Not Buying It

I am reading a fascinating new book right now. I’ll get back to my list of 28 books to read this year after this one, but I’m down to only a couple left on my list and I have until Sept. 23, so I’m in good shape to finish :) The other day I caught a woman on Oprah whose story peaked my interest. She and her boyfriend of 14 years decided to go 1 full year without spending money on anything besides the most essential things. No new clothes, no music, no paying for movies, no eating out, no Starbucks, no traveling, no books, no concerts etc. She was a journalist already, so of course she documented their year of “Not Buying It” in a book with that title. The amount of money they saved and used to pay off their credit card debt was incredible, but they learned a ton too, about themselves, about what each of them considers a necessity or a luxury, and about our consumeristic culture and how media does everything they can to convince us that we need x, y, or z to be happy. At first it was a challenge for them, and there were things they definitely missed (she loves going to movies, they really missed that!) but she writes that it was amazing what they did discover. They read a lot more, using their local library for books, movies, and for new music to listen to. They actually read some of the unread books on their shelves instead of just buying new ones too. They didn’t go out to eat at all but invited tons of friends over for meals, deepening their relationships and improving their cooking skills. I’m only on the 3rd chapter of the book, so I have a ways to go, and I’m sure I’ll have more thoughts along the way, but for now, I’ll just say I am fascinated, and intrigued enough to take seriously what she’s saying about consumerism in America and why we shop.