Lifestyle
Not Buying It! Part 8
This is Part 8 of my 90-Day “Not Buying It” Challenge. Inspired by Judith Levine’s book Not Buying It.
You can read my previous posts here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7.
Here are my rules for the 90 days:
* No shopping except food and essential items
* No new books, clothes, or music
* No eating in restaurants or buying take-out
* Try to use up food items that are already in the house
* I’m still allowed to pay for dance and yoga
Day 50: I feel like I’ve been buying way too much food. Maybe I’m channeling all my shopping energy into groceries because that’s pretty much all I’m allowed to buy? I went to Trader Joe’s thinking I didn’t need much, still spent $200.
Day 51: I make up a big batch of curry quinoa salad with craisins, pine nuts, peas, and chickpeas. It turns out delicious!!! (Thank goodness, because the red lentil pasta I bought from TJ’s was a fail.) I pack it up to have for lunch for the week.
Day 52: I go back to Trader Joe’s to buy Olive Oil, somehow I spend $80. Why I am I such a food hoarder??? It’s not like I’ve ever gone hungry in my life, or even been afraid I would.
Day 53: If you open my ex-husband’s fridge you will see a pot with whatever sauce he’s cooked, a container with cooked white rice, and a jar of hot sauce. Maybe some juice. That’s about it!! I always admire that minimalism in the kitchen. But I don’t know if I could realistically live that way.
I mean, I guess most American parents with kids living at home have a pantry and cupboards and fridge full of food. Right? It does seem kind of weird though.
Day 54: Every day I think to myself, I hate all my clothes, I want a whole new wardrobe, I don’t know how I even get dressed every morning…
Oh hey!!! Look what I found on the sidewalk this morning!!! Maybe the Universe is rewarding me for being so good with money? 
My daughter asked what I was going to do with the money. Something special? I said, Put it towards my student loan.
Day 55: We have a potluck at work. I haven’t planned anything, I decide to make a fruit salad. Without needing to buy anything I already have bananas, apples, oranges, papaya, kiwi, and coconut flakes. It’s good I can pull something together last minute, but is it weird that I have that much food just laying around? Well, I use it all, none of it goes bad, so maybe it’s not weird.
Day 56: My knee is still healing slowly but surely, and I’ll do anything to speed it along! I stop at Whole Foods. For groceries all I get is some coconut milk yogurt, but I buy almost $80 worth of supplements for joint health. Ugh. Hopeless.
I’m going to see if I can skip grocery shopping for the next week. I should have enough food already to last a week, or two…
So what am I doing with myself without spending any money? Lots. I go for walks every day, which I LOVE, and this week was especially amazing because we had a couple of 70-degree days (um, yeah, it’s February and there is still snow on the ground from the 8 inches we got last weekend…) I practice my bass. I do yoga. I read, a lot. I listen to music. I hang out with friends. I hang out with my kids.
What would I be doing with myself if I were spending money? Well, last year at this time I was on a beach in Costa Rica… There is a record store a few blocks from my house and every time I walk by it I want to go in and buy some vinyl. Even though I don’t like shopping for clothes, I really do want some new clothes, both for work and for weekends. I’m sure if thought about it I could come up with a LOT more! New stuff for the house, the garden, new hobbies, new appliances, maybe a new gym membership that I wouldn’t use…
Maybe I should make a list of stupid things I have spent my money on and later regretted
