Observations

This week, after Christmas, we went to a few stores for necessities like kitty litter, dog food, etc.

Target was the main one. Here, I chose to find a few cheap-ish toys for my birthday drawer so that I don't have to go shopping every time the kids get invited to a birthday party. I had Rebi and Ellie with me, and as we walked around together, it was amazing some of the things we saw and heard.

"Hey mom, this shirt is on sale. Can I get it?"
"Don't you already have one like that?"
"I have one kind of the same color, but I like this one better."
Mom agreed. Daughter proceeded to pick out 3 or 4 more shirts and a pair of pants. Maybe all of her stuff was too small for her, but I'm betting it's more likely that she has a closet full of clothes that she never wears.

Luckily for the retailers, it seems that the day after Christmas was just as busy as the days leading up to Christmas. We had to really work to only add to our cart things that we knew we would use. My mom taught me to love a sale, and resisting some of the stuff that was cheap and less useful was more difficult than I expected.

Our Experiment

It's simple. For one full year, be aware and conscious of what we buy. We are not planning on living like paupers. We will buy clothing, shoes, and certainly food. However, we want to see how hard it really is to buy purposefully and not just consume.

Wish us luck! We'll keep you posted!