I decided last night. . .

. . .that I am going to attempt to buy nothing new in 2014. This idea started a few weeks ago when NPR was doing a series on "where our clothes come from." A Columbian woman was speaking of how she cherished her few-dollars-a-day job in a Hanes sweat shop. Soon this plant was going to close, the woman was aware, because Hanes could find labor even cheaper in Asia. I am a middle class American. I have wiggled a little bit from the top of the middle-middle class to the to the bottom of the top-middle. But let's face it, by the world's standards I am rich. I am among the top 10% that use 90% of the world's resources. At the same time, I have lived and am influenced the life of the Catholic Worker. We attempt to live simply. We set boundaries to attempt to use less resources. Yet I by no means live radically. By my friends and families standards, I may be considered a little thrifty. Speaking of thrift, I love thrift stores. If I do shop at a regular clothes store, ie Gap, I head straight for the sale rack and have fun seeing if I can find something cheap. I really have a blast at Marshalls. I love groupons, and redeeming silly deals and usually make out pretty well. But still, I realized, as I was listening to this woman on NPR, I contribute to her poverty. I feel partly stuck in our culture. It wasn't my fault I was born into the wealthiest country in the world. Yet, I wonder at the pearly gates how am I gonna feel? I envision a sea of eyes of the people that lived on earth in poverty looking at me and asking, "didn't you realize we were hungry?" Sure, I do, but I am not and that leaves me with time and energy for the decadence of wealth: shopping. Sometimes I buy new things out of convenience, who wants to scrub the mold (again) off my nalgene when a new one is 8 bucks. Most of these purchases are balanced by both perspectives:of those with less than me and those with more. I justify the nalgene with my core commitment not to buy bottled water. Just think 8 bucks is only 4 bottles of water. I am saving lots of money and wasting far less plastic. Some of my shopping is out of pleasure. It feels good to buy things. Not sure why this is? I know I like new clothes, partly because of creativity and feeling different. Partly because when I feel good in my physical body, it's more likely I will be having a great day. Lastly, I shop for others. But I do ponder how many of these gifts are truly treasured/wanted by the receiver. With Christmas a few days away, I am remembering it is just as graceful to receive as to give. On the other extreme, I could use my wealth to buylocal, fair trade items. But something about that and even about buying organic food, makes me feel a bit like I am deserting the poor. Not just the poor in other countries, but the poor I know here in Philly as my patients and neighbors. It seems that shopping and living in this new organic, fair trade, free range, grass fed, local way is very wealthy privileged way to live. And I am attempting to move down the social structure not up. I want to somehow be closer the 90% that I unknowingly and knowingly affect in my lifestyle. Besides, at my very core I am way too "cheap" to spend so much for items I know I can get cheaper. The answer? At least for now? Not buying at all, or buying second hand. I won't have contributed (as much) to the wasted natural recources in making a new item, nor the low wages of those that made it. And maybe I will be giving money to a cause, ie thrift stores linked to non profits, that actually helps someone. Or better yet, maybe repairing, reusing, something that is in my own house already. I am not a guilty person. I don't believe in feeling miserable or guilty about being wealthy. Nor is that my goal in this commitment in 2014 for myself or anyone reading this. The idea started as just not buying any new clothes for myself (because of this NPR interview.) But then I realized how in setting a broader boundary on buying maybe a really beautiful experience for me. I mean, I could really find most things I need in my house (somewhere.) AND our basement really does need cleaned out. So, I commit here in to buy nothing new in 2014. This excludes all usuable goods, food, drink, tape (Nori goes thru a roll a week), tolietries. It feels a bit like when I became a vegetarian and didn't really like meat to start with. I don't love shopping or new things. This is simply a boundary to help me live the way I want to and hopefully learn something. I don't consider it a huge sacrifice, more of an experiment that I may share thoughts on here in this blog. Consider this your warning if you usually get a birthday gift from me:) Okay I will end here, I have to go browse online for my new running shoes, only have 7 days until 2014. Seriously. I am wealthy enough to want to avoid foot fungus.