100 Day No Buy Challenge Slumber Party (General Chat)

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I didn't join the no buy since I'm on a low buy but I have been keeping up with the thread to stay strong. I just read a Forbes article "The real Cost of Your Shopping Habit" and it really hit me. Shopping as a hobby or stress reducer really adds to the stress. Bottom line, I could be working in a job I love instead of working in a job that pays what I need to support a shopping hobby. I've really tried to change my lifestyle in the past two years and it's only now starting to show. Less house cleaning cause there's less clutter, better quality goods instead of quantity, less "spaving" (aka spend to save) to use up coupons. But all this stuff didn't accumulate overnight and it's a journey to get where I want to be. I'm happy that I can pass on this "essentialist" way of life to my family. I'm not against buying, I'm against waste & excess. We live in an excessive society and it's a constant struggle to simplify. I'm trying to break the cycle in my own life. You ladies are a constant inspiration to me. Thank you!

 
Oshare-girl said:
I've really tried to change my lifestyle in the past two years and it's only now starting to show. Less house cleaning cause there's less clutter, better quality goods instead of quantity, less "spaving" (aka spend to save) to use up coupons. But all this stuff didn't accumulate overnight and it's a journey to get where I want to be.
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Everything here is what I'm striving for. I'm glad all of you post such profound thoughts. I love how we are all viewing this as a lifestyle change, not just  a no-buy for not buying's sake. It's multidimensional in what it's doing for us.

I've definitely found it's already starting to be easier to resist GWP and coupons if I know I have to spend either way. And for the first time in a long time, my beauty wishlist only has 5 items on it. Heck, who knows, maybe by tomorrow it'll jump up again, but.... anyway, I love it!

 
Oshare-girl said:
I didn't join the no buy since I'm on a low buy but I have been keeping up with the thread to stay strong. I just read a Forbes article "The real Cost of Your Shopping Habit" and it really hit me. Shopping as a hobby or stress reducer really adds to the stress. Bottom line, I could be working in a job I love instead of working in a job that pays what I need to support a shopping hobby. I've really tried to change my lifestyle in the past two years and it's only now starting to show. Less house cleaning cause there's less clutter, better quality goods instead of quantity, less "spaving" (aka spend to save) to use up coupons. But all this stuff didn't accumulate overnight and it's a journey to get where I want to be. I'm happy that I can pass on this "essentialist" way of life to my family. I'm not against buying, I'm against waste & excess. We live in an excessive society and it's a constant struggle to simplify. I'm trying to break the cycle in my own life. You ladies are a constant inspiration to me. Thank you!
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So much THIS. This is totally what I am striving for. Less consumerism in General is our goal. We could do so much more with our money. We could retire earlier if we saved more instead of mindlessly spending on small things that aren't small at all when you add in all the other small things.

 
Natasha01 said:
So much THIS. This is totally what I am striving for. Less consumerism in General is our goal. We could do so much more with our money. We could retire earlier if we saved more instead of mindlessly spending on small things that aren't small at all when you add in all the other small things.
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I have found since I've been on this no-buy, that I'm much more aware of how many "little things" I purchase - $6 for a coffee here, $10 for lunch there, and 2 extra things at the shop when I only wanted to get milk............  All these "little things" certainly add up!

 
@@ellabella10 YES!  I've been so much better about not tacking on 5 more things when I'm "just picking up a gallon of milk".  Now I just get the milk and get OUT!  No sense in tempting myself by wandering the aisles and adding chips, an individual drink, hm, we might be out of green beans better get some of those, ooh and a nail polish because why not?  Then I'm spending $20 instead of $3.  

Now, I just spend $3.  And it feels good!

 
magicalmom said:
@@ellabella10 YES! I've been so much better about not tacking on 5 more things when I'm "just picking up a gallon of milk". Now I just get the milk and get OUT! No sense in tempting myself by wandering the aisles and adding chips, an individual drink, hm, we might be out of green beans better get some of those, ooh and a nail polish because why not? Then I'm spending $20 instead of $3.

Now, I just spend $3. And it feels good!
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And you know what? I end up throwing out those add-ons cause I never had a plan for them in the first place and they go bad. I need to find a happy medium because now I wait until I'm completely out of something and then I end up making an extra trip to the store. Ack!

 
This doesn't really go in the 10-day thread because it's not a 10-day goal, but I had this idea at the beginning of the year that I wanted to actually use at least one thing per month that I already owned but hadn't touched before (or hadn't touched in a long time).

Well, the month was almost over and I was about to just skip January when I had an idea.  There is this recipe I love that has a lot of shredded butternut squash in it.  I wanted to make it and had gone so far as to roast a (large) squash for 15 minutes, peel it, de-gut it, and cut it into small chunks on Monday.  And today I thought, I don't want to use the cheese grater on all that.

And then I remembered my food processor has a shredding blade.  I have had the food processor for years and have never used this blade.  I dug it out and cleaned it off and tried it.  And that thing is AMAZING.  A squash that would've taken 30 minutes to grate by hand was done in under 1 minute.  I got so much out of it, I made a triple recipe of the squash cakes I wanted to make.  I have another dinner and at least one lunch still, even after having eaten rather a lot of what I made.

Now I am like planning ahead for when I go to the Korean market on Saturday (that's where I buy produce).  What else can I shred (or slice, since I have one of those blades, too)?  Sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, zucchini, kale (?), cheese (?), etc., etc.  How did it take me so long to discover this magical thing?

 
Oshare-girl said:
And you know what? I end up throwing out those add-ons cause I never had a plan for them in the first place and they go bad. I need to find a happy medium because now I wait until I'm completely out of something and then I end up making an extra trip to the store. Ack!
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That was pretty much my grocery buying habits before January.  Buy a bunch of stuff I don't need, it goes bad, end up having to go to the grocery store 5x anyway to get the one ingredient I *did* need once I figured out what I was making.

At the beginning of the year I started menu planning (shortly before each paycheck, I figure out what we're going to eat each night, look up the recipe, make a shopping list from those recipes, eliminating what I already have in the pantry.  Shop *only* from that list, without extras.)  I have saved so much time, money, and absolute AGGRAVATION for myself just in this month that I'm honestly annoyed that I never did menu planning before.  Plus I'm trying all kinds of new recipes, eating healthier, and feeling better. I still end up at the grocery store once or twice, but it's to pick up things we naturally run out of (like milk, eggs, or bread) and not half of my hastily decided dinner recipe!

 
SneakyBurrito said:
This doesn't really go in the 10-day thread because it's not a 10-day goal, but I had this idea at the beginning of the year that I wanted to actually use at least one thing per month that I already owned but hadn't touched before (or hadn't touched in a long time).

Well, the month was almost over and I was about to just skip January when I had an idea.  There is this recipe I love that has a lot of shredded butternut squash in it.  I wanted to make it and had gone so far as to roast a (large) squash for 15 minutes, peel it, de-gut it, and cut it into small chunks on Monday.  And today I thought, I don't want to use the cheese grater on all that.

And then I remembered my food processor has a shredding blade.  I have had the food processor for years and have never used this blade.  I dug it out and cleaned it off and tried it.  And that thing is AMAZING.  A squash that would've taken 30 minutes to grate by hand was done in under 1 minute.  I got so much out of it, I made a triple recipe of the squash cakes I wanted to make.  I have another dinner and at least one lunch still, even after having eaten rather a lot of what I made.

Now I am like planning ahead for when I go to the Korean market on Saturday (that's where I buy produce).  What else can I shred (or slice, since I have one of those blades, too)?  Sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, zucchini, kale (?), cheese (?), etc., etc.  How did it take me so long to discover this magical thing?
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I love the grater blade on a food processor! Cheese works well, basically anything that you would normally grate will work. It's so fast too, the only downside for me is washing it because my food processor is huge. Like a big 13 cup one.

 
Kelly Silva said:
the only downside for me is washing it because my food processor is huge. Like a big 13 cup one.
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Ah, I have the 7-cup Cuisinart.  I just rinse the bits of vegetable off (or scrape the biscuit/bread/whatever dough) off and throw the parts in the dishwasher (no-heat dry).

 
magicalmom said:
That was pretty much my grocery buying habits before January.  Buy a bunch of stuff I don't need, it goes bad, end up having to go to the grocery store 5x anyway to get the one ingredient I *did* need once I figured out what I was making.

At the beginning of the year I started menu planning (shortly before each paycheck, I figure out what we're going to eat each night, look up the recipe, make a shopping list from those recipes, eliminating what I already have in the pantry.  Shop *only* from that list, without extras.)  I have saved so much time, money, and absolute AGGRAVATION for myself just in this month that I'm honestly annoyed that I never did menu planning before.  Plus I'm trying all kinds of new recipes, eating healthier, and feeling better. I still end up at the grocery store once or twice, but it's to pick up things we naturally run out of (like milk, eggs, or bread) and not half of my hastily decided dinner recipe!
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Yes!  We absolutely have to make a menu plan for the week or we waste so much food.  The funny part is: we rarely stick to the plan.  We usually end up using the ingredients in a totally different way than intended.  I think the key is that making a plan limits your choices.  Too many options can be paralyzing.  

 
I have gotten out of the habit of meal planning and definitely need to start again. Yes, studies have shown that having to make too many little decisions causes brain fatigue and makes it harder to focus on important decisions. Also saw an ironic post on FB that many designers have a "daily uniform" that they always wear instead of wearing their own designs. Keeps the creative juices fresh for their work.

 
magicalmom said:
That was pretty much my grocery buying habits before January.  Buy a bunch of stuff I don't need, it goes bad, end up having to go to the grocery store 5x anyway to get the one ingredient I *did* need once I figured out what I was making.

At the beginning of the year I started menu planning (shortly before each paycheck, I figure out what we're going to eat each night, look up the recipe, make a shopping list from those recipes, eliminating what I already have in the pantry.  Shop *only* from that list, without extras.)  I have saved so much time, money, and absolute AGGRAVATION for myself just in this month that I'm honestly annoyed that I never did menu planning before.  Plus I'm trying all kinds of new recipes, eating healthier, and feeling better. I still end up at the grocery store once or twice, but it's to pick up things we naturally run out of (like milk, eggs, or bread) and not half of my hastily decided dinner recipe!
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Taking this one step further to eliminate as much waste as possible, we take a look at what is already in our pantry, fridge, and freezer before planning meals for the next week. We look to see what recipes we can make that will use the most ingredients that we already have on hand, then figure out the rest of the stuff that we need to complete the recipe. That is what goes on our list to buy. This has saved us huge amounts of both money and time at the grocery store. We have only thrown out a half of a head of cauliflower since starting this.

 
Yes!  I've had this bunch of cilantro last me a whole month now!  Plus I'm cooking chicken in the crockpot, and shredding it because 1/2 the recipes I find online start list "cooked shredded chicken" as the first ingredient.  Hellooooo, all I have is frozen raw stuff.  It's put me in a whole new mindset of being prepared and building a stock of staple ingredients in my pantry.  I'm still building it for now, but I've vastly increased my ability to cook Asian, Italian, and Mexican foods without having to buy every ingredient on the list.  

Totally looking forward to when I only have to buy meat, produce, and pantry replacements!

 
magicalmom said:
Yes!  I've had this bunch of cilantro last me a whole month now!  Plus I'm cooking chicken in the crockpot, and shredding it because 1/2 the recipes I find online start list "cooked shredded chicken" as the first ingredient.  Hellooooo, all I have is frozen raw stuff.  It's put me in a whole new mindset of being prepared and building a stock of staple ingredients in my pantry.  I'm still building it for now, but I've vastly increased my ability to cook Asian, Italian, and Mexican foods without having to buy every ingredient on the list.  

Totally looking forward to when I only have to buy meat, produce, and pantry replacements!
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So...I don't know if you have a kitchenaid stand mixer, but I just recently learned that you can shred cooked chicken with it. The chicken needs to be hot and you use the dough hook attachment. I did this on Tuesday night and it was so amazing how well it worked.

 
On January 1, 2015  I started "day one" of my no-buy experience with a warm bath, a lovely sheet mask, a bit of a cold, and thankfully no hangover since I was the designated driver the night before.  The sheet mask was something I had and for some strange reason, I was afraid to use it.  It seemed like one of those things we hold onto for someday special.  Using the sheet mask was me stepping outside my comfort zone.  The sheet mask smelled refreshing, it made my skin feel smooth, and at some point I look forward to purchasing this product though that probably won't be until later this year and that's totally ok.  I am in absolutely no rush to buy beauty products even if I am in love with a particular product.

Rather than shopping, spending money, and accumulating more things - I have been focusing my time and energy on using the products I have accumulated.  I don't feel the least bit deprived and this has been a positive experience.  There has been the odd product which has been disappointing like the face moisturizer sample from Sephora that smelled like dill pickles.  I also discovered that liquid lipsticks vary by brand - they most definitely are not created equally.  Trying new products and discovering things I would like to buy in the foreseeable future but not immediately is more exciting and more satisfying than shopping.  I feel more in control of myself and I feel like I am getting a clearer picture of my own likes and dislikes.  

When I buy beauty products after this 100 day challenge is over, I know will be able to make more informed decisions.  

 
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