Can I "not buy anything new for a year?"

[Thurston Garden]

I am seriously toying with trying. I figure that there may need to be a few exceptions:

Food (although we produce a fair amount of our own already)
Medical supplies
Heating oil
Land Rover fuel and parts (I do have a good friend who has a Land Rover Parts Emporium consisting of a significant number of second hand parts)
Animal feed
Underwear.

Is there anything that you would struggle not to buy new?

Anyone want to join me?

OH aint too keen though

[Shirley]

Andy & Dave's new book

[Thurston Garden]

library

[Annpan]

disposable nappies - even if I was using re-usables, I'd still need to buy liners.

What about cleaning products... vinegar, bicarb, borax and EOs with the odd ecover refill... I couldn't live without being able to clean... I'd go barmy.

[snapdragon]

Could very likely get by without buying any clothes (in fact I'm still wearing stuff I bought over twenty years ago) or any new household hardware, as replacements for breakages can often be got from charity shops or freecycle.(electricals might be more difficult)

It's the consumables that would be a problem - food, fuel and cleaning stuff included as Annpan says (although with regard to nappies I never did rely on disposables or indeed buy liners very often), but also birthday and christmas gifts for the friends and family we generally buy for. It may be difficult to make, or buy second hand appropriate gifts for everyone (unless they're 'in' on it)

otherwise no, I doubt if I'd have a problem not buying new stuff. I was brought up by a make-do-and-mend trained mother which helps immensely, and have been through some pretty 'tight' periods where buying new would mean no cash for food.

[ina]

TG, there's somebody on the Ecologist who's been doing just that for the past year - have you been reading that?

[Wombat]

A lady and her partner did it in Brisbane for 6 months and wrote a book about it..................titled "Living the Good Life" oddly enough It is a good book though!

Nev

[Thurston Garden]

Yep, some form of cleaning products might be in order!

Ina - I had not been reading the Ecologist lady - do you have a link? It's something I have been considering for a while fueled further by overhearing a conversation on the train between two commuters from one of the new housing schemes in Dunbar which is, it would appear, very close to the new AS?A:

Lady 1: Have you been to the new AD?A yet?
Lady 2 (proudly and enthusiastically) Yes! We are in there every day! Of course he always buys more than we need..... but I bought a pair of shoes for £6. £6! Can you believe that? Even if I only wear them once......

It took OH all his time not to launch into her!

[red]

certainly would be an experience.

shoes could be an issue - I keep mine until they wear out, my last pair split at the seams, but if they do go, new is better than secondhand for your feet.
you could manage gifts, so long as you planned ahead enough to make them.

[Thurston Garden]

I buy army surplus para boots which last for ages. I am likely to need "new" shoes and have been eyeing up these for some time

[farmerdrea]

We rarely buy anything new (I'm talking about goods, not food), except socks, undies and gumboots. We first try to find it on the online auction, and then try the local recycling place and the op-shops. We usually find what we need. This is something that has just sort of evolved in my life, from childhood, because on teachers' salaries, with 4 young children, my parents did the same. My husband says he wishes he just go out and buy new trousers, but at $80-100 for a pair new, it makes me cringe when he can get something just as serviceable for under $10 at an op-shop. So I don't let him go out and buy NEW trousers.

Cheers
Andrea
NZ

[Thomzo]

Hmmm - i'm not sure I'd want to use second hand toiletries, soap, shampoo etc. Even if you're into making your own, you'd still need to buy the ingrediants.

Zoe

[Chickenlady]

TG, there's somebody on the Ecologist who's been doing just that for the past year - have you been reading that?

I've been following that, too, Ina. It's that actor who played Kryton in Red Dwarf. ( I think he does Scrapheap Challenge now - Robert Lewellyn).

I could do it, no problems. Food is allowed and heating supplies, vehicles fuel, toiletries, etc. It is just 'things' you can't buy new, like clothes, books, and any other item that is not considered an essential (well, clothes are, obviously, but you only need so many).

[farmerdrea]

Oops... sorry, I kind of forget we tend to class toiletries (though we don't use shampoos or conditioners) like toothpaste, soap, dish and clothes washing soaps as groceries, so lumped with food expenditures.

Andrea
NZ

[getting there]

I'm gonna do my best to be a thoughtful consumer.

Local and/or organic foods with as little food miles as possible. Fairly traded chocolate, tea, coffee, spices. Before buying anything asking myself "can I live without it?" Only buying what we can and will eat in a week.

My cleaning and sanitary products are mostly foodstuff and soap. Dish liquid and laundry powder I'm playing with learning how much/little I really need.

I've written down a list of things to buy in 2008: NZ made Rain coats and pants for me and dd as well as umbrellas and gumboots. These are because we don't own a car down here in wet windy New Zealand. The other thing on the list is a NZ wool duvet for each of us so we don't use the heater and fire as much as previous years.

I've informed family that they're only getting tearfund gifts from me from now on.

Loralei's clothes have always been second hand.