The Challenge:

After watching "No Impact Man" I became inspired- not by Colin Beavan, a man who under took the challenge to make no net environmental impact for an entire year, but by his long suffering shopaholic wife Michelle Conlin. Michelle went along for the ride on her husband's one year eco-adventure. Prior to their undertaking, Michelle was a Marc Jacobs addict and probably more of a shopaholic then me.

But it made me think, I DO spend too much of my take home pay on clothes. And regardless of whether the clothes I buy are organic or fair trade, I AM still contributing to a lot of industrial waste. And there really is NO point. I have enough clothes, I don't need more. Perhaps I've grown tired of my clothes. Or perhaps I just don't feel like being creative. Whatever the reason, it all leads back to the fact that IF I made a little bit more of an effort, I could make do with what I have.

So I'm undertaking a Challenge of my own. I will not buy ANY clothing, accessories, or makeup for the next three months. So this Challenge will last until June 13th.... I will not buy ANYTHING new at all... so if I do need something (a study guide for law school, highlighters, etc.) I will try to buy it second hand.
Furthermore, I will not buy any food for the next month- so until April 13th. This is to encourage me to use up my dry goods- rice, beans, canned foods. I am not going to buy ANY food at all until I am completely out of everything I have (this includes flour!).

After I run out of food- I might try out the "On a Dollar a Day" plan for a month- it might be fun, and it definitely will make me more mindful of how other Americans in poverty are getting by.