The 30-day Consumer Fast Challenge!

Today is the first day of my 30-day Consumer Fast Challenge.

The point is to break habits of consumption. Like a regular fast, denying yourself your normal activities – going out for coffee, downloading albums from iTunes, dropping $40 on crap at Rite-Aid you don’t really need – tends to make you more aware of what you’re doing. I, like many, have issues with spending money unconsciously and recklessly. So I’m working on changing those habits.

Here are the rules that I’m going by; feel free to come up with your own if you want to try it:

Things that are OK to buy: Essentials (groceries, gas, toilet paper). If you run out of shampoo but have some sample ones at home, you gotta use those first. Of course “essentials” can be widely defined, but the point is to not spend money, so I’m going to be very strict with myself.

Not to buy: Books, music, clothing, magazines, cosmetics, knick knacks, convenience foods (coffee, restaurants, bars, etc). No eating out at restaurants!

Exeptions: Existing plans that fall within the 30 days (going to see Avatar with a friend, going out to lunch with another) are acceptable, but you can’t make any new plans to spend money.

Two other 30-day challenges that I’m doing are to meditate 20 minutes every day (I meditate sporadically now), and to write for 10 minutes every day. So I’ll meditate on how the Consumer Fast is going, and then I’ll blog about it for you!   😉