Buy Nothing Day

Image found here.

First off I would like to say that I am no scrooge when it comes to buying stuff, nor am I attempting to sit on my high horse...I in fact feel as though I have too much stuff. And I do really enjoy buying Christmas presents for people, especially my son. But, on the other hand, I also have to admit that the over-consumption on this day--the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday--really bothers me. The time from Thanksgiving-to-Christmas is no longer referred to by many as the Christmas Season, or even the Holiday Season, but as the Holiday Shopping Season...a time dedicated to buy stuff.

I've been celebrating Buy Nothing Day for about 5 years now--not spending a single cent for the entire day--but I really made a conscious commitment to do this after a man named Jdimytai Damour was trampled to death by shoppers at a Walmart store on Black Friday 2008; he was just 34 years old (click here to read the story).  As aforementioned, I sometimes feel as if I have too much stuff in my life, and I am certainly not immune to purchasing unnecessary junk, so today--at the very least--I'll attempt to reflect and ascertain to what are my needs and what are my wants...because I know deep down that I already have more than I need.

Anyhow, to read more about Buy Nothing Day click here or here. And if you have a few minutes you may be interested in the below video; click here to go the the Story of Stuff website.

Comments

Max said…
Count me in. But can I at least still go out and wait in a long line for twelve hours?

I'm not sure if you posted "the Story of Stuff" before, or if I saw it somewhere else, but it is great.

I give thanks to you Joe, for your sharing blog.


Max
Joe said…
Thanks Max, for reading and posting...and yes, I did post The Story of Stuff before, last year I think, but thought it appropriate again. It is a good video, and an eye-opener.
Unknown said…
The only thing I bought today was dinner at a tiny nearby taqueria. I went on a long bike ride with friends.
Joe said…
@ Tinfoil...nice!
Ally said…
I, too, did not buy a thing. Trying to consume half of 2009!