Sherry Chandler » Just a bunch of crazies from San Francisco…
Just a bunch of crazies from San Francisco…
no need to get alarmed. That seems to be the somewhat patronizing attitude of this WaPost article:
SAN FRANCISCO — In the living room, the group gathers to share inspirational stories about the joy of finding just the right previously owned shower curtain. To the uninitiated, these people appear almost normal, at least in a San Francisco kind of way. But upon closer inspection, you see it: Nothing in this house, nothing on their bodies, none of their products — nothing is new. Everything is used.
For these people, recycling wasn’t enough. Composting wasn’t a challenge anymore. No, they wanted much more of much less.
Attention holiday shoppers! These people haven’t bought anything new in 352 days — and counting. These 10 friends vowed last year not to purchase a single new thing in 2006 — except food, the bare necessities for health and safety (toilet paper, brake fluid) and, thankfully, underwear, and maybe socks (they’re still debating whether new socks are okay).
But I’ve got news for the Washington Post. This way of living may seem revolutionary to their reporter but I know poets who shop Good Will all the time. And not Left Coasters, either, though I do know one or two of those. One of the best Appalachian writers I know says she finds it reassuring to shop Good Will and consignment stores because the items are pre-approved: “somebody else thought this item was good enough to wear and so should I.”
On the other hand, I have a friend who points out that after spending $13 for Hundred Dollar Holiday, you only have $87 left to spend for Christmas. Good point, I suppose. Though you only have to buy the book once and you can probably do that off budget. Anyway, it’s cheap as books go these days.
On the other other hand, AARP the Magazine has a six-page article in this month’s issue on Conquering Clutter. I suppose it might be as easy to clutter up your life with second-hand stuff as with shiney new. Still, a little creative swapping might be a way to clean up your life.
If you’re looking to do this yourself, here are some hints:
They bartered or borrowed. Recycled. Re-gifted. Reused. Where? Thrift stores and swap meets, friends and Dumpsters, and the Internet, from Craigslist to the Freecycle Network, which includes 3,843 communities and 2.8 million members giving away stuff to one another.
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1 Comment
1. MW replies at 18th December 2006, 8:18 pm :
Plenty of college students live that way, too. Still, even if it isn’t exactly as radical as some might think, it still sounds like a pretty good idea to me.
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