Buy Buy!

Consumption is as consumption does. It's stupid. But can it be avoided? Sort of. I am taking my first stab at altering my consumeristic lifestyle by giving up my penchant for shiny new things that have never been touched by another hand for one year. The initial spark of this project came to mind a few months ago when I abandoned use of plastic food storage containers and decided to instead use the plethora of glass jars accumulating in my cupboard. Next came a decision to never ever purchase gift wrap again for the rest of my life (gift wrap = waste and $). I have decided to take things a lot further and not purchase any new stuff for an entire year. Well, ok, I will purchase new food. And new hygiene items - who wants used TP? But everything else will either be borrowed, bought second hand or bartered for. Instead of heading to the mall to buy new clothes or shoes, I'll be scouring Craigs List, second hand shops, attempting to trade my skills for used items, or asking my vast network to borrow the things I need. More than anything, I anticipate this project influencing how I see what I "need" versus what I "want".