BUY NOTHING UNTIL JAN 1ST!

[heydude]

BUY NOTHING DAY AND MONTH ARE UPON US!

THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR, WHERE EVERY TRICK IN THE BOOK IS PLAYED, PLAYED ON US.

And it works! I hardly ever buy anything and last year, around this time, seeing ad after ad, glitz after glitz, sale after sale, I so wanted to buy and buy and buy!

It is so hard this time of year!

Winter sets in, and the stores just crank up the heat on us!!!!

I managed to buy nothing last year....putting everything off until Jan 1st.

But guess what? Once Jan 1st HIT, I didn't want anything that I had been putting on my lists or had seen or had the urge to buy. NOTHING!

Jan 1st, you come out of the tunnel and see that it was all just a big dream. hehe.

SO, WILL YOU BUY NOTHING until Jan 1st, 2012 ?????????

[Spartana]

I won't buy anything other than food. Sis is the only person I buy Christmas presents for and we decided not to exchange gifts this year and do something instead (i.e. ski probably). I won't even enter a store if I can help it. Use to love to go window shopping around Christmas time to see the decorations but now with them being put up in Aug (FREAKING AUG!!!!) I am burnt out on all the materialism by end of Nov. Bah Humbug :-)! Want a nice quiet holiday outdoors in the snow. Oh and a hot rum toddy or two!

[bae]

SO, WILL YOU BUY NOTHING until Jan 1st, 2012 ?????????

Well, we'd run out of toilet paper and milk before then, I suspect, unless we are willing to dip into The Zombie Supplies.

[Spartana]

Well, we'd run out of toilet paper and milk before then, I suspect, unless we are willing to dip into The Zombie Supplies.

That's nice of you to keep extra TP on hand for any maurading Zombie hoardes. Those fellows have bad integestion from what I hear - must be something they eat :-)!

[JaneV2.0]

I don't plan on venturing out on Black Friday--too many people! Otherwise, it's holiday business as usual. I'm doing a bit of shopping on eBay and Etsy, helping small business owners make some money. Works for me.

[Zoebird]

There isn't black friday, here, so I'm good. And christmas shopping is done. Gotta love serendipity. :D

And we will be on holiday from 23 Dec to 2 Jan, which means we will be buying food and accommodation and fares into various sites (tours and the like). But so far, for 5 people (kid included), we've only spend $1,100 on accommodation and the tours that we want to see. We'll spend about $400 in food (likely), and probably $250 in gas.

I also have to get my warrant of fitness for my car, which will happen in early december, and of course, normal living stuff.

So, yeah. I don't plan on buying any objects during that time, though. :) Not random objects anyway.

[flowerseverywhere]

We rarely buy anything but food and basics like TP or an occasional pair of shoes. I can go years without going to a mall so this will be easy for me.

I actually stopped in a store today and spent $12 on a toy for a grandchild then was angry at myself for being so frivolous. Stupid I know but I rarely do that.

I'm in except for food, and if we need a new tube of toothpaste or something.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well first let me run out and buy a WHOLE BUNCH OF FOOD!!! :) Must also stock up on shampoo and the like and yea TP. Honestly though, I like fresh food, I'd really rather not eat canned and dried and frozen foods from now until Jan 1st if I have a choice (and this not being the end of the world yet, I do). Plus how will I ever store the gas I need to get to work until then? Containers in my apartment? No .... that can't be good ... :laff:

The truth is I don't do holiday shopping really. As for doing an even higher level of deprivation for the month and resisting all urges to buy an item of clothing, or a used book, or some kitchen find at the thrift shop or something. I don't know. I don't really enjoy this time of year anyway (bad memories and so on), I tend to deal with that by just carrying on as normal as if it were not "this time of year". If invited somewhere I will go, but other than that.

[heydude]

*when i say buy nothing, i mean don't buy anything that is holiday driven (it seems the shops are playing every trick to get you to buy) (and they are not advertising toilet paper or slashing toilet paper prices for black friday. i mean, stuff generated by all the hype, don't buy that!

[gimmethesimplelife]

Gotta admit I flubbed up just yesterday. I went to a secret shop on the far far far west side of Phoenix, so far out there that I actually saw agriculture (!!!!) - a field of cotton I'm pretty sure it was - but I digress. So I was out there to do a secret shop and walked into Dillards for the first time in many years and they had a pretty good clearance going on and I walked out with $22 of things I don't need but are nice and could be passed along as gifts.....I'm very much in the mood to limit my exposure to shopping this season to this right here! Rob

[ApatheticNoMore]

I had the impulse to give someone an activity style gift, just because I know that they can't do some of the things they love to do due to the recession. And for me, money comes and money goes, but I have some in the bank :). Jobs come and jobs go, but I'm collecting a paycheck now :). So I can give. But then I realized it would probably become some compulsory yearly gift exchange and ..... I don''t know, I don't want to go there.

[Marianne]

I'm in! It will be really easy for me. I'm at that age where I don't buy anything unless I truly need it. We don't exchange Christmas gifts, but we do get something for our one grandchild. And he's at the age where he'd rather have $$, so he gets a check. :o)

[Gardenarian]

I really love Yule/Christmas, making things, baking, concerts and shows, parties, and giving and receiving gifts - the whole deal - except the commercialism.

I will honor Buy Nothing Day, I've been doing that for years - and who on earth would want something so bad that they would shop on that day??
I always avoid the malls, but I will enjoy going to crafts fairs and used book stores and the thrift stores (and online stores as well) to do some holiday shopping during the month of December.

I have a 12 year old who is less materialistic than most (I think) but she stills likes to have something under the tree. Our standby gifts are clothes, toiletries, books, art supplies, tools, camping/wilderness/athletic/dance gear, music stuff (guitar/voice/piano gear.) So, necessary stuff, or stuff that will aid her in activities, not stuff that is just - stuff. I do try to find things that have little packaging, are used, are made locally (or at least in the U.S. - not always possible.)

If I were to start over with dd, I would limit the gift giving at Xmas and birthdays a lot more. It seemed so fun when she was little to have her opening all the gifts from her many, many aunts, uncles, grandparents, but it set up certain expectations. 20/20 hindsight!