The Start of my Compact Adventure!

Welcome to my first ever blog!

I hope to share a few tips on how I try to eat healthy cheap meals, ‘make do and mend’ where I can and generally save cash wherever possible, but I will also be using the blog as a way to keep myself accountable for my spending, in the hope that having to share it with the world will curb any impulse buying or rash decision making!

I’m definitely frugal-in-training, I don’t have my wings yet but I do make an effort to consider alternative ways to cook, gift and shop in order to minimise impact on my wallet as well as the wider world. I love home-made and will have a go at most things if it means saving cash. More than that though, I’m trying to change the way we think about money and possessions in our home so that we buy only what we need, when we need it, rather than buying things because they’re pretty, shiny or in the sale.

I recently stumbled across the Compact movement, in which members vow to buy nothing new for a year. The only exceptions seem to be for food and underwear. The concept blew my mind. It reached me at a time when, post-Christmas, I was wrestling with a bounty of new books, toys and trinkets, trying to find a home for them when every cupboard/bookshelf/wardrobe/box/worktop was already filled to bursting and the only spare space seemed to be in the middle of the living room floor. I was becoming mentally as well as physically overwhelmed with the amount of STUFF we have in our home. Most of it can’t even be categorised; it’s just stuff! I’ve always had a bit of an issue with hoarding (which is a subject for another time!) and the idea of just not buying anything was so fresh and unexpected, it seriously challenged my perception of not only shopping but life in general. Consumerism is everywhere, advertising affects us every day, and I’m only just beginning to realise it. My youngest is obsessed with Hello Kitty. Which, as far as I can make out, is nothing more than a cute character printed onto any solid surface available. Where does that come from?! I never thought to question it until now but its just clever marketing and a reliance on kids buying into it.

I’m getting carried away on the big stuff now, sorry! Back to the Compact thing. Now, I’m not a big spender anyway. I’m a sucker for a bargain and as a Yorkshire girl, I won’t pay over the odds for ‘owt, but I do treat myself and the kids to things we really don’t need much too regularly. Charity shops are my weak spot. The treasures that are to be found in there! My daughter is also a big fan and can spend hours twirling in and out of the changing rooms, trying on clothes anything from aged 3 to 12 and being cooed at by old ladies. And when a sparkly Next dress can be purchased for £2, how can I say no?! But the point is, she has about 14 sparkly Next dresses hanging in her wardrobe and only ever wears 3 of them. I don’t want to force my children into a nothing-new pact; I want to make them aware of my choices without them growing to resent them. My son is 10 years old and I’m already wary of him being like the ‘About a Boy’ boy in his hand-knitted hat and scarf so if he wants new trainers when he starts high school, he’ll get them. But by not endorsing consumerism in my lifestyle, I’m hoping the kids will pick something up from that and develop a healthy relationship with money and possessions as they grow. We shall see!

So, I’m in! I will buy nothing new for the whole of 2013. I’m sure I’ll trip up occasionally, but I’ll share it with you. And you can chastise me as necessary :-)

Happy New Year everyone! I look forward to sharing our non-consumerist experiences with you and hopefully inspire one or two people to think a little more about the purchases they make.

Si thi. xx