2nd Hand Pledge

I'm not a New Year's resolution kind of girl. I figure that doing the best I can every day is a lot better than setting unrealistic goals at the beginning of the year, knowing that I'm likely to fail.  Still, at the end of December it's pretty hard to avoid discussing resolutions.  There are blogs, newspaper articles, and magazine stories about them everywhere you look.

Surprisingly, one suggested resolution has really stayed in my mind this year.  I've seen a number of blogs about people taking a "Second Hand Pledge."  Many are couched in ostentatious language about higher principles (the kind of snootiness that usually turns me away before I finish the second sentence) but I do like the underlying idea.  It fits very well with what I'm trying to accomplish on a day to day basis.

Buying from thrift stores, garage sales, estate sales, and using free cycle exchanges are wonderful ways to stretch a budget.  They usually have an added benefit or two; often helping charities carry on their work and almost always being kinder to the planet.  All good things in my eyes.

I've decided that this year I'll make my own second hand pledge, not as a New Year's resolution but because the idea makes sense to me.

Starting on January 1 and for all of 2012, we will buy no new clothes (other than undergarments or items required for work but unavailable second-hand), no new household items or furnishings, and no new books.  When we look for other items, we'll look first to second hand, to up-cycling or recycling, or to bartering before we consider purchasing something new.

I'm excited about this!  Just think of the money we'll save!
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image source:  hielsa.com