I will not buy any stuff in 2020.
When I was thinking about what I wanted for Christmas this year, I had two main items: I wanted a new pair of running shoes because my current ones are nearing the end of their useful life, and I wanted a new watch that looks professional that I could wear to work. After some more thinking, I came up with a book that I wanted as well.
Everything I want, really, is intangible. I want to maintain strong friendships. I want to be successful in my career. I want to maintain and improve my fitness. I want to run my first marathon in February and not get injured. I want to make time for fun. I want to keep my house clean.
More and more, I’m losing interest in accumulating possessions. I want to learn new things and have new experiences but in terms of physical items in my house, I want to have fewer, not more. In thinking about all of this, I landed on the idea: I will not buy any stuff in 2020.
You’re probably thinking, “What about food? Are you going to become a freegan?” I respect the freegan lifestyle, but it isn’t for me right now.
I will still buy:
- Food (groceries, dining out, including lattes)
- Gasoline (for my car and gas money for others who give me rides)
- Electricity/Natural Gas/Water (all utilities will proceed as normal)
- Any medications I may need
- Services – I will pay to get my teeth cleaned, doctor’s appointments, haircuts, get my oil changed, etc.
- Memberships – I will pay for my gym membership
- Experiences – I will buy tickets to concerts, plays, etc.
- Tickets for planes/trains/buses, Uber/Lyft rides
- Necessary consumable household and hygiene items
I will not buy:
- Clothes
- Books
- Household Decor
- Technology
- Random impulse purchases from Target
There is one exception I’m going to make here. I’ve been working on building a patio in my backyard for about six months now (that is a story for another blog post) and I plan to finish that project, which will definitely require me to purchase some items. I will only purchase the items that are necessary for the project, and nothing else.
The thing that makes this project exciting for me is watching how my attitude towards buying things changes over the course of this experience. Will I lose any interest in buying things? Will I start to keep a list of things to buy on January 1, 2021? Will I give up and go on a spending spree in March? Whatever I end up doing, I’ll write about it here.