dear Dianne,
Good luck with the "No Shopping for 1 Month" thing!! This is sort of like "No Shopping for Lent" (which you could do to continue if you actually make it through January!). Also, I don't think groceries (if needed) should count. Those aren't exactly fun to buy. You're really trying to quit "shopping as a hobby," shopping for fun...so shopping for groceries, shopping for gasoline, shopping to mail things at the post office, etc.--daily errands that are BORING--shouldn't count at all.
I can totally sympathize. I don't shop in stores much but should totally take a vow not to shop online!!! And a vow to limit my computer time would free up all those hours for crafting that you're talking about! I guess we all have to start somewhere! Baby steps.
Anyway I love your new blog and where you are headed with it. Keep up the good work...keep us all on our toes!!!
Susan
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