Do the Opposite #44 - Join Me in #BuyNothingYear, Avoid Tourist Traps, Minimize Distractions

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Join Me in "Buy Nothing Year"

Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash

For 2020 I've decided to commit to a Buy Nothing Year challenge. I want to invite you to join me if you feel inclined after reading some of the reasoning and the rules below.

Why?
Two reasons: frugality and minimalism. In the last couple of years my wife Ani and I have been going through our possessions with an intention to get rid of the ones we don't really need and to only leave the ones we use and enjoy. By getting rid of, we mean: 1) donate them 2) sell them 3) if they are no good, throw them away.

Thus, we got rid of literal bags upon bags of clothing that has accumulated over the years. We got rid of some furniture we didn't really use. I've given away some books I've already read and didn't plan on re-reading.

I used to love buying physical books and arranging them on my bookshelves. I would get excited about a book, buy it in the store, read a couple of chapters and forget it because I just bought another shiny, new book in the store a week later. As I wrote a couple of DTO newsletters ago, books were my 'gazingus pins', which means that at least half of the time I went to a book store I would walk out with a newly purchased book even if I didn't plan on buying it at all.

Alex, why would you buy physical books when you could get e-books for much cheaper? How about the library? Well, to be really (uncomfortably) honest, I think it's because when guests come to our place they would see the bookshelves filled with books and think I was smart and we would have intelligent conversations about our opinions on certain authors, books and topics. Another, even more insidious, reason is that I always remember my childhood: how fun it was for me to find good books on our bookshelves at my parents' home, and I would want the same for my future children.

As part of the changes I made to adopt a minimalist lifestyle however, about a year ago I've decided not to buy any physical books anymore. I was surprised at how easy that change was for me! So this year I am taking it a step further, for both continuing to shed the unnecessary stuff off of my life and to save money to start investing it + make important larger purchases like buying a car.

Rules
Here are the rules I am adopting:
1) I won't buy anything for myself throughout the whole 2020. No new books, no new gadgets, no new clothing.
2) I will only buy things to replenish the ones that I run out of. For example, if I run out of shampoo, I will buy another bottle to replace it, but I will not buy a different shampoo while I haven't finished the one I have.
3) If I run out of something or if an item breaks, I will first try to see if I can live without it, and if yes, I will not buy it again.

Exceptions
1) I don't want to force my wife to suffer through these limitations just because suddenly I've decided to do this challenge. She might get inspired and consume less along with me, but all of that will be of her own volition and desire.
2) We are planning to purchase a car for the family; a used car we are going to buy with cash (Mr. Money Mustache would be proud) and I will need to take driving lessons. This will be allowed in the challenge.
3) Software development courses and learning materials are also allowed. There is a catch however: I will only allow myself to purchase one if: a) I've completely finished the previous one AND b) I couldn't find a way to get that information for free through the library or by getting the company I work for to purchase the course.

If You Decide to Join
1) I've had to buy some underwear and socks to get ready for the challenge, so if you decide to join me for Buy Nothing Year, check if you have enough of the basics: t-shirts, underwear, socks, etc.
2) If you are going to tweet about it or post on Instagram about it, let's use #BuyNothingYear hashtag. Other people have already used but that's OK :) We will still find each other's tweets based by relevancy and timeframe! Let's have fun with it!
3) If you have any questions or looking for further discussion of this challenge, reply to this email and I will get your feedback and we can figure it out together!
4) Life is complicated and often throws unexpected events/changes your way, so be ready to adapt the challenges for whatever comes. Whatever it is, you can figure it out! This challenge is not one of those clearly cut ones where you can anticipate everyone's situation and circumstances, so feel free to also bend the rules to make them fit your life.
5) If you decide to join, here's your sample text to copy to Twitter. "I am joining @ka11away for the #BuyNothingYear challenge! It's a fun way to live a simpler life and save money! Join us!"

VIDEO + Join the Do the Opposite YouTube Channel!
I am also planning to film a short video about the challenge for the Do the Opposite YouTube channel! Did you know about it? Subscribe to it because in 2020 I will be releasing a video there every week, and they will cover very similar topics as we cover here in the newsletter :) I am not good at editing and filming yet, but I hope to figure that out along the way :)

Articles

1) "Money Mustache vs. Tourist Trap" by Mr. Money Mustache
I am continuing to work in the mines of the MMM blog archive, reading every article, so that I can bring you some gold each week. This post contains some great advice on how to stay frugal (i.e. to not overspend) when travelling, which can be very challenging even for experienced savers. The upside is that by following the advice in the article you will end up with a much more interesting trip, lots of memorable experiences and a better understanding of the local culture and life. As opposed to what regular tourists are doing, lining up for a standard, overpriced and artificial experiences and excursions. Take your travels into your own hands!

2) "Time is Personal. Your Year Changes When Your Life Changes." by Derek Sivers
Derek brings an important issue to our attention. We shouldn't try to measure all of our life's milestones and progress on specific calendar dates, like New Year. Yes, it makes sense to do a yearly review and assess how the year went, but it's a mistake to judge ourselves harshly based on the calendar year alone. If you started exercising regularly in November and have been consistent in it, don't think that you've wasted 10 out of 12 months of the year. This issue is why so many people (including me, often) commit to too many life changes starting in the beginning of the year (known as New Year's Resolutions) and give up in a couple of weeks on majority of them, completely overwhelmed and slightly burnt out. If you want to make a specific change in your life, don't wait for some special date to start. Start on any day and, if you want, mark that day and what it means to you in your notebook.

3) "Muscle Over Motor" by Mr. Money Mustache
It's surprising how many of the household items we own and pay for are just silly little conveniences. By choosing to go without some of them and do the work with our own hands/legs, we a) save money b) get stronger and healthier through the exercise c) feel more accomplished and content d) save the Earth and ecology by not using the fuel/energy required to operate the appliance.

Videos

1) "Minimize Distractions | Beginning Minimalism" by Kyle Pugliese
A little inspiration from Kyle for getting rid of some of the stuff you think you need but you don't. A nice touch is how he takes us behind the scenes of some of the changes he made in his own life.

2) "What Happens To Your Body When You Start Exercising Regularly | The Human Body" from Tech Insider
If you're looking for more reasons to start exercising more, this nice little video will do the trick!


Tweet of the Week

Ethos

Quotes

"The future has many names. For the weak, it's unattainable. For the fearful, it's unknown. For the bold, it's ideal."
― Victor Hugo

"They intoxicate themselves with work so they won’t see how they really are."
― Aldous Huxley

"The best way to change your life is to find people who’ve already achieved what you want and then model their behaviour"
― Tony Robbins

"Success leaves cues. People who succeed at the highest level are not lucky; they’re doing something differently that everyone else does"
― Tony Robbins (Ahem... advocating for us to Do the Opposite! :)

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Keep doing the opposite,
Alex Kallaway
Website: dotheoppo.site
Twitter: twitter.com/ka11away