Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Sunday Confessional - Week 5

Buy Nothing Sunday ConfessionalForgive me, people, for I have spent. Again, this week it was mostly eating out. We have more family in town so there was a day of eating dinner out. Plus a brunch.

And, then our visitors babysat for an evening while my husband and I went out to eat and to a movie. Other than that, no other spending occurred.

What about you guys? How's the Buy Nothing Challenge wrapping up for you this month? Are you interested in continuing it into September?

20 comments:

mudnessa said...

I bought two video games, they are getting a lot of play at least. Eating out which I have changed to reducing not stopping all together because that just wont work for me. I bought some more body lotion. Not as bad of a week as I thought, guess it was just because the games were so expensive. Oh and I bought a new hummingbird feeder, the one I have doesn't totally come apart any more and is growing mold and it is plastic, I have abandoned plastic containers in my food and drink shouldn't I do the same for the tiny little hummingbirds. So I got a nice recycled glass feeder.

I am definitely going to try and keep not buying unnecessary things, that is what most of my purchases really are. I am going to try and find things around the house I can use instead, been doing pretty good at that and realizing I don't actually need the things I usually buy.

Unknown said...

This was the challenge I had the most success with for August! I plan to continue into September, but that may be the last month. With Christmas coming on, it may be harder not to spend money. Of course, I typically make most of my gifts, but there is always last minutes things that are forgotten.

Jill said...

I bought 2 crochet hooks last night. Now that I think of it, they are acrylic, so I needed the hooks for an afghan for myself, but I need to find some wood ones. I had planned to treat myself to some new yarn, and even carried a few balls around with me for a while at the store, but I ended up putting them back on the shelf. I am really really proud of myself for that, I am usually extremely weak in regards to yarn.

I'm definitely continuing with my no buy! I'm moving in 6 months or so, less crap = easier move = mo' money for me.

Anonymous said...

I am trying but I bought 2 wooden spoons for the kitchen and we have had coffee out. I bought my little girl 2 skirts at the second hand store and 2 pieces of glassware. I even went to a quilt shop and walked out without a thing.

Suze_oz

TDP said...

I bought a computer manual for software I need to know for a potential new job. Then several bags of ice to keep my frozen goods frozen until the electricity could be brought back online. Total down time due to 2 blown transformers=20 hours.
Then I totally messed up with the sweat your buns - humidity was up ot 85% inside my condo. Once AC turned back on, I had to do something to get the humidity down. Anyone know a way to reduce humidity w/o using electricity? Hate to say this but can't wait until March when the outside humidity is under 10%.

steffington said...

I bought two bottles of soda at a gas station cause I was really really thirsty. I think that is it.

I would continue into September, but there are certain things I need to buy for school - which I'm taking care of tomorrow. After that, I will be sure to cut down.

Harper said...

I'm thinking, no-spend October. August just hasn't worked for me.

Anonymous said...

went on a vacation, so had coffee and pastries about 4 or 5 times, shared a burrito once, had nachos once, beer...and that's about it. We picnicked and prepared food in our hotel room.

I also bought some used work clothing--two shirts and two skirts. No brand new stuff.

Pattie said...

This is my only oops: two books from the library sale. Cost: $1.00
http://freshbrewedwriter.blogspot.com/2008/08/oops.html
and I held out from Aug. 1 through the 26th. I consider that since I might have spent a LOT more than $1 over the course of the month, this was a success for me.

Anonymous said...

We stopped in at a warehouse store that was near other errands. Since I'm moving my office, I bought a box of extra large trash bags. I also bought sunscreen, shampoo that I've been looking for and it was on deep discount, and vodka for tinctures.
I admit to also cruising through Linens n'Things where the discounts weren't steep enough.

Anonymous said...

i bought a new hairbrush and comb; much-needed for my no-'poo experiment. gave away the old unsuitable ones and was given homemade tomato marmalade in retrun. yay!


browsed in a couple clothing stores while early for an appointment. got a bit queasy from it all!


have spent much of the holiday weekend letting things go; mostly old sentimental papers, which got recycled. freecycled a bunch of stuff, too, after sifting out some cupboards & bookshelves. i find that the no-buying makes me think harder about having, generally, and then i want to let go and live more lightly.

visited the slow food nation event here in sf on sunday. beautiful! inspiring. felt absolutely good about buying some nice foodstuffs.

i am enjoying this challenge; i've found a nice happy medium where i don't feel guilty if i decide to make a purchase, and enjoy the accountability around when it happens, which makes me think hard about what i'm doing. i'd be happy to continue into september!

Anonymous said...

CTDaffodil:
Since August wasn't as much of a success as I wanted it to be - I'm up for trying again in September.

Eating out will be the tough one for me so that will be my biggest part of the challenge to work on.
I'll allow myself one coffee out per week - rather than the whole lunch and couple of coffees that happen when the kids are in school all day. (the place in town already sells organic coffee so I'm in good shape and I can use my own mug there too)

Other than that - my last week of August was good - aside from groceries I didn't spend a dime. I needed a new headband but made one with some scrap elastic I had in the sewing box and some pretty batik leftover cloth.

Teri said...

I bought a tree that I had been planning on buying this month since March. And some tomato and eggplant plants.

I also bought something made from reclaimed wood. So- it shouldn't count :)

I don't know if I will continue in Sept. I do know that this has made me much more aware of what I felt was a necessity that isn't

knutty knitter said...

Fish and chips once and two pieces of patchwork fabric and a few shell beads for the competition piece. Think that's it. I'm now going to buy a totally unnecessary book!

I'll definitely do this again.

viv in nz

Anonymous said...

eating out, eating out, and buying drinks (coffee, diet coke, juice for my son, etc).

I AM interested in continuing into September, but I will have to take a short break to buy a few things -- some shoes for me, a purse for me (not ESSENTIALS, but would help things out), and some shoes for my son.

I want to continue, b/c I have not come close to beating the "shop or buy for recreation" urge!

Erin

Anonymous said...

While I have kept spending down and haven't bought much of anything other than necessities...I would have to break away from it come late Sept. I normally make things for gifts but for my daughters b-day we usually mix new and used. A previously viewed movie or cd and a gently used book along with a couple new things..since she is getting older we generally try to get her things we know she needs. And this year theres just a few more needs with her going to college. So yeah I think we could manage another 3 weeks. We're not much for going out a getting coffee or soda, eating out. And we all take lunches from home every day. We've really cut the unnecessary type stuff out for the most part. So going another 3 weeks before spending money on something new well I don't think I will feel to badly. The only thing I bought was a harness for the puppy we were given since he ate his first one. And that I figure is a necessity since we have a leash law around here.

Eva said...

I certainly haven't 'spent nothing' but I have curtailed my spending and become far more conscious of that the heck I'm doing with the useless junk that tries to find its way into my trolley. I'll keep it up next months.

Anonymous said...

I went out of the challenge on a complete BANG! - well depending on how you look at it.

What did we buy?
Erase board - no fighting now that there is two 5$

Tools/supplies for my husband's electrical apprenticeship 45$

Placemats so we can put the kid's food directly on the placemats (like corn on the cob or watermelon) so we don't have to dirty plates or use paper napkins for fast/easy food like this 4$

Bought take out to go to an outdoor movie (I worked right up til we had to leave) - 12$

Sewing machine - 2600$
I had been saving up for this machine for almost a year. I was intending on buying it in October on employee discount day but they decided to put it on sale for basically the employee price so I bought it early. It will be replacing a very basic machine that I bought 25 years ago. I am very excited about this machine. I am particularly looking forward to the free motion quilting it does so I can do more than straight lines for quilting.

Allie said...

We've eaten out a couple times (Subway and tacos), but other than that, no spending that isn't food.

I feel like I bought something else, but I can't figure out what I got so it may simply be paranoia.

I'm happy to go through September. I really need a ring pan, so if I manage to find one this month, I'm going to get it.

Anonymous said...

I went way over my $10 weekly non essentials budget, but earned far more when I sold some crap on eBay.