Tired of feeling like hamsters running on a wheel that never stops, Scott Dannemiller and his wife Gabby, parents of two children aged 5 and 7, decided one day to make a radical life change and set a goal: they decided to stop buying things for a year.
His challenge was not based on saving money, but on stopping buying unnecessary things and focusing on what is really important in life, spend time with those we love and connect with each other away from the consumerism that society imposes. In short, buy less and connect more. They got it and now they are happier, you could?
The challenge: "Year without a purchase"
In his blog The Accidental Missionary, Scott Dannemiller (@scottdannemiller) explains what the "Year Without A Purchase" challenge is and more extensively, he also does it in his book The Year withput a purchase: One Family's Quest To Stop Shopping and Start Connecting (The year without shopping: the adventure of a family that stopped buying and began to connect), where it tells the complete experience of his family.
The slogan was simple: do not buy things for a year, but with some points:
- You can only buy supplies to be consumed throughout that year
- Do not buy clothes ("we have enough to dress for a year")
- Anything that breaks can be repaired unless it is more expensive than replacing it with a new one.
- Finally, any gift will be made by hand or in the form of experience (a dinner together, a visit to the zoo, etc.)
And how did the children live it?
How can a child feel that he is absolutely not bought anything for a year? Can you imagine it with your children?
It was a challenge for the whole family, but contrary to what one might believe, the children who led him the best were the children. Curiously, the children didn't even notice. On the contrary, they gained more timeshare with their parents, they focused more on experiences instead of shopping, which made them grow as a family.
Soon it will be the birthday of the little girl, and instead of another stuffed horse, she asked to visit her uncle's farm and ride a horse. “Now, before buying something, we wonder if that will really make our life better or if it is something that will only take up space and what we will have to take care of,” says Scott.
They confess that there were four occasions during the year when they did not meet the challenge. When they bought his son a protector to play as a catcher in his basketball team, some new shoes, a new steam cleaner and fins that had been promised to his daughter if she could pass her swimming test. Four purchases "not so necessary" in a year is not bad, right?
Consumerism and the message we give to our children
We live in a tremendously consumerist society that makes us believe that a lot of things are essential to be happy, things that are not really necessary. Mobile phones, cars, clothes, shoes, toys, gadgets ... Without going any further, in the world of childcare there are endless items for babies that are unnecessary.
How many times will the parents have told the children "I don't buy you that toy because it is very expensive"? But what is the message we are giving you with this answer? That we need more money to be able to buy it, when what we have to transmit to them is Do we really need it? And of course, educate them on the concept that happiness is not in playing with that toy, but in sharing a moment of games together.
You could?
Perhaps these parents have taken it to the extreme, but I am sure that to the extent of our own possibilities, each family can see your own challenge "less consumption and more connection".
It is essential to educate our children in responsible consumption since they are little, avoid compulsive shopping and convey that the really important thing is not the material, but the people.
Definitely, decide to stop buying for a year It has been a great life lesson for this family. A lesson that has gone from being a challenge to becoming a lifestyle. As a dieter and lose a few kilos, then you have to maintain that change of habit to maintain the results. What do you think about the story, Could you meet the challenge of stop buying things for a year?
The Year Without a Purchase
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