Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter

30-Day Detox

No, I’m not going to talk about cutting out gluten, or meat, or drinking. I want to talk about a detox from your consumption habit, at least for a month. I just read a great article in which the author urges people to abstain from buying any new clothes this season. What a genius idea! I liked her very realistic, nonjudgmental approach, her suggestions of clothing swaps and second-hand stores, and her suggestion to “gamify” by rewarding yourself for resisting purchases. But I say, why stop at clothes? Let’s take a page out of Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine. Can you go a month without buying anything? We aren’t counting food and shampoo (though some of you definitely should not be buying any shampoo!), just no objects. Not a cute bag, not a clever kitchen tool, not a silver frame, not a notebook with a really nice cover.

In a way, September is hard because we all have the urge to go buy fall clothes, but in truth, a lot of us haven’t really been wearing the clothes we already own. Last fall, I was biking to work and face-timing with clients. I wasn’t wearing blazers or shoes. So maybe when you can open your closet and go through your clothes it will be like running into an old friend on the street. You’ll be so happy to be reunited with them. You don’t need new clothes, and I know you can go 30 days without buying any.

Another big September purchase is school supplies. Before you say, “Well, I can’t possibly avoid buying school supplies” look in the cabinet, look in your child’s desk. Make sure. You probably have way more than you think you do. My kids are getting older, so it isn’t the spree it used to be, but this year, my daughter merely pulled a few used pages out of her notebooks from last year and declared herself ready. So much was online last year, she didn’t really use her notebooks. If she needs pencils, I still have boxes that I dutifully bought in previous years. And your child might really like those fancy notebooks and pencils you bought for yourself and never used. What are you saving them for?

I can almost hear some of you saying, “But I really need a toaster/humidifier/new set of towels.” If your toaster really isn’t working, then I grant you dispensation, as long as you get rid of the broken one. However, a month isn’t that long: I suspect your towels, even if they are dingy or threadbare, will still work for a few more weeks.

The point of this challenge is never perfection. It’s never that we are going to break our shopping habit forever and save the planet and our bank accounts to boot. The point is to become more aware of the unconscious way we buy, to try to become more mindful consumers.  So, accept the challenge. Thirty days. You can do it. I will too.  Share your triumphs and slipups on my facebook page, and we’ll all be in it together.