Consumerism

Yesterday I read an amazing article on time banks, and then DH (dear husband) blew our budget on an excellent book called Drive by Daniel H. Pink. Now the two are not exactly connected, as the time bank is more about community and people helping each other out, and Drive is about truely motivating people. But the one idea that kind of connects the two is basically this... money does not truely make us happy, people do.
I often spend money when I'm sad, and statistically that is when the majority of people do their shopping. Buying Stuff gives us a small amount of pleasure. But then we bring that Stuff home to our already bulging house, and we realize soon, that all it does is clutter our counters, mess our floors, and fill up our drawers, not to mention the basement. The happy feeling we once had, is no longer there, so we go out and buy more.
Summertime has become one of the saddest times for me. From May long weekend until the end of Sept, my mind seems to dwell on the loss of a child that was very near and dear to me. And all I feel like doing is going out to spend more and more and more money. For example, yesterday I saw some cute bracelets for $1.50, so I bought them for the girls. This morning they are forgotten and laying on the floor driving me bonkers because I now have to pick them up. What I really need to do is figure out a way to stop the buying of Stuff and figure out how to deal with my grief in a more healthy way. And perhaps along the way I will become more, shall I dare to say, Happy?
My one idea I have, is sort of like learning a new language. The best way to do that is to immerse yourself in the language and have no other option but to learn to speak it. My crazy idea is.... not to buy any consumer items for one year. Of course I will buy food, cleaning supplies, gas, ect. I'm talking about clothes, books, movies, toys, furniture, basically Stuff!! Of course the kids are growing so I will need to purchase a few items of clothing for them. And I will allow myself to buy some Stuff for gifts. But my heedless buying of Stuff has got to stop and I think the only way to do it, is to go cold turkey for a year and learn what truely does make me happy.
But first I have to see if I can get my idea past DH.