First-Time Homeowners (Cont’d.)

First, I must take a moment to thank Sarah (aka Slinny), Lauren, Jenn, Jen, Jenny C., Katie, Nancy (aka my mother) and Courtney for their heartfelt responses (both on the blog and during conversations struck throughout the week) to my question, “Does ‘nothing new for a year’ include home improvements?”

The replies were mixed.

My mom offered to pay for the updates now with the understanding that I’d repay her next year. No worries, I declined her very generous offer.

Sarah thinks, “home improvements are separate. Fixing up a house is a huge job and I applaud anyone who tackles that project.” While Lauren maintains that, “home improvements do count as something new because being able to improve on your home is a luxury, not a necessity.”

And, to be honest– I think both women are right.

When I asked Courtney about her thoughts on the question she reminded me that our purpose of starting this project in the first place wasn’t about making life harder than it needs to be or challenging ourselves, but rather to start thinking about things differently… more sustainably.

And with that, I decided to proceed with home improvements in the following manner:

2010 – During my “year of nothing new”
• Pull up ugly green carpet and install wood floors (using recycled, reclaimed wood)
• Update bathroom using recycled and repurposed materials purchased at Construction Junction and/or other retailers specializing in secondhand building materials
• Landscape front yard (hiring a landscaper who specializes in eco practices. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.)

2011 & Beyond
• Replace windows*
• Replace exterior siding*
• Remodel kitchen*
• Paint*
(*using recycled materials when possible)

I’m not sure how my decision on this matter will land with everyone, but I’ll sleep well (in my soon to be improved home) knowing that I came to this conclusion mindfully and staying true to what I set out to do this year.

I’ll keep you posted on how it all unfolds.

~Stacey

Asking for Help

I'm not a person who generally asks for help. I'm a bit stubborn sometimes, thinking I can and should do everything for myself. Now, this goes against all my thoughts on community and a give/take relationship with other people and the world. I enjoy helping out friends. I like doing things for my boyfriend, etc., etc. But when it comes to asking others, sometimes I'm a bit shy or feel undeserving.

I ran into my first, 'WHAT DO I DO?' moment on Friday. See, I've been working on a film for a year and a half and the director, Cory and I were to go to the sound studio to pick up the final version of our picture/sound, and I needed to bring a few DVD-R's to burn the movie on. As I was hanging up the phone with Cory, I said, "Sure! I'll pick up some DVD-R's on my way over," not thinking anything of it. And when I hung up the phone, I went, "Oh, no...but I can't buy anything new."

I instantly started reassuring myself that it was fine to make this exception...'I've been working on this project for so long...this is my work'...etc. But then I looked at the situation. I decided to really try to think it through. And I realized that my roommate Eric might have a few DVD-R's that I could have. So I asked...for help..."Sure!" he said, "I have like 50. I'll totally give you a few."

'Wow.' I thought. If it wasn't for this project, I never would have looked at this option. Its amazing the resources and help we have around us...if we'd only just look around and ask.

-Courtney

First-Time Homeowners

It’s official… Brian and I are homeowners!

Don’t worry, this isn’t some newly constructed McMansion… no, we purchased a used home. Used, most recently by us as renters for the past four years. Before that, it was used by my Grandparents for over 50 years. (It’s the very house where they raised my mother and her five siblings). Prior to my grandparents, the house was used by a family named McGinnis who left Pittsburgh for sunny Florida after only eight snowy winters. And, from what I can piece together, the home’s original owners sold the house after an ugly and scandalous (for those days anyway) divorce.

Needless to say… the home’s history is palpable.

But, as with any used home - as charming as its story may be, it comes with countless possibilities for updates and improvements.

Here’s our list:
• Pull up carpet and install wood floors on the first floor
• painting (first floor)
• replace windows
• replace exterior siding
• update bathroom
• remodel kitchen
• exterior landscaping

Which brings me to the question at the center of this post:

Do home improvements count as new purchases?

Can we install new floors? If so, does it have to be reclaimed wood? What about painting? Does paint count as a tangible item? Can I pay someone to landscape, even if they purchase new supplies to complete the job? Should I just wait until 2011 and use this year to plan and find the best deals? Or, do I blatantly cheat and have Brian pay for everything?

When Courtney and I set down the rules for this project, we knew there would be gray areas like this that would need more contemplation. (I just didn’t think I would come to such a crossroads in the first month!).

So, I turn to you for guidance. What do you think… Does “nothing new for a year” include home improvements?

~Stacey

Detaching from Attachment

My boyfriend Mike and I are moving. With this comes a lot of excitement for me and our relationship, but also the opportunity to set new intentions for our home and what home means to us.

Not buying anything new this year has given me a new look at moving. In the past, I've spent hours and hours boxing up crap that I just lug on to the next space and unload, set up shop, and start again. But I want to be purposeful with this move. I want a garden, I want to live somewhere that is more woodsy, but mostly, I want to declutter. For real.

I want space to breath. Whenever I go to yoga, I feel like I can breathe. Yoga studios are minimal in their stuff and decorations. There's not crap hanging on every wall. There's not item after item of stuff on shelves and tucked under tables.

We're not moving until April or May, so I have time in the next few months to do some serious getting rid of... I've noticed that since we've been doing this blog, I've become far less emotionally attached to my stuff. I'm finally able to entertain the possibility of getting rid of a pair of pants that are just too big, but I've held on to in case maybe they fit again. I have jackets that are lovely, but I just never wear. "But they are in great shape!" I tell myself. But what's the point of holding on to stuff if it's just sitting in a closet? Why not take them to the thrift store so someone else can purchase them and say, "Wow! These are great. I'll totally get a lot of use out of them!" Stuff is meant to be used and I don't want anything more than what I'm using. And I certainly don't want to have to cart stuff I'm not using from place to place.

I'm also toying with the idea of getting rid of my cell phone when we move and going back to a landline and answering machine. I miss the days of coming home and checking messages and hate being so freaking accessible all the time. I'm not a doctor. Why does someone need to reach me RIGHT NOW? Anyway, I have a work phone. I have IM. I have email. I'm accessible enough. Now, I'm not sure how serious I am about this part, but I've just got to thinking about how we do things, like get cell phones, because it's just what people do. Everyone has a cell phone, so I should have a cell phone. Well, maybe we should start thinking for ourselves. I'd like to try.

-Courtney

The Most Important MP3 Player, Ever!

“You can talk yourself into, or out-of anything.” That’s what my friend Sean says quite frequently in his yoga classes. And, in the context of a yoga class, his words have always made sense to me. (No, I don’t really need to do a fifth wheel pose. Four are definitely enough… I’ll just lie here awhile longer and relax. That’s much better for me anyway, right?) But, I’ve never really considered the statement to have much relevance in my day-to-day existence… until this venture, that is.

I recently decided that I was in desperate need of an MP3 voice recorder to create podcasts of my yoga classes to share with my students. And, because this was technically a “business” expense I was poised to purchase the recorder without hesitation or thought of this project. That is, until I shared my plans with Brian whom, so supportively over a dinner I lovingly prepared, took me on an all-expense-paid guilt trip that even my devout Catholic mother would be envious of:

“Sure, it’s fine to buy a NEW MP3 player with your business account if you’re willing to compromise the goals of the entire project without even making it to the one-month mark. By the way, these potatoes are fantastic!”

The dinner didn’t end well.

But, as I was washing the dishes I realized he had a point. If I was really going to do this, I couldn’t talk myself into purchases that directly conflict with my aspirations for this year. So, I decided to try and find the MP3 player used. And, to my delight and surprise, I found the exact product I was looking for at a 1/3 of the cost from the Amazon.com Warehouse (www.warehousedeals.com/).

My Sansa MP3 recorder arrived in perfect working order, but more importantly I didn’t have to compromise my ideals to get it.

Oh, and for you sticklers out there, I stayed in complete compliance with the “rules” by placing my old iPod in a box heading to Goodwill.

~Stacey

Haiti Relief Challenge... Don't Do Nothing, Just Buy Nothing!

As many of you know, a series of earthquakes devastated Haiti on January 12th, 2010. In an attempt support the distressed country, we present to you this challenge:

Over the next week join us in buying nothing new except for the necessities (food, water, gas, etc.) and record your savings. At the end of the week, donate the exact dollar amount that you saved during your “Week of Nothing New” to the American Red Cross: www.redcross.org (Be sure to click on the HAITI RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT button when donating.)

And… if you are so inspired, share your experience of the week with us by commenting on this post.

Thanks in advance for accepting this challenge.

~Stacey & Courtney

“Many hands make light work.” –John Heywood

Brian's Birthday!

They say it’s all about timing. And, as fate would have it, my husband’s 32^nd birthday arrived twelve days after I started this project. Of course, I did not consider this fact during my December 31^st final shopping spree, and found myself without a proper gift to give him.

I entertained the idea of going to Goodwill or making a trip to City Books (a great used book store located in Pittsburgh's South Side), but I just couldn’t bring myself to give him a secondhand item for his birthday.

So, I got creative.

Actually, I got down and dirty and I decided to clean and organize Brian’s videogame room in our basement. We jokingly refer to this area of the house as “The Man Cave”, because when a new videogame is released, Brian disappears, and for all intensive purposes “hibernates”, in the basement for hours at a time.

Over the four years we’ve lived in this house, I’ve let his sanctuary be. Only venturing downstairs to do the laundry or fetch the Christmas decorations. But left alone, the situation spun out-of-control. Slowly, pop cans, beer bottles, empty boxes, and other unidentified objects, began to litter the floor and the couch became a graveyard for long replaced gaming consoles and controllers. It got so bad that Brian even commented on the mess:

“I really need to clean The Cave. Maybe this Saturday.”

Well, six months of Saturdays came and went, but the basement just got worse. That's how I decided this would be the perfect gift.

Call it practical, call it desperate, call it… selfish even, but I call it priceless. A birthday gift that money can’t buy.

It took 4 hours, 2 garbage bags, 1 vacuum, countless cleaning products, and a good playlist… but The Cave was clean. I was pleased with the results… and so was Brian.

Happy Birthday, Kid!

~Stacey

My New Collection

I'm starting a collection.

Don't freak out. I'm not buying anything. Allow me to explain...

My friend Cally, who I mentioned in my last post, presented me with a challenge. He told me that in the UK, various plants and flowers are studied by collectors and growers, and if they achieve a certain breadth of the species, they are given status of having the NATIONAL COLLECTION OF... (whatever the plant is). And with this title, they get to be the first expert to be consulted on the species. Cally encouraged me to start a collection of my own, finding the most obscure free thing to collect with the idea that at the end of the year I will have the NATIONAL COLLECTION of this item. And then he suggested that I present the collection to the Library of Congress at the end of the year.

He suggested to start a collection of items such as bottle tops, receipts, even the mis spellings of my name.

He then explained to me the kind of collections he has...stamps, the insides of envelopes, colorful fruit stickers...all a reminder of the gifts of beauty we are given on a free basis everyday.

I am accepting his challenge BUT after thinking about it, the whole purpose of this year for me is to not to acquire any new junk (not that his collections are junk, they obviously mean something to him). I thought back to some of the things I collected as a young person- baseball cards, teddy bears, greeting cards...and how little they ended up meaning to me in the long run.

I'd like this collection to mean something. And I'd like to get use out of it. I don't want this collection to sit in a drawer or on a shelf.

So......

I've decided to collect something that doesn't take up any space. I've decided to start collecting THE THINGS PEOPLE SAY. These statements can be things people say to me, things people write, song lyrics, things I hear on the radio, but more interestingly, the things people say to each other when they don't think I'm listening. And to make use of them, I want to try to reuse these things that people say in my writing. For those who don't know me, I write plays, short stories, poems, screenplays....and I'd like to try to incoorporate the things I hear people say in my work.

How's that for a collection?

-Courtney

All My Life For Sale

I had written my dear friend Cally about what I was doing and he forwarded it on to some friends of his. One of them wrote him back, telling him about a project that happened early in the decade. Here's a plug for that project, http://www.allmylifeforsale.com/

'Fed up with his inability to quell the constant flow of objects into his apartment and determined to be able to fit his life into the trunk of his car, one day John Freyer decided to sell everything he owned on the Internet. He invited his friends over to tag his possessions and systematically put them up for sale on eBay. An opened box of taco shells, half a bottle of mouthwash, almost all of his clothes, his favorite records, his sideburns (in a plastic bag), his family's Christmas presents (not yet given), furniture: John didn't let sentiment or utility stand in his way. Soon his belongings were sold all over the world, with a bag of PorkyÕs BBQ Pork Skins making its way to Japan, and a chair ending up in the Museum of Modern Art. ' And then he made a book about it.

Cool, right??? I went to amazon to buy the book used. I found it for 49 cents, and was about to buy it, when I stopped myself. I decided to check and see if my local library had it and they did, so I put it on reserve....more in the spirit of what I'm trying to do.

As inspired by this facinating gentleman, John Freyer, I decided to do a sweep of my clothing and get rid of things I wasn't wearing anymore. I'm not selling them on ebay, but I did donate the following to the Salvation Army:

1 pair of jeans, 2 purses, 3 t-shirts, 3 dresses, 2 pants, 8 tank tops, 2 shirts, 3 books, 5 shorts, 2 knick nacks, 2 sweatshirts, and a vest.

And you know what? I'll bet you I won't miss any of it.

-Courtney

H&M and Walmart - REALLY?????

I wasn't planning to write today, but I saw this New York times article featured on yahoo this morning, and my mouth dropped to the floor.

Here's an excerpt:

At the back entrance on 35th Street, awaiting trash haulers, were bags of garments that appear to have never been worn. And to make sure that they never would be worn or sold, someone had slashed most of them with box cutters or razors, a familiar sight outside H & M’s back door.

Please read it, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/nyregion/06about.html

I don't think I need to comment on it. It speaks for itself. I am just so saddened to learn that major cooperations would choose to spend their time making clothes/shoes unusable than to reach out to a poverished city that needs them more than ever.

-Courtney

My Marriage & Money

The other day my horoscope read, “This is a good day for a carefree lunch with friends or a quick shopping expedition.”

Don’t worry, I picked the lunch.

It was nice to catch-up with an old friend. When I told her about this project and my resolve not to buy anything new this year, she was puzzled. She seemed concerned:

“But shopping is such a great form of entertainment. Won’t you be bored?”

I blew the question off and gave her some bullshit answer claiming that shopping has never been a form of entertainment for me. But later, as I was driving home, I realized how untrue my response was.

I’ve used shopping as a form of amusement for years. And if I’m totally honest with myself, shopping has been a foundation of my relationship with my husband, Brian.

While we were dating and during the first couple years of our marriage, Brian and I shopped like it was a sport. And it was a thrill… a turn-on, even. We would "one-up" each other. It became a game. I bought the newest Mac computer. He purchased a Mustang. We were both drunk on the power that comes with that first “real-job” paycheck.

But we got carried away. Soon, our income wasn’t enough and we started buying on credit. Things added up, and quick. Before we knew what had happened, we were tens of thousands of dollars in debt. And then Brian unexpectedly lost his job. We moved back to Pittsburgh, our hometown, ashamed. Embarrassed.

For us, the financial downturn happened a few years before the recession hit the rest of the country. Before it was trendy to do things like “live on a budget” or “go without”. Still, despite the pressures and numerous temptations to buy more, we changed our spending patterns dramatically. Got out of debt. And built a respectable savings. We had really changed. We were now fiscally evolved creatures, Right? Wrong.

As recently as December 2009, we killed an entire Saturday at the mall. Granted, we bought everything with cash rather than on credit, but I don’t even remember what we purchased. I guess I still have a little work to do.

So, for me, this year is about owning-up to my spending habits and breaking destructive patterns.

I can’t wait to spend time with Brian rather than spending money with him.

~Stacey

Enough is enough for me

Day 7 and a week in! I'm doing good.

So strange...I was standing in line at the grocery store last night, and I don't know how to really describe this, but I'm looking at the stuff they have by the registers...the last minute stuff they get you to buy. The stuff that makes you go, "Oooo! yeah. I need that!" ...the stand with the razors and gum, the magazines and dental floss, and phone cards... And I started staring at this stuff like I was an alien or the stuff was alien to me.

And I just got offended for a minute. I was standing there, offended because whoever set up this stand thought that my shopping wasn't good enough. Like they were saying to me, "Hey, Dumb-o, you forgot this, or you didn't buy up to the American standard. We need you to buy more."

But the truth is, I got the milk and cheese I needed. And I don't need your stupid beef jerky or advil.

And in the midst of my staring, the kind gentleman behind me had to nudge me and tell me it was my turn to pay. I wonder what he thought I was thinking about.

Enough is enough for me, I guess.

-Courtney

It's not you, it's me!

Quick Update: I just spent the last 35 minutes unsubscribing to retailers' e-newsletters. About 15 in all. It feels freeing. And I'm looking forward opening my email without being tempted to buy yet another yoga tank or bestseller. You should try it, really! :) ~Stacey

I Shop Like a Dude Now

I don't mean to be boring, but it's Day 5 and this has not been a challenge for me at all. I hope you 6 followers aren't sitting at the edge of your seats, hoping I'll slip up or binge shop, or whatever else I could do to screw this up. Now, that being said, it still is only Day 5, and anything can still happen.

On another note, I do need to say that this process is exceeding all expectations of what I thought it would mean to me. I am looking at it on a much larger scale, not only at the material things that come in and out of my life. This project has me thinking about all the excess in my life. In a fabulous way. For example, I realized that the phone plan Mike and I share has 1400 minutes. And that seems like a hell of a lot. So I called Verizon this morning, and realized we'd only been using 300-some minutes between the two of us. Incredible! So, I downsized to the 700 minute plan, and am saving us 20 bucks a month. Not bad.

I feel so expansive. So free. It sounds silly, but I really feel like I have this whole weight off my shoulders. Like I have less to do because I have less to buy and carry around with me. I wasn't expecting this at all. Last night, I went to Big Lots to buy wine (In California, Big Lots has tons of $3-4 bottles of California wine.) In the past, I would have picked up the wine and then walked up and down the aisles looking for whatever else I might need. But I can't buy any of that stuff any more, so I walked in, got my wine, and walked out. Like a dude would. Guys, for the most part, go into a store, get what they need, and get out. And I love that. I love my new dude way of shopping.

-Courtney

Hi, my name's Stacey and I'm a magazine addict.

Here we are, day four and I'm already amazed at what I'm learning about myself as a consumer.

I've never been the kind of girl to buy expensive clothes or worry much about brand name items (except for Lulu, of course). But when it comes the the small things, the impulse buys, I go crazy without even noticing it.

Like on Sunday, I was doing my weekly grocery shopping and without realizing it, I had put two cooking magazines into my cart. A habitual (and completely unnecessary) purchase for me. It felt good the put them back on the rack. And I saved about $10 in the process.

To breaking my magazine habit! ~Stacey

Target and a Moon Hike

Day two. Smooth sailing.

A lot of this year for me will be about not going into stores. And the time I would have spent shopping is this gift of free time I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Like today, I went to Target to return a dress that I didn't end up wearing on New Year's eve. And normally, I'd return the dress and then go into the store and spend around 20-30 bucks on things I didn't really need. And I'd waste 20-30 minutes of time doing so. But instead of doing that today, I went home and spent 20-30 minutes reading, which felt like a better use of my time.

Tonight, my boyfriend Mike and I went on a moon hike. (For all of you Californians, I totally recommend it. Check out Devil's Punchbowl, which is about 1 hr and 15 min from Los Angeles.) I don't know if its just because this blog was on my mind, but we got to the top of the hill and we were looking out at the full moon above a bed of stars, and I started thinking about all the crap we surround ourselves with... how our lives are cluttered with stuff: pictures and decorations, instruments we never played, and dvds we'll never watch again, and how it just makes me feel suffocated sometimes. Being out under the moon and seeing the land around me, hows vast and powerful and empty it was made me feel like I could breathe cleanly. And I don't feel like I can breathe that way when I come home and see my overstocked life.

Just a thought.

-Courtney

Here goes... nothing!

It was the first time I'd seen Courtney in almost a year. A long-awaited reunion with my best friend. I had no idea our visit would lead to such a radical New Year's resolution, but when she told me about the conversation she had with Vytas and her intention to follow his lead, I knew I had to join her on this journey.

Of course, as soon as I decided to commit to this project I granted myself one last consumer binge. Here's what I bought on December 31st, 2009:

• 1 book from Amazon (Save The Cat! - for the screenplay I've been putting off writing, but just know I'll get to this year).
• 2 pairs of yoga pants (that I will not wear until later in the year when I just need to pull a tag off of something).
• Glee, Season 1 (Hey, we all have our vices!)
• Amazon pre-order of Elizabeth Gilbert's new book, Committed. (I'm not sure if this is cheating since the book will not be released until Jan. 5th, but I'm taking my chances.)

This isn't going to be easy, but I'm ready... I think.

~Stacey

And so, we begin!

So, here we go! But before we begin, I'd like to explain how this really started. Two years ago, about this time of year, I asked my yoga teacher Vytas if he had any New Year resolutions.

"Oh, sure," he began. "I'm not going to buy anything new this year."

'Are you crazy??' I thought. 'But we need stuff!'

But do we really? I began thinking about it. And this is what I came up with:

We need food, shelter, and sleep. Maybe a friend or two. And that's really it.

Last year, I noticed a change in my habits. The economy had something to do with it, but a lot of it came from asking myself why I wanted to buy this thing I didn't need or this shirt that I'd wear once and forget about. I began to love the hunt of finding stuff at the thrift store. I started buying more things used. I liked the idea that I was making use of things that were already in our consumer cycle.

But mostly, I found that the less stuff I accumulated, the more complete my life felt. I didn't miss anything that I had thought about buying.

So this year, I'm going balls out. I'm making a plan to not buy anything new. The point is not to challenge myself, but to live more simply. I think. :)

Wish me luck!

Courtney