Buy Nothing Challenge
I would like to reduce my ecological impact and disassociate from the consumerist mindset. I don't like the direction the US government is taking and I would like to decouple from the US economy.
My challenge is to buy nothing* for one month, and at the end of the month, see if I can continue for another month.
*I will continue to purchase items that I consider necessities.
Necessities that I will buy as required:
YES: Food
YES: Health and medication
YES: Daily necessities (toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.)
YES: Bills (phone, rent, insurance, taxes)
YES: Repairs (home, bicycle, vehicle)
YES: Gas/Transportation (walk or bike when you can)
YES: Receiving gifts, trades where no money is exchanged
YES: Camping, hiking, bicycle travel
YES: Giving charity
Items I will avoid purchasing during the challenge:
NO: Fast food, coffee shops, restaurants
NO: Entertainment devices, books, subscriptions
NO: New clothes or impulse purchases
NO: Hair services
NO: Amazon orders, streaming services
NO: Vehicles
NO: Acquisition of things for new hobbies
NO: Use of credit (credit cards or loans)
NO: Hotels, vehicle based travel
NO: Google, Meta, Reddit, X products
Please don't. I get most of my stuff second hand, it's fun and easy. Haven't bought anything from Amazon for years.
For example, the coffee I get is cheaper from Amazon. Replacement filters are cheaper and more available on Amazon. My last order was cleaner spray (like windex but not name brand). Can’t really do second hand although I’ve been tempting to try diluted vinegar or ammonia for general cleaning. Looking at my order history, my last five orders were consumables, and before that was a bunch of Christmas gifts
While I don’t like adding to the excessive wealth of Bezos, and use brand online stores when possible, Amazon is generally cheaper and more available. There’s only so far out of the way I’ll go.
Well, what am I supposed to reply now? That there is no cheap coffee? That it's just you forcing other people to pay for the real costs, by exploiting their labor and further damaging our collapsing ecosystems? You already know this. We all know it since primary school, yet people will downvote me and argue themselves out of any personal responsibilities. Because they love to order cheap stuff.