What am I doing? I will try not to shop for 365 days. Except... I can only buy things I can find in my local supermarket. In this year I am trying to discover how things are made, if I can make things, where things come from, how bartering works and many other things unknown to me. I want to be more aware of what I have and not just be in the race for the next new "must have".
Let me tell you a little about myself:
First of all, what I'm not:
I'm not particularly "granola". While I like some hippy, down to earth ideas, I think I'm just too sarcastic to ever become one.
I'm not a very political person... (or politically correct one :). Sure, I watch the news sometimes, admittidly more and more of them are delivered to me on facebook. I've never been politically active, it might be that I'm too lazy or pragmatic... or both.
Now that that's out of the way, lets see what I am:
I’m a city girl. I’ve always lived in a city, always loved fashion. Am I even able to sew, grow and make my own things?
I'm worried. For the last few years I've been bombarded by warning movies on facebook, youtube, news, etc. "Don't eat this... you'll die", "don't breath that, you'll... (yes, you've guessed it) die". It's all becoming a bit too much of "Alice in wonderland" for me. Are food, beauty and cleaning products becoming too toxic? Can I make them myself? Will I feel better after 365 days of using self made stuff?
I'm curious. My Pinterest is full of DIY projects I want to do (but never do, of course). Buying new things is just easier. Can I even make things myself? Sure, it looks easy online... but is it really? If I make my own skin creams will I not smell like a grocery store?
I'm nostalgic. I was born in Minsk (USSR). We didn't have many things back then so we looked after them. I remember my grandma washing plastic bags and drying them on a drying-line outside. My dad showed me how to fix a TV, my mom - how to use a sewing machine. Can we go back to this kind of simplicity or are we too used to the ease of throwing old things away without any attempt to fix them. Does it feel special to wear my grandmother's dress or will I long for new clothes?
I love to spend money. ...Which resulted in me not having any... Will making my own face cream save me money or not? Will buying fabric for a dress save any? Will I turn into a total shop-aholic after this experiment?
I'm worried (again?). While not being a too politically conscious person, I can't help but wonder how it is even possible to make a pair of jeans for 10 euros or buy a piece of meat for 2 euros. I just don't feel well knowing that someone has to (probably) suffer for my cheap choices.
So... That's basically why. Will I run screaming for the shops when this year is over? Can I even do it? Will I learn anything? Will I feel healthier? Will I get to know my community better? Will I save money? Let's see :)