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Blog Entry 31 of 68 The Write Words
I hope to write about anything and everything that comes into my mind, as long as it is in good taste. I hope to communicate effectively and stimulate thought and conversation. I can't wait to get started!

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~ErinsBlog

A break from materialism

Contributed by: Erin Di Paolo   on 1/31/2007

A few weeks ago I read a story in the newspaper that piqued my curiosity. It was about a group of ten friends that decided they would not buy anything new for an entire year. These friends were not just any group of friends - they live in San Francisco and are environmentally-conscious.

Many in the group considered the experience "liberating" and have decided to try it for another year. Though the group did allow for purchases of food, toiletries, underwear, and other things needed for health and safety, they kept their promise to each other to not buy new items.

This did not mean they didn't allow themselves anything at all; it simply could not be brand new. The friends became especially talented at shopping at thrift stores and garage sales and also found free or previously-owned merchandise at sites like freecycle.org.

After I read the story, I began to think about my own spending habits. Years ago, I was like the people in the story, except motivated for different reasons. I believed I needed to save every dollar, so I went overboard. I didn't want to spend a dime and I didn't want my husband too, either. It created a great deal of stress in our marriage, but we were able to invest a great deal and pay our mortgage off. Since then we have lived debt-free. But that does not mean I don't spend more than I should. Of course I do. I really don't need the extra pair of jeans or shoes that I so often talk myself into buying. I definitely am not like I used to be with regard to money. If anything, I have gone too far in the other direction.

At Christmas one of my friends mentioned that she had taken bags and bags of clothes and shoes to Goodwill a few days before. I was upset that she did not give her clothing to me, as I love hand-me-downs. She said the things were old and out of style, that I would not like them. Trust me - even her old, out of style clothes would have been quite the score. Eventually, the real reason why she did not give the clothes to me came to the surface - she told me I have enough clothes. Oh, okay. Now I see. Then we began to banter back and forth, accusing each other of never wearing the same thing twice, of having more than enough clothes, etc.

Then it dawned on me - my friend and I always give each other clothes for Christmas and our birthdays. So if both of usreally have sufficient clothing, why do we continue to do that? Why not give each other something more meaningful, like the gift of our time? Or a great book? Or a nice bottle of wine? Aren't those better choices for someone who has more than enough jeans and sweaters?

I think, as in all things, there needs to be balance. But sometimes, maybe, we need to do what the people in San Francisco did: just stop buying new things.



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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Erin Di Paolo

Denver , CO

Erin Di Paolo has posted 68 blog entries and 1 comment since joining on 3/18/2006. Erin Di Paolo 's average blog rating is 4.45.
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