We’ve been getting word from various sources around the web of people with a common goal: trying to purchase nothing but absolute necessities for one month. Not only would it help you save money, but it could really teach you a lesson in how much unneeded junk you purchase without really even thinking about it.
Necessities are basically the things you can’t get by without – rent, utilities, credit card payments, student loan payments, basic groceries, medicine and basic toiletries (i.e., no gourmet goods or cosmetics). It’s basically a month without unnecessary shopping – no DVDs, electronics, knick knacks, home décor, Starbucks, and all those other little things that we tend to drop money on every now and then. Depending on income, participants have reported saving as much as $600 in a single month, which would add up to an awful lot of money over a year’s time if you wanted to stretch it that far.
I had my own little experiment with a ‘buy nothing month’ earlier this year, albeit unintentionally, during a dry month while in the midst of changing jobs. One thing I can tell you is, once you realize how easy it is to get by without all of those little purchases, it’s really easy to keep it going. Afterward, I was far more conscious about thinking before I buy – as in, “Do I really need this?”
MSN Money reports that in their own investigation of the ‘buy nothing month’ experiment, some people reported feeling deprived:
Concerns about feeling deprived were pretty common, at least in the early days. Many participants confessed they often spent money to ward off boredom or to lift a bad mood, or to socialize with friends, and wondered how they’d cope without that outlet.
A New York woman, Vanessa, dropped out early in the experiment because continuing, she wrote, would have meant being too lonely. New Yorkers socialize by going out to eat and drink, rarely entertaining in their shoe-box apartments.
In truth, there are so many free things to do out there. Go for a stroll. Read a book in the park. Get up close and personal with your community.
Buying stuff isn’t bad – but losing that zombie-like tendency to unthinkingly put things we don’t need would certainly be worth a month of participating in the experiment. It really lifts you out of that consumer mentality of buy, buy, buy – which would be a good thing for all of us. Try it for yourself this month!
Link [MSN Money]
Photo credit: Flickr user sylvar
