Living with Less?
Today, at our morning playgroup, my friend Jean mentioned that she always wanted to post comments on my blog, but she stopped herself because they were all of the "Do you really need to buy that?" variety. A few weeks ago we'd had a conversation about living with less, paring down, teaching our children good values, etc. Unfortunately, shopping is such an innate part of who I am, that I can't imagine doing without it. Instead, I plan to donate one item for each item I buy. This new resolution fits nicely with my current need to do a complete closet overhaul. But before I begin, I need to know how much shopping I actually do. So, following is my shopping log for the last couple of weeks. For each one of the items mentioned, I am going to give away one item in the same category (except for food). A shopping log will also let me see what I'm actually buying, and how much time I put into shopping. So here it goes, straight from the receipts in the bottom of my purse. (I'm almost afraid to find out!)
April 29: Gift for Kevin's mom, $154
April 29: Flowerbomb fragrance and bath oil for me, $260
April 30: Silver plated pewter bubble wands for Lola's party favors, $175
May 2: Clothes at Maui Nix, $124
May 2: Ralph Lauren Sunglasses, Sunglass Hut, $222.59
May 2: Flowers for Lola's birthday party, $80
May 2: Macaroons from Williams Sonoma for Lola's birthday party, $50
May 2: Balloons for Lola's birthday party, $80
May 3: Food from Publix for Lola's birthday party, $300
May 3: Lola's birthday cake, The Pastry Studio, $150
May 5: Miscellaneous items, including groceries, toys, and outdoor coffee table, Target, $340
May 12: Outdoor planters and rug from Grandin Road, $444
May 5-14: Shorts from Theory, Trina Turk, Catherine Malandrino, Tibi, and Tory Burch (I was on a shorts kick) and J. Brand Pencil Leg Jeans: $350 (some were on sale!)
May 7: Repetto gold ballet flats, $80 (on sale!)
May 10: Juicy Couture bathing suit for me, $160, and 2 dresses for Lola, $50 (sale!), Nordstrom
May 12: Three pairs of shoes for Lola, Zappos.com, $184
April 29: Gift for Kevin's mom, $154
April 29: Flowerbomb fragrance and bath oil for me, $260
April 30: Silver plated pewter bubble wands for Lola's party favors, $175
May 2: Clothes at Maui Nix, $124
May 2: Ralph Lauren Sunglasses, Sunglass Hut, $222.59
May 2: Flowers for Lola's birthday party, $80
May 2: Macaroons from Williams Sonoma for Lola's birthday party, $50
May 2: Balloons for Lola's birthday party, $80
May 3: Food from Publix for Lola's birthday party, $300
May 3: Lola's birthday cake, The Pastry Studio, $150
May 5: Miscellaneous items, including groceries, toys, and outdoor coffee table, Target, $340
May 12: Outdoor planters and rug from Grandin Road, $444
May 5-14: Shorts from Theory, Trina Turk, Catherine Malandrino, Tibi, and Tory Burch (I was on a shorts kick) and J. Brand Pencil Leg Jeans: $350 (some were on sale!)
May 7: Repetto gold ballet flats, $80 (on sale!)
May 10: Juicy Couture bathing suit for me, $160, and 2 dresses for Lola, $50 (sale!), Nordstrom
May 12: Three pairs of shoes for Lola, Zappos.com, $184
posted by The Beauty Insider @ 7:48 PM
4 Comments:
At May 14, 2008 10:13 PM ,
Anonymous said...
Hi Nada,
I'll be brave and post something. I admire your willingness to do some introspection and be so open about it. I'm sure most of us out there could do with less, much less. I have a suggestion that I think would help anybody seeking a different perspective; read these two books by Khaled Hosseini if you haven't already. The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. I was so captivated by these stories that it made me look at life in our country in such a different way. They are beautifully written and a guaranteed great read; fictional characters living in the real life context of Afghanistan. The author just made Time's list for one of the 100 most influential people this year-hurray (He's a physician turned writer)Oula
At May 15, 2008 11:04 AM ,
The Beauty Insider said...
Thanks Oula. I am familiar with Hosseini and have heard great things about The Kite Runner, so even though I rarely get to read fiction these days, I will make a point to read those!
At May 15, 2008 8:39 PM ,
Jean said...
OK you got me now. Every now and then I get a revelation. The latest is we live a life of excess,therefore I try to purge the closet and donate as often as possible and I don't replace everything. Really... how many white shirts do I need? I am not perfect I just bought another one. Anyway I shared this revelation with a friend who immediately jumped on board and enlightened me to "my carbon footprint" and my responsibility to society and the earth. We all need to respect the energy and natural resources that go into everything we use and purchase. I am trying to be a better all around person respecting everything around me. Now when I shop I try to buy those items I really need or love so I can hold onto them for a while and truly enjoy the item instead of just having another white shirt hanging in the closet.
At May 16, 2008 1:35 PM ,
The Beauty Insider said...
Jean,
Love that philosophy. That's similar to the conclusion I've just come to. I want to buy only things I absolutely love or need. (Let's face it - I'm not walking around naked). So I am going to do much less mindless shopping (out of boredom or a desire to try on different fashion personas : ) and just be more conscious of what I'm consuming. I've also been paying more attention to what I'm using in terms of other resources. I am going to use reusable bags for our groceries, and I use all natural cleaners around the house. Small changes are actually quite easy to make! So thanks for being an inspiration!
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