the rules

several humans have asked me, BUT WHAT OF FOOD? WILL YOU STARVE? WHAT IF YOU DIE? look, we're all going to die at some point. but 2011's not how i'm gonna go. it's simply not my time. jealous?

to resolutely resolve any other unresolved issues regarding my resolution, i present to you, the rules of my year!

in general, there are two guiding principles:

1) if i can throw it into a garbage bin or blue bin, i can't buy it. the idea is to keep things out of landfills. however, purchasing experiences or intangible things is fine. so, i can buy a song on iTunes, but buying a physical DVD of "yianni, live at the acropolis!" is out.

2) if i absolutely have to buy a physical object (for example, say my winter jacket was ripped off my body in mid-january by an absolutely massive half-human, half-tarantula), i have to acquire it second-hand. so that means either inheriting it from a friend or family member, trading it for something else, getting it off craigslist, or picking it up in a thrift store.

STUFF I CAN BUY NEW
food; drinks; transportation (i.e. TTC tokens); medication and vitamins; pet supplies for scout (food, litter); essential toiletries BUT only after i've completely run out - no buying new shampoo or moisturizer just for the balls of it; organic things that are completely biodegradable (for example, the other day i bought some fleurs for my mum); experiences and services, such as a massage, a movie ticket, a class or workshop, or a trip; underwear and socks, because let's be adult about this.

STUFF I CAN'T BUY NEW
clothes; shoes; bags; books; DVDs; CDs; vinyl records; furniture; appliances; electronics; weird little houseware thingies; outdoor/sporting gear; bike parts/gear; umbrellas; exercise gear such as a yoga mat; home decor; stationery; presents for other people; physical objects.

THINGS I'M STILL UNSURE ABOUT
i'm moving into a loft in march. so as not to burden my lovely manfriend with all the purchases we will need to make, i might come up with a short window where it's OK to buy a few things - only if we really need them for the new place and we're unable to get them second-hand.

when it comes to food, i already try to eat in a sustainable way; i'm vegetarian and i buy local and organic where possible. but again, this is about reducing my consumption of physical, concrete "stuff." eating totally local for a year would be another great experiment to try another year. but on this adventure, it's about growing thoughtful with things.