My name isn't Suzanne, but it'll be awhile before I hear: "You come back and see us, you hear!"
Last year, before I started this blog, while my husband was in BCT (basic combat training) for the Army for 10 weeks, I decided to do something very hard. I gave up Wal*Mart for 10+ weeks, from September until November of 2009. I didn't step foot into a Wally World and the one time I did with my friend Jen, her son overturned the buggy (shopping cart) and got a nasty bruise. We both left without buying anything. My life was stress-free from all the idiots you typically see there and have to deal with while waiting behind them in line.
So here I am again, avoiding Wal*Mart like the black plague. Why again, you may be asking? Well, I recently read a book called "Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping" by Judith Levine. Let me tell you, I'm so glad I checked this book out from the public library instead of purchasing it. I assumed that this was a book similar in structure to Powell's book "Julie & Julia" where she cooked all the recipes out of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. However, this book was not a guide, a story of overcoming shopping or even a how-to for the typical American family living off a combined income of less than $50,000 a year. Yes, I'd love to have two homes, have 3 vehicles, remodel my winter home and give up my caviar while living a simpler lifestyle of "not buying it", like Levine. This book was a sad disappointment for me to read all the way through and I did finish it, somehow hoping it would get better, but it didn't. Ugh. I thought to myself, that this lady has no idea about really having to "do without" or living paycheck to paycheck like most of us in the real world. Now, I admit that my family does live "comfortably" on our annual income. There are times when it's tight and times when I have extra money in my pocket. But, I am aware of necessity over want or need.
So, I decided to venture out on a limb and eliminate shopping at Wal*Mart again. Note: This has nothing to do with the Wal*Mart corporation, I'm still going to Sam's to buy Pull-ups for my son and to get my favorite bottle of wine for special occasions. This is another experiment to curve unnecessary spending.
Last year, during my 10 week sabbatical from the American superstore, I noticed that I bought only what I needed and didn't overstock on toilet paper or anything else that "seemed" like a good buy at the time. I only shopped at my local grocery store or at Target (a 45 minute trip to the closest one in my area, which limited me to shopping there every 2 weeks) for basic items and groceries. It was refreshing and my life felt less chaotic. So, I'm not trying to "not buy anything" for a year, I'm trying to stop depending on Wal*Mart so much. Think about it, you've ran out of soap or a tube of toothpaste, instead of going down the street to the drug store or grocery store, you venture across town to the dreaded supercenter. That $3.50 purchase has just turned into a $54.26 shopping blunder. A 10 pack of tube socks have recently been reduced from $7.50 to $6.95 and you needed to renew your fishing license while you were there after picking up a clearance item for a birthday gift next month, if you remember where you put it and a few other random items. All the while, you forget to get the toothpaste or soap and come home without it.
Last year, during my 10 week sabbatical from the American superstore, I noticed that I bought only what I needed and didn't overstock on toilet paper or anything else that "seemed" like a good buy at the time. I only shopped at my local grocery store or at Target (a 45 minute trip to the closest one in my area, which limited me to shopping there every 2 weeks) for basic items and groceries. It was refreshing and my life felt less chaotic. So, I'm not trying to "not buy anything" for a year, I'm trying to stop depending on Wal*Mart so much. Think about it, you've ran out of soap or a tube of toothpaste, instead of going down the street to the drug store or grocery store, you venture across town to the dreaded supercenter. That $3.50 purchase has just turned into a $54.26 shopping blunder. A 10 pack of tube socks have recently been reduced from $7.50 to $6.95 and you needed to renew your fishing license while you were there after picking up a clearance item for a birthday gift next month, if you remember where you put it and a few other random items. All the while, you forget to get the toothpaste or soap and come home without it.
I know this has happened to me, has it happened to you?
I'm still slowly adjusting to the "less is more" theory of life and try to remember that things only fill up your living space, not your heart. Yes, I can love the orange cotton sheets that I just bought this morning at Target, but like would be a more appropriate word to use. Did I need the orange sheets? Yes and no. I've wanted orange bed sheets since last January when I started redecorating my bedroom and it's nice to have an extra set of sheets clean to put on the bed in case your 3 year old throws up in bed with you. I didn't have to buy them, but I did.
I'm really going to have to cut back my spending in the next few months and this will be the first of many steps. My family will soon be back together again after a long year of being apart (which is a long story of dealing with the "Hurry Up and Wait" challenges within the Army) and we will be doing our first PCS with the Army. It's going to be a challenge, but I'm up for it and part one is doing with out Wal*Mart until the first of the year. Then on January 1, I will be reevaluating my decision and deciding whether or not to forgo shopping there for the entire year of 2011. My only promise during this time, will be to give you (the reader) an alternative outlook on an adventure from the shoes of an average American trying to do the unimaginable.
Today is the end of week 1 of 12 weeks, wish me luck. :D
Yay!! I need to stick with our budget better. No eating out this week...except Friday lunch! Let me know how it goes! I do the same thing...need one item and come out with 20.
ReplyDelete