The Compact: A Pledge to Buy Nothing New

@MsRetro (249)
United States
January 20, 2007 9:35am CST
A group of friends in San Francisco took a pledge to buy nothing new for one year except medicine and food. All durable goods had to be bought used, made, traded or found. Could you do it? I'm pretty sure that I could, since so much of what I buy anyway I buy second-hand.
3 responses
brimia
@brimia (6581)
• United States
24 Jan 07
I think that's a great idea. We have such a disposable society. It would be good for your pocketbook and the environment if more people would reuse. I think I could do it...should we make a pledge here on myLot? :)
myslewis
@myslewis (286)
• Australia
29 Jan 07
did anyone take you up on this?
peavey
@peavey (16936)
• United States
23 Jan 07
I buy nothing new all the time, for the most part, but if anyone reads this and thinks they'd have a hard time doing it for a whole year, they could start with a week and then a month. I won't take a pledge to buy nothing new, but I'm sure I could do it.
myslewis
@myslewis (286)
• Australia
21 Jan 07
Great thread, thank you! I think this is a fantastic idea and personally would find it very easy cos I work from home. I wish more people would be mindful of what they buy but when I see the huge crowds at my local mall i despair. There seems to be a major epidemic of buying for the sake of buying - materialism is definitely in ascendancy. I already buy some of my clothes and housewares at the salvation army shop but there are some things necessary for my work I could not buy secondhand, but that is pretty minimal.