Standing outside in my Skivvies

So you will never guess where I just came from. Well, I was just standing outside my house in my skivvies. Why? You ask. It is a combination of my neurotic nature and modern technology. The house alarm went off, just after I had fallen in to my REM cycle and I nearly fainted, which wouldn't have been dramatic at all seeing as I was already lying down. Keep in mind this alarm in insanely loud, I think they are trying to scare off the bad guys, but I am not sure. So obviously I panic. I was so nervous I almost bust out my window because I was too scared to go into the hallway, clearly I am no good in these types of situations. Meanwhile, I realize I am way under dressed to be in public and now I have a whole other set of problems, so I grab my gnarly pink fluffy robe and sandals and book it down the hall to the garage door armed with my blackberry, I was ready to bludgeon any intruder to death.

Now you ask, what did you do next? Check the premises? Heck no! I got in my car and left. Keep in mind, I am in my underwear, a pink furry robe and my retainer. Where was I planning on going? Once I came to that same realization I went back to my house and idled in front of the place. Next thing I know two cop cars are casing the joint. So, no one was in my house, It was just a false alarm and the price I pay for a sense of security!

The reason I am bloging about this incident is threefold. 1. I cannot fall back asleep, so I might as well be productive. 2. It is pretty hilarious. 3. Even though I had just been robbed weeks earlier, which really sucked. I didn’t even think about taking any stuff with me. In fact, the one thing I did take was my ridiculous pink fluffy robe that I received as a gift that I only took with so I wouldn’t be naked. Basically when in a state of panic whether or not it was justified all you really want is any shirt on your back, even if it is an ugly pink robe. Good night!

Day 17

I am not sure if I can conclude a direct correlation between me not buying stuff and me being more productive, but I have been pretty productive. My productivity has increase enough to infer some sort of connection. My semester is coming to a close and I had a few good work days this weekend, but it will take many more. On one of my not so productive work days I hatched this new theory about the astrological sign of America (Yes, America as in the United States of...). See what you think. I have either come up with a groundbreaking theory or I am going completely nuts from lack of retail therapy. See for yourself.

I used to think the US was a Scorpio, but that was just my Scorp. pride talking. It really is more like a Libra. Pulled in two directions and too prideful to deal with the inner conflict. But, I guess that is wrong too because America was born on the fourth of July, so it is a Cancer? OMG I just read the March horoscope for Cancer and it totally predicted the health care bill passing (in so many words), “you will feel powerful changes this month…”America is definitely a Cancer. Now that I think of it, America is such a Cancer. A hard outer shell protecting the borders, constantly changing (inner turmoil), shrewd, and cautious, but at the same time moody and possessive with sharp claws (claws= nuclear capabilities). I think I have either proven that America is a Cancer or disproven the entire concept of astrological horoscopes. I really should get back to work now.

Day 8

WOOOOOOOHOOOOO officially one week down!

I wish I could celebrate this monumental achievement on a happier not but, I was robbed the other night. My car was broken into. I woke up to find my front window of my car shattered. It was a surreal experience. I had left my backpack in the back seat, which I know is a bad move. The thiefs got lucky. My Northface backpack was full. My macbook, my calculator, my glasses, text books and a bunch of school work that is worth nothing to anyone but me. They also got some CDs and my cell phone charger. This event really got me thinking about stuff. I was most upset about losing all the files on my computer. I had research papers I had been working on all semester, data books for my research and lots of pictures and music. I had to add up the price values of everything I lost. I was blown away out how much it was, but still if I could get one thing back it would be the time I put into the papers I will now have to rewrite. Don’t worry I am still on the wagon. My sister gave me an old backpack and I am barrowing the texts books from a friend. I will have to get a new computer for the sake of the many people who read my blog, I can’t let all of you down.

Day Four: Sister Act II

Day Four: I decided to dig around my sisters' closets to see if they had any cute clothes I could barrow for this week to liven up my wardrobe. I have a few events coming up this week and I didn’t want to wear the same old stuff. I went through my little sister's closet while she was gone. I ended up finding a really cute top and a great necklace. When I asked her about them I explained what they looked like and she couldn’t even remember it. When I showed her she was totally willing to loan them to me. She was and I quote, “so over them,” we worked out a deal. She got a sweater that I didn’t wear much anymore and I got a new outfit to wear this weekend. My older sister stopped by for dinner and a brought another cute tank over. She is so supportive of my detox, She threw it to me saying, "here is something you didn't buy," She didn’t like the way it fit her, she had only worn it once. It fit me perfectly. It only goes to show you, when you cannot find the right thing to wear, you should dig around other peoples closet when they are not home. It also helps if you wear the same size as your sisters.

Day Three: My Supportive Family

Day three: Well I made the big announcement to the family today. My mother seemed genuinely interested in the idea. She listened to me gab about the new blog and my desires for a new simpler life. Then she continued to tell me, "you will never be able to do this. The first thing you see that you want you will buy. I don't think you will last a week, why don't you go write that in your blog!" So I guess it could have gone better, but it only make me want to prove her wrong!

The environmental toll of Stuff!

If you haven't seen it yet watch "The Story of Stuff". http://www.storyofstuff.com/. Extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal all have a toll on the planet.

Thrifting

There is nothing wrong with shopping at a thrift store. It is like a treasure hunt. Plus it isn't used stuff that you are buying. It is: Vintage, pre-owned, gently-used, worn in, pre-loved, reborn, an antique, looking for a loving home...

Day Two

Day Two: I can’t fall asleep. I was up late watching infomercials, but today being the second day of my detox, I was watching with a much more discerning eye. They were pitching some pretty crazy stuff. Shamwows, a salsa maker and some HD sunglasses that improve how the world looks. The detox has made me hyper aware of how over saturated with advertisements and commercial propositions my daily life is and these infomercials just seemed absurd. Why would anyone need to buy a salsa maker without leaving there bed? From sun up to sun down we are bombarded with opportunities to indulge. Someone is always after our money, everyone wants us to want stuff.

The offer on the salsa maker was getting a little too tempting for me so I switched channels. The Suze Orman Show was on. For those of you who haven’t seen the show, Susan Orman (Internationally acclaimed personal finance expert) helps callers sort out finical problems. It is also a show that gives me heart palpitations, the show always ends with me feeling like I am not saving enough for retirement and is part of the reason I am still awake at 3am.

Suze has a segment on her show called “Can I Afford It?” where callers phone in and tell Susie about something they want to buy that is beyond an everyday essential. Tonight the callers desired items ranged from bagpipes ($1,300), an African safari ($12,000), a custom made saddle ($6,000) and a stripper pole ($500) and I am not making any of this up. The callers lay out their finical situation and Susie give them a professional opinion. All callers were denied tonight. None of them could actually afford it. Which made me question all my recent purchases. Could I really afford to send over one hundred dollars on jeans?

Between the callers bizarre desires and the infomercials that were on tonight the world seemed so clear to me (and I didn’t even need the HD vision ultra sunglasses), everyone wants something. Why wouldn’t we? We have been conditioned to believe that we need to want stuff. I may be getting delirious. Time for bed.

On a brighter note, I didn’t buy any stuff today. Still going strong.

Day one:

I felt like I needed to announce it to make it official. I also hoped that documenting my detox would make inspire others to do so. They will see the reward the benefits and challenges, in the end hopefully more benefit. I was surprised to see myself making changes this early in the detox. It is a Friday night. I have been sick all week and still getting over it. I spent a good portion of the day disinfecting my house and catching up on errand. When I finished my long to-do list cabin fever had officially set in and I was itching to leave the house. I have been on bed rest for weeks and have just stared to get my strength back. The first idea that popped into my head was to go to target, just to look around of course. Instead I went to a movie. I got a student discount. I only spent $10 buck. The movie was predictable, but I laughed once or twice and left feeling good. I cannot step foot near a target without spending more than $14.99 and once the initial shopping buzz wears off I feel guilty. So far this is going well.

The story of Stuff, for people who haven't heard

Copy and paste this link and watch the video. It will rock your world.

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

I am not crazy!

I am not some crazy hippy that lives in a tree. I am in my early twenties. I was born and raised in Southern California. I currently am living in Los Angeles where I have lived the past five years. I am surrounded by people who drive themselves crazy trying to keep up with the latest trends. You have to have the right Jeans with the right amount of flare in the right shade of denim. I do not consider myself a fasionista by any means, but I still find myself trapped in the same game. I love L.A. and I love to spend a beautiful L.A. afternoon shopping with my girlfriends, but I am ready to give it up.

I am in graduate school and on a budget, but I can spend oodles of money in a single trip to target, buying things I didn’t realizes I needed until I saw them. I find myself roaming the aisles “for fun.” I end up browsing, but generally find something that I need to have. I will buy anything from household “essentials” to clothing and accessories. Generally I wear the clothes a few times and grow tired of them. I don’t feel too bad because I didn’t spend much on them. I buy new jeans a few times a year. The cost of designer Jeans is ridiculous. I spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of Sevens of True Religions (or whatever the latest and greatest brand is) only to find that I did not buy the right ones. The moment I spring for a pair of wide leg trousers, skinny jeans are on the top of the Hot list and wide leg trousers join clogs in the not column. By the way, I think clogs are making a comeback. Which bring me to my next point.

Fashion is recycled! Everyone has heard the saying. If this theory holds true, I should be able to pull the latest trends of the rack of a consignment store. We will see.

The story of Stuff

I watched “The Story of Stuff Today” and I have decided to stop buying new clothes and other stuff for a year. Clearly, I will maintain the practice later as well, but the first year, is what I will consider my “detox from stuff”. This means I will stop buying new items. I can barrow things and buy used things I just cannot purchase brand new stuff. Obviously, I will still buy new underwear for sanitary purposes and this does not include food and hygienic supplies. I started tossing this idea around awhile ago, but had so many excuses as to why it was unpractical, put after doing more research the unpractical thing would be to change nothing. I have already started to think about things that will be hard but there are so many ways to buy gently used products- I don’t think it will be impossible. I already enjoy thrifting and shopping online on sites like Ebay and Amazon. I am very curious to see how much money I will save. I know that in a single trip to target I can rack up a pretty huge bill in less than an hour. I am amazed at how frightened I am to begin this journey, it seem so normal for me to me to shop. The more I have thought about this the more disgusted I get with my consumption habits.

Woman with a mission

Mission: I am giving up stuff. I am not going to buy new clothes, appliances or stuff for a year. I will maintain these practices following the initial year, but I consider this year my detox. I am doing the detox to simplify my life. People pay to have their waste sucked out of their gut, I am going to reduce the amount of crap in my life for free.

Rules: For one year, starting Friday, March 12, 2010 I will not buy new clothing, household appliances, electronics, accessories, books or other stuff. Obviously, I will be able to buy food, underwear and hygiene products. I can buy used products at thrift stores, antique shops, consignment vendors or online and I can barrow things from friends or family.

Goals: Detox myself from stuff. Trying to keep up with trends is an uphill battle that we are NEVER supposed to win. I can be happy without shopping. Rather than spending time browsing I hope to spend more time enjoying my life. I want to see if simpler is better.

2. Decrease my footprint: The American consumer culture has much higher cost than most people are aware of. The increased rates of consumption impact our environment, out health and our world. For more information check out. http://www.storyofstuff.com/

3. Save money. I am a graduate student on a budget. I would like to save a few clams in the process.

4. Not look like I shop at a thrift store. I am not a fasionista, but I have no desire to look like I shop at a thrift store. MK and Ashley can pull the look off, but I work in an office and go to school. I can’t show up to work in smelly, over sized rags.