Buy Nothing on Buy Nothing Day (In November)
Buy Nothing Day is the self-proclaimed festival of frugal living, a culture jammers jamboree. It’s a day where you challenge yourself, your family and friends to switch off from shopping and tune in to life!
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02 Nov 2005
I’m up for this. One day may not seem so challenging but perhaps it will feel different, raising consciousness every time I am about to buy something and then think, ‘No, not today’. That’s what happens to me when I clean my teeth. As I turn the tap on, then off.. and keep it off, I think of Generous. This is what consciousness raising is. And the more you do something, the more it becomes you.
Godalming, GB , 06 Nov 2005
I suppose this is a good one for people who walk past shops and kiosks every day and so tend to buy something, but there is at least one day, and sometimes more, most weeks when I don’t buy anything at all and hubby buys nothing most days, so if 26th November happens to be a good day for us to do Christmas shopping (ethical and sustainable etc as far as possible) or for hubby to look for much needed new trousers I’m afraid that’s probably what we will do. In fact I think we’ll be having visitors, so may need to buy food if we don’t manage to buy it all beforehand.
16 Nov 2005
I’ll have a go, though it may be harder than I think especially as it is a Saturday, which normally involve shopping and socialising. I will just have to be a bit more imaginative with my time or use it in a more productive way. As LondonWroes said it’s a way of raising your consciousness – will also be a way of raising the awareness of others perhaps, because this is quite an outward and noticeable thing to do.
Leicester, GB , 16 Nov 2005
On Buy Nothing Day last year I helped out on a stall in the centre of Oxford. Some people played music to the Christmas shoppers, we handed out leaflets explaining what we were donig to passers-by and made cards with some children and gave away cups of tea to their parents. It was a really good atmosphere. Unfortunately I ruined it all by going to the pub in the evening and buying a round of drinks. Oops.
Godalming, GB , 16 Nov 2005
Very generous, though, Ray. Trying not to give in to commercialism doesn’t have to mean being stingy. :0)
Kilkenny, IE , 17 Nov 2005
Londonwroes said it! every single little thing that an individual does means something. I too think of our generous community when I turn off the tap during the brushing teeth ritual! You can only act in your own time and place (and spread the word obviously!)
06 Dec 2005
this action was a good one to undertake, more for the way it gets you thinking about your innate consumerist instincts than whether you manage to down wallets completely on the day. And one of the problems with trying to not buy anything on a single day is that because all our consumption is so commonplace and routine, when you are bent on not doing it for even a day, you can appear a bit self-righteous in having to explain your apparently pompous self. I kept to the spirit of the day, but not in the end in a, er, fundamentalist, way. Principle is good though.
04 Apr 2006
We spent the day in town but went to the park,had a chilly outdoor picnic,looked at the shops in a different part of town from our usual drag. Went home and did a jigsaw as a family.Much better fun than I expected.
22 Aug 2006
Let’s do this one again.
I do it quite a lot but it’s called Lack of Money Day for me…
Lancaster, GB , 24 Nov 2006
I think this is a brilliant idea – if honoured more in the breach than in the observance for some of the reasons given here. We’re going to the theatre in the evening – it’s a local theatre which is often strapped for cash, so taking our own drinks for the interval seems a bit stingy. However, the rest of the day we can attempt not to buy anything – good thing I went shopping earlier in the week :-)
25 Nov 2006
hello lovely beautiful generous people,
why not go the whole hog and do a low-consumer christmas too ?
you’d be making carbon savings, and not accumulate so much STUFF in your home !
i’m trying not to spend any money today…let’s STOP SHOPPING for christmas too.
buy nothing day is recommended for BLACKOUT CHRISTMAS, along with buy nothing christmas.
be like zenta. when faced with the consumer madness of xmas, do the christmas santa zone-out and RISE ABOVE IT :-
http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/bnd_xmas http://www.buynothingchristmas.org http://www.revbilly.com
please join in with BLACKOUT CHRISTMAS too :-
http://www.blackoutlondon.net/html/blackout_christmas_2006.html
turn out the lights on 4th december 2006.
peace, love and contraction and convergence,
jo. +44 77 17 22 13 96 http://www.workface.org http://www.blackoutlondon.net
25 Nov 2006
hello lovely beautiful generous people,
why not go the whole hog and do a low-consumer christmas too ?
you’d be making carbon savings, and not accumulate so much STUFF in your home !
i’m trying not to spend any money today…let’s STOP SHOPPING for christmas too.
buy nothing day is recommended for BLACKOUT CHRISTMAS, along with buy nothing christmas.
be like zenta. when faced with the consumer madness of xmas, do the christmas santa zone-out and RISE ABOVE IT :-
http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/bnd_xmas http://www.buynothingchristmas.org http://www.revbilly.com
please join in with BLACKOUT CHRISTMAS too :-
http://www.blackoutlondon.net/html/blackout_christmas_2006.html
turn out the lights on 4th december 2006.
peace, love and contraction and convergence,
jo. +44 77 17 22 13 96 http://www.workface.org http://www.blackoutlondon.net
Gloucester, GB , 26 Nov 2006
Well I managed this – although more by accident I think. I didn’t think I’d do it, as it was a Saturday & there’s the supermarket etc…... BUT, due to work being undertaken on our house I only popped out briefly to take the children to (prepaid) swimming lesson & that was it! Went to the supermarket on Fri instead. Hubby spent £2 on some cement for a hole in the floor though…...
Cardiff, GB , 27 Nov 2006
Almost managed to do this (but not quite), and told some friends about it too. I think the principle is great and will try to apply it to more Saturdays on a personal basis.
28 Nov 2006
Sadly didn’t check my emails until a day too late, when I’d already spent Buy Nothing Day doing lots of shopping – new school shoes, food, a few Christmas ‘bargains’. I am trying not to go mad this Christmas though, not spending so much and also buying green prezzies where possible, or at least USEFUL prezzies rather than throw-away gimmicky stuff (yes, I have been guilty of that in the past – in fact my youngest son says this is his favourite kind of present …)
30 Nov 2006
We did this. We were going to take dd swimming but decided to go to the library instead. Then popped into Netto and quickly realised what I ‘d decided and headed out! The peoblem was that I ran out of milk and so couldn’t make what I wanted for tea and so we wer then stuck because i was already eeking things out till the mon to save going shopping twice in the week! Could have ended in disaster but was saved by frozen home made soup!
18 Oct 2007
It’s Saturday 24th November this year!
Darwen, GB , 10 Nov 2008
I first became aware of
Luton, GB , 10 Nov 2008
And this year November 29th in the UK.
buynothingday.co.uk
Darwen, GB , 10 Nov 2008
I first became aware of “buy nothing day” whilst shopping in Chester. A year or so later I saw a similiar event in Leeds. I used some of the literature as part of a presentation at college. I think it’s a very commendable idea and I will try to find a bunch of giveaways to donate to any group in my area that are doing this. I hope there is a group in the Blackburn / Bolton area.