Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

I received an email stating that January 20th, 2005 will be "no buy day". The idea is for no one to buy anything at all for a 24 hour period.
I can do this easily. But I wonder, what will happen, if anything. What kind of effect would a 24 hour no buy have? I think it would be a more powerful statement if we made it a week.
A week of buying absolutely nothing.
Could you do a week? Can you do a day?
Will it make a difference? If so, how?

I'm curious about this. What are your thoughts?
Indulge me.....
H

Actually, I think it's a GREAT idea. An even better idea is to buy only what you absolutely need, and then buy those things only as cheaply as possible. I am TRYING to get to that point, but it's difficult. I certainly have ENOUGH of nearly every Thing to last me the rest of my life. We are far too obsessed with stuff, and far too self-indulgent in this culture.

How did it get like this? My grandparents mended socks and saved everything. My father still fixes things rather than throwing them out and getting new ones. My mother clips coupons and keeps a strict basic budget.

Me, I buy books and movies when I should be renting them. I buy way too many fresh vegetables in the grocery store and then end up throwing them out when they get bad. I subscribe to magazines that it takes me 20 minutes to read through. Enough, already.

I have a feeling this generation is in debt not because we're kept on a short allowance by the current economy, but because we spend our money very unwisely, and let the TV and our neighbors dictate how much we "ought" to have, and of what quality.

Hear hear , I agree Cat. The buying thing is such an absolute killjoy.
It'll be interesting to see if anything noticable happens on the 20th....

appreciate your input dearie,
H

appreciate your input dearie

all I gotz to say to that is "Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm"...


No buy day? What about like cappaccino or tofu? What the heck will all the "liberals" around UC Squertley and UC Santa Crooze do for food?

It's interesting to see how different people view this, based on their age, perceptions and personal level of affluence.

I spent last night at my aunt and uncle's house and tried to bring up the topic. They have four cars (used to have five, one broke down over the holidays), 12 boats, three houses and have been on numerous vacations this year. My uncle casually mentioned that he almost bought a new scanner in the few weeks I'd borrowed his, just because he wanted to scan some things.

He sees this as the age of free things. He says cars, appliances, computer equipment and other such things are ubiquitous and cheap. Why not throw them away and buy new ones instead of trying to repair the old?

I thought this was extremely interesting. My uncle and my dad grew up in the same household, and had similar experiences of the world all the way through. My parents are relatively affluent, as well, but my dad DOES repair things, if they can be repaired effectively. He would never dream of accumulating 12 boats; he prefers to keep the money in the bank rather than buy a bunch of toys. My parents go on a vacation maybe once a year now, and my mother uses her salary from her part-time job to pay for them, rather than dipping into savings.


Hmmm ... maybe I should really cultivate this uncle I am starting to get green around the gills just thinking of the affluent lifestyle I've described ... !!!!

Heck Cat, it doesn't take money to be affluent!

I sure do wonder where all the discarded plastic and metal goes. The piles of scanners, computers, that get tossed off as cheaply replaceable.
Can one buy stock in garbage?
Heh.

Oh and perezoso, thanks for your input too dearie....
you crack me up
H

January 20th is Inauguration day. Hmmmm looks like a strike against that Son Of a Bush perhaps????
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Honda VFR750F

that's funny, yours is in january? we have our "Buy Nothing Day" in november. i don't believe i've ever observed it religiously, i usually wake up, walk to school and then buy a coffee or my lunch before i've realized it's TODAY and i've already screwed it up.

here's lots of articles for you to read about it...

http://www.buynothingday.org/

i think everything printed in red letters is a link to another article...