Spending Fast!

Okay, so since initially blogging about this, I've become keenly aware just how much I buy. That BlueQ bag I've always wanted that Sprouts now carries so I don't have to pay shipping? Done! Woot has a sale on yoga mats? I pick up 6 in case I ever want to do a class in my house.

I don't even think about it.

It's reflexive.

I have money in my account, so I buy what I want...without really giving it a second thought.

And yet. I can't help but be drawn to this idea of creating a condition where I have to exercise restraint as a discipline.  To try a different path than the consumerism that is so woven into my culture that I barely even perceive it unless I see it through the lens of someone who does without.

So, what might a spending fast look like for me?

The Rules of Engagement

1. I would make no new purchases of things for myself, opting instead to repair the old, do without, or hit the thrift store to recycle something existing. 
2. If needed to replace, socks, shoes, underwear, t-shirts, appliances, cosmetics or if I needed to read a  certain book, I would purchase new, but would add a 5-day waiting period so that the decisions were thoughtful.  
3. I would not purchase new "things" as gifts opting instead for gift cards, experiences or handmade items depending on the person I was buying for. 
4. I could deliberately choose simple food when eating out with friends, making it less about the food and more about the relationship.
5. I would drop my waste-producing splurge items like Fiji water, Starbucks and **gasp**Bubble Tea.   

While many of the bloggers I am reading have tried this for a year, I think I'd impose a shorter time limit: six months.  That would mean that between now and July 9, the fast would be in place.

Even as I type this, I'm nervous.  Can I really do this? We are about to find out.