purplerabbits

The Compact: since someone asked

2011-11-26T13:24:45Z

I don't know entirely why I get the desire to do incredibily frugal things for a lark, but at the start of the year I resolved to only buy eleven new things this year (not including food, cleaning products, medicine etc). I reported on it back in June when it was going well - well -ish. Now I am nearly at the end of November and someone asked me how it was going (what with the poverty eating).

Um, not quite so well.

This year I have bought:

New and shiny phone of joy (if I count all the trimmings as one thing it keeps my numbers down, but technically I bought the bluetooth headset separately)
Nail varnish
A spork
Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
An awesome reclining leather armchair from Habitat cos it was cheap and RED dammit
My excessively posh knitting needle set
A very nice and cheap peacock brooch which I love
A pendant watch that's an owl which I totally don't need
Risk by Dan Gardner, which I highly recommend
The new Terry Pratchett Book cos I felt I kinda had to
Some yarn - yes, yes I know, but I did turn it into a very lovely shawl

In addition to this there are some shoes which, while I made a sort of exception for shoes, really don't count cos they're not especially practical. I mean I can count the sensible black work shoes as essential, but not the purple suede with heels...

So that's sort of 12, or 13, or 14 things, ish. And that's not counting the hair things from charity shops which are actually 'new stock' Not an unqualified success, but certainly an improvement on the previous year. I'm obviously not going to make it to the end of the year without buying anything else, but I will try to keep track of what I buy till then, just to see how far out I am...

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The Compact: half way report

2011-06-14T20:11:49Z

So back in January I made a resolution not to buy any new things, or rather to only buy food, personal care and cleaning stuff, hair dye and a few other things. My plan was to buy only 11 new things, including a shiny smart phone.

Half way there, and I have bought:

Things which definitely count towards the 11

1. My shiny, shiny HTC Incredible S (which counts as a purchase even though it's on contract) - I am counting the silicon skin as part of the phone
2. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert - the only book I've bought new and very well worth it
3. A spork - which I bought in a fit of completely forgetting my resolution, but hey - SPORK!
4. Nail varnish

Things which might count, depending how weasly I'm being

1. A hair band - I'm trying to remember if it came from a real shop or a charity shop - it was a new item, even if it was in the charity shop
2. A pair of big bowls that I already had vouchers for
3. Some free stuff I picked p on stalls at Pride, and a free Unison stress penguin (essential)

New things that don't count:
1. Cheap headphones to replace two broken sets
2. Plants for mum's birthday - I don't think living plants count, really
3. Underwear, including some bras
4. Hairdye
5. Stuff that was primarily for the stall at Pride and belongs to BiCon

Second hand things which definitely don't count
Many clothes, in charity shops
Decorative objects ditto
Shoes and Sandals, both of which I found 2nd hand instead of new even though I was allowing for the possibility of new ones
Many many books
A back pack from Freegle
Wine glasses - 20p each from The Meadows Fair

So I'm mostly very pleased with myself, but shocked how many of the things are small and kind of pointless, especially if you counts the free tat.

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Some stuff I bought in 2010

2010-12-31T18:58:32Z

People who know me know that I really really like making lists, so just to show why I want to do the compact, and for my own records, here is an almost certainly incomplete list of stuff I bought new in 2010( Big list )

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Eleven Things for 2011

2010-12-31T16:13:40Z

This is new for me as I don't usually do resolutions, but my resolution for the New Year is to not buy any New Things in 2011 in the manner of The Compact. This is about changing my picture of the world so I'm not a 'consumer' all the time, so that many days go by without spending money and so I have less impact on the planet - plus it should save me money and make me happier by helping me break away from the idea of retail therapy. I don't know how it's going to go, but to break it down the rules I've set myself are:

I am allowed to buy:

Food and alcohol
Medicine
Things for cleaning myself and other stuff - by which I mean cleaning fluids, dish sponges, soap, shampoo, mop heads etc
Repairs to essential things such as the flat, heat, light, water and cooking equipment. This can include replacements if other options have been exhausted. This includes my shower; I am trying to get it mended rather than replaced, but if I need a new one I will get it. If a kettle or toaster or microwave breaks I'll get another, though I will look for a used one first. New lightbulbs are allowed :-)
Underwear
Shoes if I have run out of useable shoes and can't find any second hand, cos my feet are fussy and it's a health need
Glasses (should I need them, but I just got some, so probably not. I may buy some contact lenses for special occasions, but probably not)

I am not allowed to buy new:

Books, magazines, CDs or DVDs
Computers, cameras, iPod-like devices or non essential household appliances (and I have all the essential ones, so any replacements are covered above)
Clothes other than underwear
Makeup (seriously, I am not going to run out in a year)
Moisturiser etc until I actually run out, which I wouldn't be surprised if it was a whole year
Yarn. This might be hard, but I have enough in stock for umpty hats gloves and scarfs, and two more sweaters, and you can buy second hand, so I'm going to try.

Exemptions I have decided on (other people doing this have different exemptions)

A phone to replace my phone when my contract runs out in June. I will pass on my old phone to someone, which makes me feel a bit better about this (and if anyone happens to have a spare android or iPhone they want to pass on, that would be cool too)
Hair dye - it may be a cop out but I consider it essential to my mental health
Bubble bath - I'm chosing to count it as a cleaning product, so there
And, to tie this into the title of the post - eleven things (well ten, cos the phone would be one of them).

I don't know what the eleven things will be yet. They might include a set of extendible knitting needles, a wee plant-pot table for my globe, a table for the sewing machine I'm getting, a copy of the new Jill Patton Walsh Dorothy Sayers book (but then I might hate it), a gift for my mum cos it's that or knit her one, or a pear tree to put the partidges in.

But for each of those I'm going to try to think of an alternative first.

Can you think of any exemptions you'd need? Or stuff I've missed out?

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