Resolutions and Challenges

First I don't do New Year's resolutions. I know I won't stick with them. In fact I'm kind of a New Years scrooge when it comes to them. Now occasionally I will take the new year to overlook all my goals in life to see where I'm at with them, but usually only because someone asks in the form of a resolution post on a board. This takes it's form in other areas as well. Like I'm not resolving to start exersizing, but for a while I've been trying to figure out how to quit work and to start something as a family. Because of everyone else making their resolutions the Y is now offering no joiner's fee so we may join, not because it's a resolution, but because it's cheaper now then in 3 months. Although this is still undecided, I'll be crunching more numbers later and deciding how frugally I want to live in exchange for good health ;-)

Now on the Challenges front. I read this artical today. If your like me and never actually read the artical linked, it's about how a group of friends took the year of 2006 to not buy anything new with a few exceptions. I've actually been hearing about this movement for a while now both on frugal blogs and enviromental boards/blogs I read. Really I've challenged myself to reduce what I buy new a long time ago. I know not as dramatic, or newsworthy, but hey I'm not a cold turkey type of person. I will say I think we have also gotten some of the "rewards" the people in the artical do. I've also seen the Compact - Karma in action.

When I think back I honestly think I've probably bought less new each month then I could count on one hand. Now the last week I went a little nuts. I bought a shirt for DS that was on clearence cheaper then Goodwill, A box of 10 candles on clearence for $3.74, and some nice shelves to organize our basement, and today some makeup on sale for 50% off (I wonder if makeup and hair dye are part of their exceptions....yes growing out the gray thing fell apart). Still. I think I might just start keeping track of what I buy new (non food/toiletry items) and see how I stack up to those buying nothing. I guess I really had better quit my job!

So anyone else up to this challenge? If so I'll track my new from retail purchases online. Otherwise I can take a hint of lack of interest, and will do it in a notebook.