First Crisis: Toothbrush!

I had my first crisis.

I lost my toothbrush.

OK, maybe it seems dramatic to call it a crisis, but as I looked around my bathroom, and it slowly dawned on me that my toothbrush was nowhere to be found, I realized I was about to have my first "But do I NEED it?" conversation with myself, and, frankly...I did not want to.

I have been using an electric toothbrush for several years.
But, like, not a nice one, ok?
A cheap, disposable one.

When my husband asked why I couldn't just clean the base and replace the head, I replied "because it was the disposable kind..." and he busted out laughing at me and said "Oh man! Really?!? That is the height of consumerism, babe!"

I was like "...I see that...now...but...obviously I didn't really ever THINK about it.
Or, if I am honest, I'm sure I did, and I dismissed it.
I justified.
I made a choice to do what I wanted to do and remain willfully ignorant. 

So.
My electric toothbrush is gone.
And I DO need a toothbrush.

My MIL puts a plain, non-electric toothbrush in my stocking every year, so as luck would have it...I DO have a new toothbrush available, so no.
I do not need a replacement for my "height of consumerism" disposable electric toothbrush.

I will be using the perfectly good REACH toothbrush my MIL lovingly placed in my stocking. When that one wears out in a couple months...I doubt I will be replacing it with the kind I like. I was making a lazy, selfish, thoughtless choice. I might buy another electric toothbrush (when the time comes), but I will be more thoughtful about the waste I am creating when I do.

-Saving money on stuff I didn't need since, like, 12 days ago.

<3 EJ

Do I NEED It?

Do I need it?

Ultimately, regardless of whatever rules I have set in place, whatever guidelines I set up, there will be times when there is seemingly no rule or guideline that addresses whatever thing is in question.

The question to ask then is; Do I need it?

Do I really NEED it?

For years, I have only written with pens with pink ink. I can almost guarantee I actually have enough pink pens and refills to make it 12 months. But if I run out...do I NEED it? What happens if I write in blue ink? Or green? Or purple? Do I really need pink pens?

No. I don't.

I want them.

I want to teach myself to feel the difference between a NEED and a WANT, and to acknowledge that difference.

So... "Do I Need It?" will be a question I ask a lot this year!

I am going to do my very best to be honest, because most of the time the answer will be no...no, I don't need it.

What I Bought on The Way Out

Once I decided not to shop for a year, I admit I panicked a bit.
I did some last minute shopping.
Is that in line with the spirit of the experiment?
Probably not.

But... it's whatever, man.

First I hit up the FreePeople sale section and choose two kimono type toppers.
Like, honestly, the VERY DEFINITION of things I DO NOT need...

($78 for the rose burnout dress, and $60 for the plaid)

I went to Tenoversix to grab a Make eyebrow pen ($20). I literally walked in yesterday and said "Quick! Sell me the eyebrow pen before it's 2018 and I can't try anything new!" (Not going to lie, so glad I did, it is a great product and gave me beautiful brows. Unless it dries out after just a few uses, I will most likely replace this when it does run out.)

I bought a beautiful ring  ($188) I do not need from a highly rated Etsy seller. I should and do feel the most guilty about this purchase, but I had Christmas money to burn and I swear my pockets were actually ON FIRE.

And a new work bag ($243), second hand. A Philip Lim Pashli in the large size (and it is LARGE)

So. That is the level of damage I did in 3 days with Christmas money (and let's be real, a little non-Christmas money).

THREE DAYS. 

I suspect you are starting to see the need for some control now, yes?
I'm not good at telling myself no.

Here we go...

The Rules of the Game

OK. So I'm going to need some rules, some guidelines to follow. Here is what I have so far:

Absolute NOs:
Shoes
Clothes (can replace worn out staples)
Handbags
Jewelry
Make-up (replacing something I ran out of is fair, but nothing new to me)


Exceptions:
Books (I run a bookshop)
Food and drink
Gifts for others (why should you suffer for my sins?)
Travel
Tickets to events
Art (from people I know, to support them)
Furniture (I will be surprised if I buy anything, I am only making an exception for it because my husband and I find something we both like so rarely, and we tend to buy second hand.)
Charity


The way some of those might play out:
1. I run out of lipgloss, I can replace it with the SAME lipgloss brand and color. I cannot try something new. I have plenty of new to last me through 2018, I got 4 lip colors for Christmas alone!

2. I run out of hairspray, I can try a new kind of hairspray, HOWEVER, if I decide I don't love it, TOO bad. I have to finish it. The world will not end because I have frizzy hair for a month.

3. I can replace any skincare product I run out of. Again, I CAN try something new if I want, but I CANNOT throw out the new if I don't like it as much as the old. I probably won't try anything new because it seems too risky. I have a really good routine going right now, and I have no need of anything additional.

4. If a friend has an art show, and there is a piece I can afford and like, I can purchase it. I cannot purchase random art from people I do not know just because it tickles my fancy.

5. I can buy whatever I want for your birthday, wedding or whatever it is you are celebrating.

6. I can replace clothing items I wore out or that don't fit, but only if they are a staple item (underwear, bra, jeans) and they truly need replacing. No new jeans because I love whatever fit the Cool Girls start wearing this Spring. I am just going to have to sit out Cool Girl Trends this year unless I already own something.

7. Gift cards and gifted money are free game and I can do whatever I want because those are given  by people who love you and want you to celebrate something in your life. Not to enjoy them insults the spirit in which they are given.


Tracking what I buy and what I didn't:
I plan to track both things I bought (within the rules) and things I did not buy (because they were against the rules), but wanted to.

I think tracking is really important because it will help me reflect on the feelings I had, the things I wanted, the things I thought I would die without. How do I feel about those things a month later? 3 months later? Can I even recall what I wanted so badly 6 months ago?

I hope to really change the way I approach material goods through this process. I want to shop more mindfully, and with purpose. I want to shop less (NEVER) to feel better or self soothe. I want to reach a place where I am not as focused on THINGS. I want to focus on people.

I want to focus on my own future.

A Year of No New Things

For the year 2018, I plan to not "shop". When I say "shop" I mostly mean "for new things" and I especially mean "for new things I do not actually need".

I can replace things that I have used up (skincare, a specific lipgloss), or that have worn out (socks, underwear, towels, bedsheets), but no new things for the sake of having something new.

No shoes. No jackets. No jewelry. No gadgets. No handbags. No trying new shades of lipgloss. 

My exceptions would be books (because I sell them), food and drink.

The thought terrifies me, and the fact that it does feels like all the more reason I should try. I have too many things, and the truth is; no new thing quells the thirst for new things, in fact, new things seem to only fan the flames of my desire for MORE NEW THINGS....

My goal is to use the experience to learn the difference between buying things as a self soothing technique (bad), buying things out of boredom (bad), buying things because everyone else is (bad) and buying things because I actually need them or they will make my life better in a clear obvious way. 

I want to put more thought behind future purchases. And I want to have more savings, because we are living in an unstable world. One that has convinced us that things will make us happy. But they won't. 

I plan to document some of my experience here. Talk through things I wanted to, but didn't, buy. Why did I want them? Do I even know? How does it feel NOT to buy them? How does it feel a month later? Can I even recall what it was I had such a hard time not buying? 

I doubt it.