Not Buying It and July tally

I’m currently reading (or rather, re-reading) a fantastic book by Judith Levine called “Not Buying It.” The premise is simple: the author and her partner decided to go one year without buying anything. There were provisions, of course. They allowed themselves to buy the necessities, which included groceries and insulin for their diabetic cat. What started out as a simple social experiment turns into a fascinating treatise on consumer culture and the darker side of economics. Obviously I enjoyed it the first time around, if I’m willing to read it again.

I’m not sure if I could go a whole year without recreational shopping, but I’m considering trying this project for a shorter period of time. Since a lot of my problems stem from money, or rather my inability to hold onto my money, it certainly couldn’t hurt. I might be able to actually pay down more on my credit cards – and maybe even save a little. That would be nice, huh?

The bigger question is how long can I last? Given my spending habits, I think a month would be a decent start. If I make it for a month, then I can stretch it out to a longer period of time. It’s going to be hard, though – I love to shop. Obviously, I will be allowed to purchase groceries and pet supplies, as well as gasoline for my car.  What other items count as “essential”?

To keep me accountable, here is my outstanding balance tally after making July payments:

Card 1: $1,334.40

Card 2: $4,292.89

Card 3: $5,054.19

Card 4: $7,878.50

Total: $18,559.98

Difference between last tally:-50.57

A small dent, but still lower than last time. Yay?