Project 2011: Buy Less, Give More

As is customary in many households this time of year, the better part of last week was spent cleaning out closets and drawers and toy chests and just about any nook and cranny I could find the time to get to.  The picture below is what was unearthed, picked through and determined to be too small, too babyish, too out of date, or just too much.  Too much stuff for this house of ours with limited space and storage.  In all, I filled six 40 gallon trash bags and four 20 gallon trash bags.  At first it felt good to see those bags of 'stuff' hauled off to Goodwill. 

But then, it started to feel wrong.  Wrong that our family could bring so much stuff into our home in a single year and then just dispose of it.  I started to think about all the other things that the money spent could have been used for.  And I started to think of ways that we, I, could change.  At first I started small, and then my ideas kept growing until they took a life of their own.  If there ever was a year in my life that it was all about
Me, than 2010 it was.  If there ever was a year to start changing, than 2011 it is.

How would it look for a slightly fashion-obsessed person like me to change not only my spending and buying habits over the course of a year, but my giving habits as well?  A person who has made a career in the very industry that facilitates the need and desire for more.  A person trained and experienced in the art of buying and selling high-end clothing.  A person that loves fashion, design, good food & wine, and is a sucker for any eye cream that promises to slow down the aging process.  A person that loves and appreciates nice things, but that also sees the value in a dollar saved.  A person that wants to learn the value in a dollar given...

How would it then look if that person used her blog as an accountability tool with set goals and rules to abide by, and at the end of each month recapped her purchases and whether goals were met and rules were followed?  And in the process of learning to change her buying habits, she learned to change her giving habits as well.

 Well friends, you're about to find out what it looks like for a girl like me, who started pouring over fashion magazines and catalogs at the age of 10, to dramatically alter the way she thinks about buying, spending, and giving.  Starting in January, I will set an all-encompassing monthly budget to include all 'luxury' items that I purchase for our family.  The budget will include clothes I buy for the entire family, household items (decor, gadgets, appliances, etc.), games and toys for the kids, arts and craft items, and beauty products.  At the end of each month I will write a post on how I fared and talk about successes and shortcomings.  I will check in throughout the month though, and let you know how I'm doing.  Perhaps ask for you to weigh in on purchases I'm contemplating. 

While I cannot commit to doing a crash diet and halting all spending for a period of time, I can commit to being more thoughtful about the items I purchase, and in turn learn healthier spending habits while still allowing myself to occasionally indulge in a guilty pleasure now and then. 

To take it a step further, how about if we help each other out and do this together?  If you're interested, I'll create a "linky party".  But can we change the name of it to something else, I strongly dislike the term linky party, it sounds so festive?  You could do it for one month or all year long, whatever you're feeling in the mood for.  Perhaps we can both inspire and encourage each other along the way.

To help myself learn healthier spending habits, I spent some time making a list of the common pitfalls I fall into, and subsequently, some tools and rules to avoid those pitfalls.  The areas I'd like to affect are:

• Clothing Purchases: Focus on buying higher quality items that may be a larger investment upfront, but will last longer therefore I'll spend less money in the long run.  Watch out for trendy items, remember I'm turning 35 this year.  Avoid "running in" to stores at the local shopping center.  I will always find something to buy.  For the kids, buy fewer items but more frequently so they don't outgrow clothes by the time they can wear them (i.e. don't buy fall clothes in the summer), and be mindful of their quirks and sensitivities - I can no longer force them to wear certain clothes!  They have choices and opinions.  Lastly, avoid those attractive discount events like Friends & Family and Give & Get as a time to stock pile, but instead use them as a time to buy a couple of key items that don't usually go on sale.
• Toys & Games: Purchase toys and games during birthdays and Christmas time only.  For "rewards", focus on special outings and one-on-one time, instead of material purchases.  Also, create an ongoing wish-list (try Wishpot for example) for friends and family so they can receive items that they want and need.  Focus on quality vs. quantity.
• Home Improvement & Craft Projects: Plan ahead, take inventory of supplies and materials already on hand, consult the sewing pattern so I determine the correct amount of yardage needed and don't just guess.  Guessing is a time and money waster.  Use what we have in the arts and crafts closet first before I buy more supplies.
• Target: Yes, Target deserves it's own category.  Make a list and don't deviate.  Plain and simple.  

Along the way I'll share tips I use to determine making purchases, common mistakes I've made when forming my wardrobe, and the one rule I always consider when making large ticket purchase like a handbag or a pair of boots.  I have a lot to learn in the other areas though.  Hopefully some of you can teach me a thing or two.

Tomorrow I'll post the second part of the Project 2011, the GIVE part.  I think for now I've written a long enough novel.

Before I end this post, I wanted to take a minute to thank Jules from Pancakes & French Fries for her help in the planning of this series.  It was very important to me to avoid coming across as just another "suburbanite" trying to "live intentionally."  I knew I could count on Jules to honestly tell me the truth and she did, and in the process she gave me some invaluable advice and organizational tips that I would have never considered.  Only someone who takes blogging as seriously as Jules would take the time to tweet and email back and forth with me on New Years Eve.  So thanks Jules, you are the bees knees! 

While in reality I may just be another suburbanite trying to live intentionally, I can accept that.  I know my little project here is not going to change the world or save lives, but if it changes a bit of me, my family, and my community, I'll take it.  I hope you'll come back tomorrow for Part 2.