For the past eighteen days, my family and I have been preparing for a social experiment. Can we go 100 days as non-consumers? Can we buy only those things we really, truly need? (And what are those things, exactly?)
The idea first came to me when, during a particularly consumeristic week, our garbage can was overflowing with bags, boxes, packing peanuts and other flotsam and jetsam related to the Art of Buying. "We need a bigger trash can," my husband said.
As I crammed yet another shirt into a closet that was clearly ready to burst, I thought, "Bigger trash can? We need a bigger house."
And then I stopped myself, and realized how crazy our lives had become. I could no longer fit all my kids' clothes into their drawers. My home office was piled to the ceiling with excess stuff. Our basement, our attic, our garage, our garden shed? No room at the inn.
We don't live in a mansion, by any means. But we've got plenty of house for a family of four (and one spoiled dog). Lately, though, it's been feeling more like storage space than living space.
All of us, even our five-year-old, have our weaknesses. Webkinz, tech gadgets, games, books and clothes. We love our stuff. But do we really need it?
This isn't (completely) about lessening our impact on the environment, or saving money, or making a point, although I suspect we'll do all those things over the course of those 100 days. What it's mostly about is rethinking what's important. Finding out why we feel the need to keep up with the Joneses.
Starting June 1st, I'm hoping we find out.
No comments:
Post a Comment