16/12/2019
Anyone up to the challenge this coming 2020?
๐ณ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐-๐
๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
In December 2016, I came across an article about a woman who embarked in a journey of not buying anything new for 200 days. She decided to do this experiment after a painful experience of clearing out her father's apartment after he passed away.
Quoting her, "Going through my fatherโs old things, I felt the loss of my father with each and every item I sorted. And there was a lot of sorting to do. It took weeks to clear out the lifetime of possessions in my single fatherโs small apartment."
I became intrigued and decided to try out the experiment. For 200 days, I am not supposed to buy anything new except for food, toiletries and medicine. This means that I should either borrow or buy secondhand stuff.
๐๐๐ฒ ๐: ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐, ๐๐๐๐
1. I already own more than I need. Because I restrained myself from shopping, I had time to really take an inventory of the items (mostly clothes) I already have. Gosh, I have enough clothes to wear even if will not do laundry for a month.
2. 200 days is more than half a year. And in those months, I had to attend events that require formal wear or even costumes. This is one of my concerns before starting the challenge but it turns out that friends and office colleagues are very much willing to lend their formal wears to me. Most of these dresses were only used once because โnapicturan na kaya ayoko na ulitinโ. Yay!
As for the costumes? Baguio ukay-ukay to the rescue! :D
3. Believe or not, when friends learned about this challenge that I am doing, they willingly donated some of their stuff to me. I received an electric fan, a juicer, an egg be**er, and more clothes. This just means that I am not the only one who owns more than I need.
4. I discovered online platforms where people just like me could sell their pre-owned items. It felt good to know that we can exchange favors โ me helping them recoup a portion of their purchase price and them providing me a quality item at a lower price.
5. I got to spend on things that matter. Canโt really say that my expenses lessened during those 200 days. But instead of spending on โstuff-that-i-really-wont-useโ, I had extra cash for travel, personal growth seminars/workshops, and investments โ things that bring real value.
6. Thereโs too much consumerism in the world. Seems like 90% of whatโs being sold in the market are just โnice-to-havesโ. Ads and "influencers" promoting products are everywhere... and FOMO (Fear of missing out) is sooo real. More so, a lot of products nowadays are not even of quality so they have to be disposed in just a short period of time which adds to the waste pollution.
7. I felt at peace upon realizing that I already have all the material things I need. Towards the end of 200-day challenge, I no longer feel the need to buy this because โitโs so cuteโ or buy that because โI might need it somedayโ. As the author said โMy 200 days was not only an optional experience in sustainable living and minimalism. It was a necessary and transformative journey.โ
๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐: ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐, ๐๐๐๐
Did I continue after Day 200? Hmm.. nope but I embarked on another journey โ minimalism.
Has anybody also tried doing this 200-day no buying challenge? Whatโs your biggest realization?
If not, are you willing to do it?
P.S. I actually did cheat once. I bought a new book at a discounted price โ Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance.๐
- Prexel P., Baguio City
