As of tomorrow, September 1st, I am planning to decrease my consumerism in two ways.
(1) I'll limit my monthy family food budget to $600.
(2) I will only buy second-hand products for all but a few things (or make my own) -- girls' shoes, underwear, socks, and ballet tights are the only things I'll exempt.
My food budget has hovered around $900/month for the past few years -- this includes coffee and eating out. $600/ month may seem like a lot but it comes down to $5/day per family member. So, one latte and I've only got $2 left to feed myself for the day.
As for second hand goods, I have access to Goodwill, Salvation Army and two consignment shops in the area. I am amazed what people give away. Last week, I got a coffee pot for $5 at Goodwill. I got a rice steamer there earlier in the summer for a few dollars after mine died an untimely death. It was a new one, but one handle was broken. Much of my clothing already comes from these stores, but I do occasionally splurge on new clothes or shoes. It helps to wear a smaller size at Goodwill. My theory is that people buy new clothes when they lose weight then give them away when they gain weight. My 10-year-old likes shopping Goodwill because she has artistic taste in clothes and she doesn't need to look like an Old Navy/Gap cookie cutter kid. (Although, she wouldn't say no to Old Navy either.)
I plan to continue my experiment through 2010. I am most concerned about the food budget but I've learned that making things at home is much cheaper than anything processed. For example, a loaf of the plainest organic whole wheat bread at our co-op is $3.99 but I can make the same loaf for 50 cents. I'm sure we won't starve. I can make yogurt from milk and cheese from yogurt relatively cheaply. Organic milk has gotten so expensive though that I'm not sure I can afford that.
Tomorrow we'll begin.
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