-Isms: Views on life in rural America

Challenge your limits.

I’ve been flirting with the idea of trying a no-buy challenge. Unfamiliar with a the concept? It’s pretty basic. Make a list of non-essential items you won’t buy for a set period of time. Then, stick to the plan.

Sounds easy, right? I’m not so sure.

A year seems impossible, heck, a month may be, too. Maybe I should try a week and see how it plays out.

The first step: owning up to my weaknesses. Check that off the list.

Do I need to visit the convenience store for a glass of tea on the daily? That’s approximately $10.45 before tax, per week, that I could be saving.

What about the once-a-week trip to the coffee shop for a cold brew or London Fog or lotus drink? That could save between $4.50 and $7.50 per visit, depending which drink is calling my name that particular week.

A night off from cooking for Scott so we can visit our restaurant-owner friends and share a meal? Wow, where could the extra $50 to $75 be used?

If I could get into the mindset that I don’t need these non-essentials, I could have an extra $3,100 in my pocket if I could complete a no-buy challenge for a year.

Lunch is a necessity though, so the Tuesday and Thursday walks to The Waterhole for chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes isn’t getting cut. A girl has to have priorities, especially on deadline day.

The next step: setting rules and boundaries. Is an occasional splurge possible? Yes, but (that statement goes against any rules of improvisation) if I decide to accept this assignment, I’ll set an allowable dollar amount. Kind of like our unwritten “we’ll-spend-$20-at-the-casino-and-when-it’s-gone-it’s-gone” rule.

The last piece of advice: beware of impulse purchases. Do I need the $3 planter in Target’s Dollar Spot? Probably not, but maybe someday. Can I stop cruising clearance aisles at Hobby Lobby? Put down the tchotchkes.

I think it comes down to something so simple and eloquently put by philosopher Jacob Held, “One can best describe the culture of consumerism as the unbridled consumption of commodities for the satisfaction of psychological needs that cannot be satisfied through the practice of consumption.”

It’s going to take some planning on my part and it’ll require sacrifice.

I’ll give it a week ... starting next week.