Day 3 of 365

Wait. This isn't a leap year is it? No it couldn't be. It's not even an even numbered year!

So far things have been going swimmingly. But alas, Jan. 1 was a holiday and today is the official stat for that holiday. It's not like I’ve had much temptation at this point. I thought I should clarify a little about what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. Let me start with the cool kids. They told me I’d be waaay cooler if I didn’t buy anything for a year. I was like really? Awesome! And here we are. No wait that’s not how it happened. I actually don’t think I know anyone who’s doing or done what I’m attempting. That’s not to say there aren’t thousands of others doing it. In fact, when I mentioned to my mom that I was thinking about it a few weeks ago she said “Oh, fun! Just like that woman and her family that were just in the paper. Except you’ll be doing it from the point of a young woman trying to stay fashionable whereas, she was doing it as a mom trying to provide for a family of four!” Ya, mom. Exactly, like that. I can try and stay fashionable while she managed to do it while raising a family! Those are totally of equal difficulty…

Well, despite the demotivation of the super-mom who did the secondhand thing for all of 2009 story, I decided to go for it. (Anyways, the mom must be kind of a bitch because she totally pressured the dad and kids into right? Right?? Exactly! There’s no way 8 years old are cool with their mom saying “No new Justin Bieber tees for you this year! It’s Hannah Montana track suits all around!” Kids “Okay, mom, but can we borrow your big purse, some sunglasses, and have you drop us off at the mall to umm… play? Pick us up at 2.”)

I seem to have gotten off track. Back to the reasons for pursuing the secondhand thing. One of the main reasons is I just like to have something to do. It seems like a challenge and should provide me with lots of fun of finding what I need in thrift store and eBay shopping adventures. Hoorah!! A second reason is to me it seems kind of silly that we view shopping as a hobby. It’s like “what do you like to do in your spare time?” “Oh you know read, watch movies, SPEND MY MONEY ON USELESS CRAP I’LL THROW OUT IN 6 MONTHS, the usual.” That seems weird to me. And yet I must say I’ve fallen in and out of the whole shopping hobby numerous times. You find yourself at home on a Saturday afternoon and think, hey, I could just hit up the mall for a bit? It’s a time waster, a way to be immersed in society, and a great way to blow your hard-earned dollars. So for one year I’m not going to partake. The last motivating reason for my choice is one based on a real peeve / moral standpoint, call it what you will. But I HATE when things are wasted. It can be anything really; time, items, lives. It doesn’t much matter what it is. If it has not been put to good use I tend to get pissed off. And it seems everywhere I look people are throwing out good stuff just to buy newer stuff. I’m totally cool if they give it away. Which a lot of people do. But there’s still so many out there that just toss their perfectly good pair of last season’s Bvlgari sunglasses into the trash to make room for this years. I could have those! Okay so that’s a little bit of an exaggerated example but I’m sure you understand. Yes, you only paid $30 for that lamp and dropping it at the thrift store is a bigger pain in the ass than dropping it in your trash can. But give the poor little guy a chance at a new home! He’s just a lamp! Hmmm… perhaps that’s a fourth reason. I totally tend to personify everything. I feel bad for that lamp in the garbage :(.

But I think that’s enough of a rant for today. In summation, I’m doing this because it’s a challenge, shopping shouldn’t be a hobby for anyone but Paris Hilton, and waste pisses me off. I get that buying is good for the economy, but that doesn’t mean we have to be wasteful slobs to do it. I’m not trying to change the world. I just want to know that I’m living my life in a way that I’m comfortable with.