No Personal Purchases Pledge

You’ve heard of Dry January, of course. Well, I’m no drinker, but I am a shopper, an excessive one. So, to get control of my out-of-control impulses, I’m conducting a bold experiment. For the entire month, I’m “on the wagon.” I am not buying anything I don’t truly need. In fact, I’ve made a No Personal Purchases Pledge. I’m still getting groceries and household goods, but if an item is a mere “want” versus a legitimate “need,” I cannot open my wallet or hit the “buy now” button on the computer.

No Personal Purchases Pledge

You would think it would be easy, but I’m jonesing, jonesing big time. My need for instant, gimme, gimme gratification is strong. I look out longingly as I see Amazon delivery trucks drive by without stopping at my door. I fight the urge to wave at the UPS and FedEx drivers as they pass. “Remember me?” I wonder.

In the former heady days leading up to the holidays, I shopped until I dropped in stores and online for gifts and for myself. If I saw a new nail polish color I liked, I ordered it without hesitation, and since free shipping requires a certain minimum purchase amount, I always bought a couple more. If I saw a sale for a favorite brand of sweaters, one or two would instantly go into my online shopping cart. Round and round I spun on my perpetual personal shopping merry-go-round.

The Panic, but Not the “Purchase” Button

Ten minutes before this self-imposed moratorium was set to begin at midnight on February 1, I fought the urge to jump up and make a last-minute purchase. I resisted, but barely. I did, however, start a “Wish List” complete with web links, and each day that list grows longer and longer. (Is this cheating?)

Today is Day 18 of my No Personal Purchases Pledge, and the struggle intensifies. Clearly, I am a materialist pig baby! To punish myself, each time the urge to splurge hits, I walk up and down a flight of stairs in my house. I think I’ve climbed the equivalent distance of the Empire State Building!

Gimme, Gimme!

And what is on the Want but Must Wait List, you may wonder? Mostly silly stuff — a pair of red Keds (What am I? Ten years old?) and a pair of scented Snow Cone earrings! Why I want those earnings, I cannot tell you — above and beyond, they are ridiculously cute and also, just plain ridiculous. Now, what makes no sense about me wanting to buy scented earrings is that I am highly allergic to perfumes.

Something to Sneeze At!

Just last night we went to a concert. We had the proverbial best seats in the house. All was grand until mere minutes before the program started, a woman sat down next to me, reeking of perfume. Within seconds, I started itching and sneezing and getting a massive headache. We had to make a mad dash to the ticket box to request different seats. So, snow cone scented earrings? A nonsensical non-starter at best!

The Greed … and The Beat … Go On!

I also have developed an urge for early American blues recordings, and by early, I mean, 1910s-1930s. This is because I’m reading a fabulous book, Do Not Sell at Any Price: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World’s Rarest 78 RPM Records by Amanda Petrusich, which explores the wild, competitive culture of devotees who search for prewar blues, jazz, and country 78 recordings. I don’t want to track down the elusive shellac recordings. I’ll be content with the CDs or digital versions, but even they are hard to find and are expensive!

How Many Days to Go?

So, as you can see, it is probably a good thing — a very good thing that I have put the brakes on my profligate spending. Now the only question is: can I last a whole month?

Happily, I wisely chose the shortest month of the year to conduct this experiment. So, I only need to survive 10 more days to survive my No Personal Purchase Pledge. So, again I ask: Can I make it? I think I can. I think I can I think can.

Maybe.