Uneventful busy-ness

Too busy to do much reducing this week. As for consuming, yesterday, I went to tesco's and spent £50 on food shopping (£30 of that was on wine though, does that count as a foodstuff? It does in my book). More health food spending today: to make my own mueslis (£11). Food is featuring prominently. I never realised how much my life revolves around it - which is probably a bit dim.

Feeling more positive

Managed to have a reasonably frugal weekend. Spent less than a tenner on drinks at a wedding reception on Saturday. Think it helped that all those on our table were also new parents who couldn't face the idea of a hangover on Sunday morning! On Sunday and Monday we visited two great grandmas, two grandmas and two granddads which meant we were too busy to do any shopping. The only exposure to consumerism was at the petrol station where we spent the cost of a tank of petrol (£50), a weekend newspaper (£2) and a supermarket brand bottle of flavoured water (30p!)

Overcrowded House

I HAVE SO MUCH STUFF!

I'm not sure where to start so I'm going to start here: at my desk. I'll categorize the items if possible. I'm trying to reduce what I have so ebay and Freecycle may feature prominently. Unless of course, I can't bring myself to throw stuff out because "you never know when you might need it" (if the best predictor of behaviour is behaviour, then this is what will happen.....)

Desk:

• Paper shredder (keep- business)
• Printer/copier/scanner (keep- business)
• Shiny new computer *she smiles* (keep- business)
• External hard drive - need to get OH to set this up for me. Atm it is an uncommected useless box (keep- business) Reason I had to buy new computer was previous one died taking most of my info on it cos I didn't have the discipline to back up regularly.
• Storage carousel for stationary (keep- business)
• Row of files (keep- business)
• Disposable camera (Freecycle box)
• Box of jewellery, none of which I've worn for years, though all were quite expensive.... I'm struggling now. If I don't wear it in the next month, how can I justify keeping it? It's mostly silver though and needs cleaning....
• In/Out tray (needs filing....) (keep- business)

I've hit my first hurdle: the box of jewellery. I love jewellery, I lust after it in shops, but I rarely wear it, even though I've bought it frequently in the past. I'm a recovering jewellery addict in the sense that I now don't buy, I stroke or just window shop, but I don't know what to do with the stuff I have bought and now don't use. I definately won't wear rings, I find them restricting and I take them off to wash my hands and lose them. Earrings and necklaces are another matter, I have a grabber of a son. But other mother wear necklaces (I know this as I lust after them often enough). The grabbing's not going to be forever, so I reason I should keep them. I'm going to a wedding reception tonight. A good chance to change my behaviour and actually wear my jewellery rather than buy and store it! (Wonder if I have some silver cleaner in a cupboard somewhere?)

Jewellery box inventory

• Square silver bangle (estimated cost £20) very stained, currently unwearable because of this
• Large silver loop earrings missing a butterfly, unwearable because of this (estimated cost £20) slightly stained
• Various belly button wear (haven't worn since a few months pregnant). When am I likely to get my belly out in near future?
• Delicate silver necklace (estimated cost £20) slightly stained. This is lovely but needs a clean...
• Purple elastic bracelet with small plastic butterfly. This is kids jewellery and disposable - but I'm having problems disposing of it. I've put it on and taken it off, wondered if my friend's little girl might want it and ... it's now in the bin..!
• Necklace with large silver cube on gold silk rope (estimated cost £50) slightly stained. Also lovely but requiring a clean...
• Solid silver "Infinity" necklace handmade by "Master Jeweller" Paul Hatton http://www.harddiamond.com/ (estimated cost £200) bought by my ex-husband. The irony. Just tried it on. It is gorgeous, but needs a clean...
• Silver and ceramic pendant necklace and matching ring (estimated cost £50)
• Silver and sapphire pendant necklace and one matching earring (estimated cost £30)
• 5 x siler earrings (estimated cost of each up to £10) all need a clean
• 24 ct gold earrings (estimated cost £100)
• 5 x silver rings which I will never wear. One is my old wedding ring (think it's white gold). All but this, I think I can sell on ebay. They'll have a value to someone, just not me.
• "Evil eye" earrings (estimated cost £1)(in bin!)
• Various odd earrings (in bin - I will never find the other!)

I need to clean the stuff I've retained and wear it!

Shameful Lapse

I'm feeling as red faced as the bag I just bought. I went to Costco yesterday (the start of my downfall, I shoud have stayed well away from temptation) and joked with my partner as I went off to "stroke" the bag, only to discover it had been reduced in price to £17. Now, despite all my rationalizing that I do not need another bag, I suddenly found a great array of reasons why I do need one after all. A sample of some of the justifications were: it'll help me organize my son's feeding with all its little compartments, so I'll save money; how can I not, now it's half price? I deserve a treat for not buying anything for the last two weeks; They're clearly gong to stop stocking this line as it's been reduced - and it's the last red one. I was hoping my OH would help steel my resolve but even he suggested that you can't take it with you when you go. I'm feeling ashamed and weak, guilty in fact, but at the time of buying it, I'm sure if someone had checked my heart rate and BP, they would have been raised. In fact I felt quite light headed, euphoric as I batted the "should I shouldn't I?" debates round and round.

I'm pounding along on the hedonic treadmill. How long before this bag loses its shine?

The Prochaska and Diclemente model of behaviour change suggests that lapse is only one stage of the cycle of change (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance being the others). It would seem that my preparation for this life style change was inadequate so maybe I need to have a rethink, perhaps set some ground rules for myself?

Other than this huge faux pas on a blog entitled The Abstemious Life, I only purchased grocery items from Costco. Nevertheless, I managed to spend £103. I justify again that it's all in bulk so should last me longer...

My further spending yesterday was £6 at the healthfood store, all food stuffs.

Today was a little better: no bags! £11 at Holland and Barrett (food again) and £1.12 on my son's first toothbrush. This too may be a consumer waste as my partner told me after the event that the dentist advised him there's no need to clean a baby's teeth unless you are giving him sweets or sweet drinks. Is baby dental hygiene just another clever ploy of the marketing people to get us to spend our hard earned cash? Plus, I don't have time to clean the baby's teeth. All the other stuff is time consuming enough!

A lovely day out in the city centre meant I spent £24 on various lunches, drinks etc and £8 on stationary for my business.

So, on day 3 it would seem that I can't survive without: bags (need to do some reflecting on that one), health food items, bulk buys of groceries, baby toothbrushes (the jury's out) and stationary for my business. Oh, and lunches...

Don't Buy it, Stroke it

For weeks now, I've been going into Costco and lusting after a shiny new changing bag. It's a vibrant red (matches the pushchair) with stripey trim, has allsorts of fancy gizmos and gadgets: an insulated bottle bag, an integrated nappy mat, lots of little places to store my bub's food cartons, a dummy holder, a mobile phone pouch.... It's £35 and gorgeous!!! I would ordinarily have snuck it in my shopping trolley but each week something stopped me.

I have at least five usable changing bags, all of which were shiney and new once. Why are these now less attractive and do I really need another? I left it "'til next week", satisfying myself with the 'fix' of turning it over in my hands and examining it again. Ten or so weeks later, my girlfriends may be a bit sick of me going on about this bag, but it's still in the shop and I've been happy with just stroking.

This got me thinking: how many times have I bought something that I already have one (or more) of? And how often do I buy stuff that I don't really need?

What are my real needs in a modern world? I don't want to be too punitive. I know I can survive without a new perfume, say, but would life without my electric toothbrush really be that awful? (At the moment, I would say yes!)

Anyway, I can't answer these questions because I don't know what I've got. I'm a terrible hoarder and I tend to pack things away rather than throw them out. I have so much stuff in various drawers, boxes, wardrobes, the cellar. I literally have no idea what I have. So, I've decided to investigate the content of my own house. I think I might even try to inventory my belongings. Then see how little I can buy because I already have a similar product or because I can use something more sparingly so it lasts longer or because I can simpy survive without.

I've been preparing myself for this change (I've been thinking about it for a few weeks, announced it to my friends - told them I'm going to try to not buy anything new for a year - to motivate me in my resolve) and I think this is the move from contemplation to action.

Today I've bought a packet of buckwheat pasta and a new deodorant (eco-friendly). I don't want to smell as I go into my new abstemious life!