One Year Shopping Ban

Join me as I embark upon a 1 year shopping ban, yes you heard me correctly I'm saying no to consumerism for 365 days. Although I haven't bought anything, aside from a pair of sandals for Cyril, since I began my studies into minimalism back in April I'm marking the start of my ban as July 18th. This date is kind of ironic because it's my brother Matthew's birthday. It somehow seems fitting to have the one year anniversary on his birthday since he said no to consumerism way back in 1999. OK so maybe it wasn't that early but he's always asked me if I needed things and I never understood what all the fuss was about until recently when I dove in head first and eliminated nearly everything from our household. My brother has been my inspiration to live more mindfully and it wasn't until recently that circumstances in my life changed so drastically that I began a journey down a path to what can only be described as enlightenment. No I'm not a monk, and I certainly haven't reached enlightenment, but I'm on the path now and there is no turning back.

Back to my one year shopping ban. I got the idea from another blog called Blonde On a Budget and it threw me into a state of happiness and excitement at the prospect of completing such a challenge. I have a son who grows like a weed so I will need to add some exceptions to the list.

What I'm allowed to shop for:

1. Groceries including toilet paper
2. Shoes and clothes for Cyril but only after he outgrows them. He's only allowed 50 items of clothing including jackets, shoes, socks etc. Josh said, "Why 50, where did you get that number from?" Truth be told I got it from another minimalist mama blogger who broke it down and it seemed an ample amount of clothing for Cyril even if he has 3 outfit changes in one day. This number includes winter and summer clothes. So really he'll have less clothes in his drawer at any given time. If it becomes obvious that Cyril needs clothes I will only buy used organic clothing, if I can't find used organic I'll buy sale items and will only do a like for like replacement.
3. Running shoes and light hiking shoes ideally I'll find a pair that does both. My running shoes are in dire need of replacement and they're causing me shin splints, I cannot last another year running on the ones I have. Also, my light hikers had holes in them so I threw them away to Josh's disgust.
4. Cleaning products however I have a few challenges within this category. I will buy natural organic soapnuts when our laundry detergent runs out to see if it cleans as well as detergent. Instead of shampoo and conditioner I'm buying an organic shampoo bar and will commit to 6 weeks of using only this bar to see if the natural oils in my hair are restored and hopefully I'll never need to buy expensive shampoo and conditioner again. I will buy a large container of castille soap to use in the bath and for hand-washing along with a foaming pump. I am going to try to make my own toothpaste and deodorant to see if it's as effective and lastly when my razors are gone I'm allowed to buy an electric razor which will cut down on the expense of razors.
5. I need to add in this clause in case we move back into the house we own. Our house is under major construction and has no bathroom fixtures, kitchen, etc. If we are lucky enough to move in before July 18, 2016 I will need to buy the essentials like a toilet, shower, sink, table, couch. We actually have hardly any furniture of our own. However, I'll accept donations first, then look for used furniture and if nothing is available we'll buy only the essentials and we'll do it slowly so we don't rush into buying something we hate.
6. Gifts for others

What I'm NOT allowed to shop for:

1. Clothes
2. Shoes except for the exceptions listed above
3. Electronics and appliances 
4. Magazines
5. Pretty much anything that's not on the list above

Lastly, I'd like to cut back on eating out. I don't have a specific number in mind for this yet but once I figure out how I'd like to manage this one I'll fill you in. The trouble I have is travelling. We do a lot of travelling and part of the cultural experience is eating out so I don't want to say I'm not going to eat out for the entire year because that would just be depressing. However, I want eating out to be a special occasion and not something that becomes the norm so I just need to find this balance. We usually stay in villas/apartments/houses on vacation and they always have a kitchen so really we don't need to eat out as much as we get in the habit of doing on vacation. My next vacation is next month when I go to America to visit family. I'll do a trial period there to see if I can come up with a number and blog about it.