April Fools!
In all seriousness, I have completed the first quarter of my plan to buy nothing new and can report that I have stuck to my guns and avoided purchasing anything brand new. Has it been easy? Most of the time. But there of course have been some instances when I really, really wished that I could head down to whatever store I wanted and buy something I knew they would have, and then be done thinking about it. In most cases I have been able to find what I've needed at a thrift store, or by talking to my friends and families and negotiating a loan or finally convincing myself that I don't actually need to own the particular item. I'm a big fan of renting sport equipment, so there was no panic when my friends and I went skiing in January. My friend Patience heard that I could use a car rack for my bike and offered me her old rack to use indefinitely since she's had little use for it since selling her car. I thought I needed a cycling jersey and then reminded myself that clothing has nothing to do with skill, so I'll be happy wearing that old collared golf tournament shirt I got as a family hand-me-down.
So, what has been the hardest thing to deal with not being able to buy new? Pants. As many thrift stores as I have been to, and trips made to Second Glance, my favorite womens consignment shop, I have not been able to locate a single pair of work pants that fit and don't look ridiculously out of style for someone my age. Multiple hours have been spent on my great pant crusade, but with no luck. I figure that by the time I find pants, it'll be time to move on to shorts and skirts and at least I have those covered. Hopefully it will warm up around here sometime soon so I can transition out of the same three pairs of pants I have in current rotation. I should say, two pairs of pants and one torture device since the third pair are too small in the waist and I have to wear a belt to cover the fact that I cannot actually button them. I'm sure this will make for a hilarious story some day....
The other main area that has required some creative thinking is gift giving, particularly for the children in my family. How do you explain your plan to purchase nothing new to a two year old on their birthday? You don't. Instead you make them a sock monkey out of a pair of socks from Goodwill.
My friends and family have been pretty cool about me showing up with second hand gifts for them, or things I've crafted or baked. The baked goods are probably preferred. Now that my free time isn't spent perusing the internet for good deals on assorted crap, or window shopping in town as a social event or a way to kill time, I've had a lot more time to research recipes online and read cookbooks. I have conquered bread. It has been helpful to have some roommates and a gentleman who are well established bread bakers to show me new techniques and tips. I've been baking a great round artisan loaf in my dutch oven and it might be my favorite bread of all time. Sometimes I add things like kalamata olives. Yes! Olive bread! I can safely say that I probably would never have started baking bread if I hadn't decided to pay attention to what I buy for this year. The bread I bake needs flour, yeast, salt and water. I haven't priced it out, but I'd say that it is probably costing me about 50 cents a loaf, given the bake time in the oven. It is making me re-think the $6 I used to spend on good, locally baked fresh bread. And it has made me want to see what other food items I can learn to make. Starting in May I will be enrolled in a canning and food preservation course through the state extension service which should provide me with another window with which to explore American consumer life.
I can't wait!
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