Buy Nothing October - Saving Tactics

We've been having a little personal Buy Nothing October to cut back our spending and, hopefully, save up a little for the holidays this year.

Now, to be clear, it's not like we aren't buying anything - my youngest child's birthday is this month, so I budgeted a certain amount for those gifts, but I've been trying to cut out extraneous purchases.

This last year has been chock full of expenses. We had a lot of car maintenance expenses on our 14-year-old vehicle, replaced quite a few single pane windows in our basement, got a new roof and refinanced our home. We paid for all of these out of our checking/savings and didn't finance anything. And that was on purpose.

The plan was to save the $500 a month we are saving from refinancing to recoup the closing costs and other expenses, but we just haven't really achieved that. Other monthly expenses have crept up and we haven't really been strict about "binge" buys.

So, I've been really trying to crack down on that this month and hope to continue through next month. My husband really likes going out to coffee so we haven't stopped doing that, just reduced what we buy when we do so (only coffee, no treats). And, we otherwise aren't eating out. At all. Which is pretty normal for us anyway but we've been ordering out a lot over the summer.

One of the techniques that we've employed is to create Christmas lists for ourselves on Amazon and, whenever we feel like we want to buy something, we put the item on our respective Christmas lists to be ignored for a couple months. Most likely the urge will pass and if, after two months, we are still dying for those purchases, they'll get budgeted into our Christmas gifts. So far it's working.

Another tactic I'm using is recording all our expenses and watching our credit card closely to keep us on track. That way, if we start falling back into old habits, it's easier to correct sooner rather than later.

What are your favorite ways to avoid overspending money?

The impact of holiday gift giving

I keep hearing ads to encourage people to go crazy shopping on the upcoming black Friday. As such, Friday is the annual "Buy Nothing Day", which is the alternative to spending all that's left in your wallet. It suggests that, instead of buying, you refrain from shopping. Some see this anti-consumerism as a threat to our American way of life, but let's stop for a moment and consider our holiday spending and its financial, emotional and environmental impacts.

It's really easy to get caught up in the shopping fever, especially when you perceive that you are getting a deal. But, are you really? Does buying something for others make you feel better about yourself? I know that I really enjoy giving gifts, but if you are buying gifts for people because you feel obligated to do so, or if you are buying gifts for people without knowing what they want, what does that really mean? At that point you are just checking things off of your Christmas stress list?

On one hand, feeling obligated to purchase products for somebody doesn't necessarily leave one feeling the holiday spirit. There are no warm fuzzies as a result. There is stress in worrying whether or not the recipient will like what you got for them, and there is concern whether or not the reciprocal gift will match in either quality or cost. I know I also get stressed when someone spends a lot on something for me that I really just don't like and won't use.

I think one of the main reasons people get so stressed about the holidays is because of the obligations of gift giving, particularly if you are already financially strained. The shame or disappointment that is associated with not being able to buy for loved ones what they really want to get them tends to make people overspend. No wonder people are depressed during the holidays.

So, what's a person to do? I know it goes against tradition for many, but what about talking with friends and loved ones about some alternatives? Finding out what they actually want is a good first step. Buying unwanted items equals buying unused products and the carbon footprint of all that excess that is going to waste is not negligible. Second, discuss other options for gift giving.

Buying experiences instead of stuff will not only result in a more memorable gift, but will also potentially have a much smaller environmental impact. Suggesting that time spent together is far more valuable than the latest gift and gizmo is another option. I know this isn't exactly realistic for some of you when familial obligations to spend time together aren't exactly pleasant, but I suspect the feeling is mutual on both sides and perhaps others don't exactly like the whole gift expectation thing either.

I also know that fighting against cultural norms isn't exactly pleasant and can be a nerve wracking experience, but once it's done, it doesn't need to be revisited every year. The end goal is to rethink how we spend (and what we spend on) the holidays, reduce the amount of stress involved and perhaps reduce our carbon footprint in the end by buying a lot less gifts.

How do you feel about gift giving during the holidays? Do you feel obligated to get and/or match other's gifts? Or, do you enjoy buying gifts for people?

Buy Nothing Challenge 2009

It's been a whole year since the last Buy Nothing Challenge, and hoo boy!, have I fallen off the wagon. With my hubs back to work full-time as of the end of June, I don't feel as financially strapped and so, well, forgive me people, but I have been spending like mad.

So, it's time to strap down that wallet and do another round of the Buy Nothing Challenge - the 2009 Edition. Last year I hosted two of these challenges and there were hundreds of people that participated. This year around, people are having more economic challenges of their own, so having a gang of readers pledging together to save money by not spending will hopefully help out your finances.

Like last year, here are the guidelines. For the month of August, you can buy:

* No new clothes
* No new gadgets
* No new furniture or housewares
* No salon services
* No makeup
* No tools
* No whatever the hell else people buy

This year I'm giving you a couple weeks to prepare, but that doesn't mean that you should go out and spend and hoard in preparation. In fact, I bet that once you sign up for this challenge, most likely you'll start watching what you are spending now. At least, that's what happened for most of the people who participated last year.

If you must absolutely acquire something non-edible or not essential to growing your own food or for your survival, then you must borrow, barter, or buy it used. If you end up buying something new that is non-essential, I'll be hosting a weekly Sunday Confessional for you to justify your purchase. So, just think about having to confess to the world what you couldn't hold off on buying.

Things that are okay
Necessary items like schools supplies and the like are okay, so don't panic about back-to-school items. Also, items used for canning and food storage are okay so don't worry if you are running low on pectin, mason jars and whatnot. If you have a vacation planned in August, just confess ahead of time accordingly. But that doesn't give you free reign to totally undo your efforts the rest of the month.

If you want to sign up for the challenge, leave a comment on this post and I'll add you to the sidebar under the list of participants. For those of you who stumble upon this later, you can still join. If you want to put the graphic up on your blog, just paste the following code:

<a href="http://www.thecrunchychicken.com/2009/07/buy-nothing-challenge-2009.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelxmjWeaBHlX-bFkbhmbBIW4SYvvvFt17uXRkdm6erpUoQtJrtHPqV7rxaP2BRxvjewohkzyX32VBnf0VXINtrQhfqlRXNa2mIrlRSygmFzwzMcQAxMpw-uflgFQ2-_i1zVJ_CgtFb8g/s320/buynothingbanner.jpg" border="0" alt="Buy Nothing Challenge - August 2009" /></a>

For me, the hardest part is going to be eating out - mostly coffee shops. But this time, I'll limit myself to only buying drinks (so I don't get kicked out for using their free wifi), but will skip the food.

How about you? Are you ready to save some pennies?

The neurology of spending

Have you ever wondered why some people are addicted to shopping? Why sometimes it is so engrossing and overwhelmingly pleasurable to buy something new and then deeply regret it later? What causes that excitement and urge to spend?

Well, recent research out of Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon sheds some light on what's going on in your brain when you are faced with the decision to purchase. It is a fight between the pleasure of getting something new and the pain of spending money.

Basically, what happens in your brain goes a little something like this. According to Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide:

They discovered that when subjects were first exposed to the item, a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) was turned on. The NAcc is a crucial part of our dopamine reward pathway - it's typically associated with things like sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll - and the intensity of its activation was a reflection of desire for the item. If the person already owned the complete Harry Potter collection, then the NAcc didn't get too excited about the prospect of buying another copy. However, if he'd been craving a George Foreman grill, then the NAcc flooded the brain with dopamine whenever that item appeared.

But then came the price tag. When the subjects were exposed to the cost of the product, the insula was activated. The insula is associated with aversive feelings, and is triggered by things like nicotine withdrawal and pictures of people in pain. In general, we try to avoid anything that makes our insula excited. Apparently, this includes spending money.

By measuring the relative amount of activity in each brain region, the scientists could accurately predict the subjects' shopping decisions. They knew which products people would buy before the people themselves did. If the insula's negativity exceeded the positive feelings generated by the NAcc, then the subject almost always chose not to buy the item. However, if the NAcc was more active than the insula, the object proved irresistible. The sting of giving up cash couldn't compete with the thrill of getting a George Foreman grill.

Apparently, stores know how to keep our NAcc fired up, yet keep the insula down. With the proposition of sales, deep discounts and the like keeping the insula in check, the NAcc can have a field day. It's like a pimp telling you his prostitutes are guaranteed to be disease free (or your money back!).

What's interesting is that, with the current state of the economy, people are not as subjective to these marketing tactics as they once were, mostly because that pesky insula is super sensitive these days. Questioning your purchases, your need for something new and the like was something we did seriously during the Buy Nothing Challenges last year. But, it's easy to slip off the buy-nothing wagon, simply because you are fighting against your own brain and a flood of dopamine.

Do you experience a "shopping high" when you buy something? Are your purchases ever tinged with buyer's remorse? Have you gotten better at questioning your decision to buy something before you purchase it or have your personal finances just made you more aware of what you are buying?

Additional reading: Shopping Centers in the Brain (from the journal, Neuron)

Sunday confessional - Week 4

Holy moley, I can't believe there's only a few days left of the Buy Nothing Challenge. For me, the first week was kinda tough, the second one a little easier and the last two have been no brainers. Our credit card bill is vastly smaller than usual.

Of course, I've spent a lot of the last two weeks at the "cancer spa" where shopping opportunities are rather minimal, but still. I can honestly say that I haven't purchased anything besides food, necessary sundries and an occasional coffee. We didn't even eat out this week!

I suspect the next week will go by without a hitch. I am concerned a little about some of you who are "saving" your purchases until May. I hope you don't blow a hole in your credit cards making up for holding off on purchasing things for a month.

The idea was to have you focus on things you didn't really need, not in the hopes of staving off the desire for a few weeks, but in convincing you that you didn't actually need that item. Hopefully, for some of you, having to wait a few weeks has lessened the desire.

But, enough about me, how are you doing with the challenge?

Jumping on the environmental bandwagon

What will you be doing tomorrow for Earth Day? Over the years, this annual event has turned into just a gesture, punctuated mostly by green marketing rhetoric. Even at the biggest green events, like the Green Festival held here recently in Seattle, the focus was on consumerism. "Over 300 eco-friendly vendors!"

You can't buy your way to sustainability, no matter what the manufacturers tell you. Sure, you can replace things with more ecologically sound products or you can choose to buy the environmentally friendly item over the conventional one and I'm certainly behind that. But...

This Earth Day's events include many a commercial bent rather than an environmental one. Sure, there are educational elements to them, but most of the focus is on purchasing items to save the environment rather on good old wholesome conservation. What happened to the Earth Day activities where you get together and plant a tree and discuss current issues and how to resolve them?

Yet, it all comes back to buying. What happened to just being? Back before everything was dirt cheap, there was a focus on quality over quantity, enjoying what you had and not buying stuff just for the sake of having it. We've discussed the slippery slope of consumerism in the Affluenza book club posts, and most of the people reading this blog have only experienced the age of Affluenza, not WWII conservation.

I suppose over the last year, I've matured from focusing on doing green things that tend to be product based, to really focusing on the necessity of products in achieving a greener lifestyle. It is extremely easy to get sucked into buying into a new lifestyle and there are tons of products and companies out there to help you purchase your way into greener living. But, when you step back, it's not really an improvement if you're still just purchasing stuff you don't really need. Even if it's environmentally friendly, you don't need those new bamboo clothes, the hemp shoes, the gadgets, appliances, tools and other things.

For the most part, with many products, even so called "green" ones, the environmental cost of manufacturing (energy, oil, mining, shipping, water and industrial waste) outweighs keeping your carbon-unfriendly version. And when that product goes teets up, you should really be considering whether you actually needed it in the first place.

Where am I going with this? Well, let's just say that I'm getting a little sick of seeing all the "eco" friendly products and articles in magazines, in the papers and on TV. These vendors are selling you the idea of green, but in actuality, you are just getting sucked in. Again. The message is a feel-good, placation of fears of global warming and all it's scary antecedents.

If you really want to do something for the environment, stop consuming. I don't mean stop eating or buying the basics for clothing and cleaning, just stop buying crap you don't need and end up having to get rid of later. If you really want to do something for the environment, pledge to Stop Buying. You'll find it a lot easier than you thought and with all the money you save, you can spend it on spending time with your friends and family instead of working hard to pay for your green, product driven lifestyle.

Sunday confessional - Week 3

It has been 7 days since my last confessional and I haven't spent anything except for food and a bottle of wine. The wine isn't exactly essential, but after reading In Defense of Food, I'm gonna argue that it's a medical necessity. Well, maybe not.

I got my two books from the library and that has sated my interest in buying something. My daughter is asking for new dresses as she's outgrown last year's spring/summer dresses but we didn't find any at the second-hand store, so no purchases there. I have been drooling over a food mill but will wait and most likely the desire will pass.

Other than that, I've gotten into the groove of not purchasing crap I don't really need. I can't say that my husband is following suit, but I have little control over that.

How was your week?

Sunday confessional - Week 2

Okay people, I have not spent. It has been 7 days since my last confessional.

I actually didn't buy anything this week except for essential food items. Well, that and a few cappuccinos during the week with my husband on his last day of work and while at the cancer center. But other than those, that's it!

Because of the scheduling of all my husband's appointments gearing up to his stem cell transplant, I didn't end up going to the Seattle Green Festival. Since it was 76 and sunny yesterday (the first time since last September) I chose to spend the day with my family at the park and playing with my kids. Oh, well. At least I wasn't tempted to buy anything.

How are you doing? What did you end up buying?

Sunday confessional - Week 1

Forgive me people, for I have spent. It has been 6 days since my last confessional.

This week has been going reasonably well. It started off on a low-note wherein I asked my husband to pick up some materials for cleaning the house windows. I've been meaning to do this for months and they are so disgusting you can't see out of them. I really don't want to spend the money to have someone professionally clean them and am looking forward to doing it myself. So, pole, scrubber and squeegee were the first and last non-essential items purchased this week.

We did spend money on going to the Pacific Science Center since it was spring break for the kids. I'm okay with spending money on experiences instead of stuff because my husband will be out of commission for the next 4 months or so. We also went to The Museum of Flight (no cost - we have a membership). Telling the kids ahead of time that we weren't getting anything at the museum stores headed off a whole lot of whining. Although, I must admit I did feel guilty for not getting them what they wanted for some strange reason. Why must I doubt myself?

To assuage some other purchasing desires, I put a hold on two books and two kid's CDs at the public library. It will probably be a while before I get them, but at least the impulse will have passed and if I have lost interest by then, I haven't spent any money. I did spend about $100 less today for this week's grocery shopping. It helps that I left everyone else at home.

One of the things coming up on other people's blogs about Buy Nothing Month was in regards to eating out. Now, I have to admit that it is more expensive, but it could be argued that it isn't more wasteful. It just depends on what your goals of this challenge are - to waste less or to save money. If you are doing both, them eating out will pose a problem. If you are just trying to reduce your environmental impact, well then, in some cases it's allowed. Use your own discretion.

Over here at the Crunchy household, I'm allowing eating out once a week at my husband's choice. He starts the work-up for his stem cell transplant this week. Shortly, he won't be able to eat anything, so we're getting it in while we can. If any of you want to trade in your mucous membranes for eating out, I'll be glad to arrange some sort of trade. Anyone? No? I don't blame you.

Anyway, that's the scoop from the challenge over here. How are things going for you? Go ahead and spill it... I won't make you do any Hail Marys.

[Note: If you don't see yerself in the sidebar, let me know and I'll add you.]

Buy Nothing Challenge

First off, I have to admit that over the last 8 or so years, I've been a bit of a spendthrift. I spent far too many years as a dirt-poor college student. So once I had a reasonable salary, I didn't pay attention to what I was spending because I didn't really have to anymore. Couple that with the American mentality of purchasing as sport and I would blow through money pretty quickly.

And it's not like I had much to show for it. It's amazing how so many little things add up. Since the majority of the expenses were for books and food or eating out I didn't feel like I was being extravagant. Only my credit card bills told me otherwise.

Well, I just realized that it's been months since I spent anything substantial. Sure, I've purchased a few books (for the book club) and bought a few sweaters from the thrift store (because I was freezing), but that's about it. Oh yeah, and I got my hair cut for the first time in almost a year. But, everything except the thrift sweaters were bought using gift cards.

With the end of the Freeze Yer Buns Challenge, I don't want you going through withdrawals. So I'm challenging you, for the month of April, to buy nothing. Now, I'm not talking about food, medications or other essentials, but everything else.

This is like Buy Nothing Day. Except that it lasts all month long. Sort of a mini-Compact. A compact Compact. A sub Compact.

Anyway, this means none of the following:

• No new clothes
  
• No new gadgets
  
• No new furniture or housewares
  
• No salon services
  
• No makeup
  
• No tools
  
• No whatever the hell else people buy

Why did I only give you one day to prepare? Because I didn't want you out there binge buying in preparation for the month. I want you to really focus on whether or not what you are buying is a necessity or something frivolous.

If you must absolutely acquire something non-edible or not essential to growing your own food or for your survival, then you must borrow, barter, or buy it used. If you end up buying something new that is non-essential, I'll be hosting a weekly Sunday Confessional for you to justify your purchase. So, just think about having to confess to the world what you couldn't hold off on buying.

What do you say? Are you up for it? If you are, leave a comment and I'll add you to the sidebar under the list of participants. For those of you who stumble upon this later, you can still join. If you want to put the graphic up on your blog, just paste the following code:

<a href="http://crunchychicken.blogspot.com/2008/03/buy-nothing-challenge.html"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCdJxgVZ78WgUB_tu7HA9uR-uU0nbVBEqxnLe_DY6ergNXKZaIseAwG9KiLqNdixoQIqB5X02COlYn5BqVblACPe49cSdK8kANCSyUp4GZ6yWiK-KhiBNSC5s2ydNt1uaebZBsdd4MHnU/s1600-r/banner.jpg" border="0" alt="Buy Nothing Challenge - April 2008" /></a>

By the way, I'll be hosting a truly heinous challenge during the month of May, so if you are unprepared for this one, I'll be giving you plenty of warning for the next one. It's gonna be a doozy.