Not buying anything for one year

"Another month passed. The urge to buy is decreasing. Sometimes I see good deals and I'm seduced in a jiffy. Mostly about clothes." Thus wrote Jannie Spruit on her blog Eenvoudigwit (in Dutch) in February 2012 about her initiative to not buy anything for one year.

Together with her family she switched to not buy anything (Dutch) except daily groceries. No stuff, no clothing. Soon her microwave broke, and later also the water kettle. She didn't buy a new one. Clothes she made herself. But she was to make some choices, for example school photos. Halfway through the year she bought something anyway...

"To have too many things. That makes you crazy. I don't just assert it, it's just the way. Always feeling the urge to have something new, it makes you crazy. That's why you will simply join me. You will not buy anything anymore. No, not even that one thing. I guarantee you that you will not be unhappy by this. Okay, it's been said. And besides, it's also one of the best things you've ever done for the environment."

Her initiative is very inspiring and it's fun to see that she's not the only one who is consciously not buying anything for a while. There is also the initiative Gewoon Genoeg (Dutch: Simply Enough). Jannie invites people who want to do something similar to put this nice logo online.

Don't buy anything new for one month

There is also a Dutch initiative to not buy anything new for one month. It was started in 2012 and takes place every October, the whole month. It might be a good way for you to join the experiment to reduce money's influence on your life.

A sunny day in the park. No need to buy anything here to have a great time.

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Daily saving tips

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Bartering

Bartering is a simple and cheap exchange of goods and services between people. Bartering is also recommended if you want to live without money or if you want to save money. Bartering is also a fantastic way to get new stuff and it can be a good alternative to the monetary economy.

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Bake your own bread

Baking your own bread is quite simple, very nutritious and super fun to do. On top of that you need little or no money to do it. You do need flour, water and salt. With these three ingredients you can make the tastiest bread you ever tried. This is bread without yeast.