Be a Rebel: Buy Nothing on November 28th.

Nov 5th, 2008 by nancyzimmerman

on 07 Nov 2008 at 6:33 am1brad

Given the current state of the economy, I think a lot of people will “buy nothing” on 28 November out of necessity rather than choice. I wonder if other people feel, as I sometimes do, that it’s my “duty” to help keep businesses afloat, to support them as I would my favourite charity? It’s crazy, I know, but sometimes I feel I have a sort of civic duty to consume. I got chastised once by a friend for the fact that I tend to buy things and keep them for decades rather than replacing them with a newer model (we were talking about my alarm clock, which I bought in 1984 and still use today); his point was that I wasn’t contributing to the economy. I thought that was a ridiculous argument and still do, but there is a small nugget of truth to it.
on 07 Nov 2008 at 7:25 pm2nancyzimmerman

Yep – best explanation of why continuing to purchase is a duty can be found in an awesome video: http://www.storyofstuff.com You’ll see how entrapped we all are. And why indeed we might be pressured to consume as a civic duty. (when you think about it, really, how *weird* is that!)
on 14 Nov 2008 at 11:46 pm3Krupo

I realized that after I stopped watching TV and blocking out ads online, my desire to buy “stuff” fell drastically.

You always need the essentials – food and shelter. But all the other perks? They can end up trapping you more than any prison. Via the shackles of debt and all those other mechanisms you know so well.

Nancy Zimmerman: a canadian money coach (not a financial planner!)