For the entirety of 2010, I am not going to buy any non-essential items.
I’ve got a couple of reasons for trying this:
- No Space! I live in a 400 SQ ft apartment. Space is at a premium. Keeping down on the amount of physical objects in my apartment is going to be tough.
- Testing the quality of what I own. There are a lot of objects that I rely on everyday, from my cell phone to my coat, and I want to see what they look like after a year of use instead of replacing them when they show some signs of usage.
- The challenge of it. I’m interested to see what social pressures I run up against from my friends in the coming year. Already, when I have mentioned this idea to some people, they look at me as if I told them I’m going to spend the summer on Mars.
About me
I’m 30 and I’ve lived in Brooklyn, New York since 2002. I’m married to a wonderful lady, although she is not taking part in this experiment with me. We have a pet rabbit named Betty. I have a full time job at a large, well established company working in Account Management. Our combined salaries put us above the median income in New York state for 2009..
My Stuff
So I have cheated a little bit here… I’m a giant technophile, and I actually just got a new computer and cell phone, so those will probably see me through 2010 quite well. I’m also an avid cyclist, and although there are a few items that I would like to add to my biking needs, I will have to make do with the two bikes that I have already.
The Rules
- I can’t buy anything non-essential to living, and I need to get by on what I already have.
- If something I own breaks, I have to get it repaired or learn to live without it.
- I can spend money on repairing something. If one part of an object needs replacing, I can buy that part. I cannot replace an entire object.
- I can attend any events that I want. This includes movies and travel.
- I can accept gifts as long as I have not asked someone to buy it on my behalf. I can give gifts to people.
- I can pick up free things on the street.
- If it is a requirement of my work that I purchase something, I can go ahead and do so.
- I can’t buy any media, even if it is a completely digital download. I can watch any ad-supported media online.
- I can spend money on taking classes. If that class requires materials, I can purchase those as well.
- I can rent things. This includes online movie rentals.
