November 26, 2003

Features e¢ theother press ©

Spend a Day Without Spending

Too often, we shop to fill time or some kind of inner

void; we shop to make ourselves feel good, to impress

people; and sometimes we shop because advertisers have convinced us that we need to.

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Lynn Paus OP Contributor

It’s a simple idea—buy nothing for one day. The official Buy Nothing Day takes place a day after the American Thanksgiving holiday. This day was chosen because it is simultaneously the busiest shopping day south of the border and the kick-off day of Christmas shopping mania. Started 12 years ago by the Vancouver-based Media Foundation, Buy Nothing Day has mushroomed into an international “celebration of consumer aware- ness and simple living.” On November 28 this year, we are challenged to close our wallets, take a break from spending, and experience 24 hours of living a more sim- ple life. Are you up for it?

It isn’t easy to take a one-day break from the shop-‘til- you-drop culture we live in. We are inundated daily with messages urging us to buy things—things we often don’t really need and aren't crazy about once we have. According to the “opt-not-to-shop” television and radio ads for Buy Nothing Day, North Americans are “the most voracious consumers in the world.” Buy Nothing Day is an opportunity for us to become aware of the impact our spending has on our lives, the environment, and society in general. Buy Nothing Day is “the one day a year we turn off the economy and talk about it.”

Since its inception, Buy Nothing Day has been the focus of negative publicity and debate. Each year, the major American television networks ABC, CBS, and NBC have refused to run Buy Nothing Day ads and both small and large business interests around the world fear the campaign will affect the economy negatively. A one- day consumer fast is unlikely to cause more than a tem- porary blip in the economy, though, even if everyone in the world stopped spending for just one day. In spite of

the

hype from

the more radical supporters of Buy Nothing Day, the goal is not to bring the economy to a halt—it is to encourage discussion, create awareness, and promote exploration of alternative ways for people to spend their time and money.

Think about the last ten things you purchased. Where they really necessary? The Buy Nothing Day 2002 cam- paign in Seattle distributed the following checklist to help shoppers evaluate items they were thinking of pur- chasing:

Checklist for Shopping

* Do I need it?

* How many do I already have?

¢ How much will I use it?

¢ How long will it last?

* Could I borrow it from a friend or family member?

* Can I do without it?

¢ Am I able to clean, lubricate, and/or maintain it myself? ¢ Am I willing to?

¢ Will I be able to repair it?

* Have I researched it to get the best quality for the best

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¢ How will I dispose of it when I’m done using it?

¢ Are the resources that went into it renewable or non-renewable? * Is it made from recycled materials, and is it recyclable?

¢ Is there anything that I already own that I

could substitute for it?

If we worked through this list of questions honestly when deciding whether to buy an item, we would likely make fewer unnecessary purchases. How often do any of us take the time to do this type of analysis before decid- ing to buy? Too often, we shop to fill time or some kind of inner void; we shop to make ourselves feel good, to impress people; and sometimes we shop because adver- tisers have convinced us that we need to. It is this type of unconscious and habitual spending that Buy Nothing Day wants to bring to our attention.

The organizers of Buy Nothing Day would like us to change our spending habits for a longer period than one day per year, and their message and the challenge to con- sumers is clear: consume less—period. They remind us that many things worth having in life often don’t cost any money at all. They encourage us to spend time with fam- ily and friends instead of spending money. There is no right way to celebrate Buy Nothing Day, but the main idea is to do something—anything that you can support and feel good about. Keeping our wallets closed and tak- ing a 24-hour break from spending on November 29 just seems like a good place to start.

Links <http://adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd/>

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