"Compacters"

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pissdoll -> "Compacters" (6/29/2008 10:32:00 PM)
http://www.goodmagazine.com/section/Features/what_happens_when_people_stop_shopping_and_join_the_compact How long could you go without buying new "stuff?" A month, six months, a year? How much of what we buy do we really need new? Or need at all, for that matter?

DomAviator -> RE: "Compacters" (6/29/2008 10:50:07 PM)
Oh hell I couldnt go 36 hours without buying something... Im a compulsive impulse shopper. I went to Walgreens today for a pack of cigarettes and I came home with a Ghia Pet herb garden, a hawaiian shit, and two DVD's. I cant go to Walmart without spending $150 - $200... Mt ex used to tease me and say that I would buy a turd if it was on sale... LOL

christine1 -> RE: "Compacters" (6/29/2008 10:52:10 PM)
if i'm tight on money i can go for ages without buying anything, but if i've got money to spend i'll spend it (well after my savings account has an emergency fund that is.)

slaveboyforyou -> RE: "Compacters" (6/30/2008 3:36:42 AM)
I'm a tightwad and I am cheap. I was raised that way. I don't like to part with money, and I save every bit I can. Similarly, I'm a packrat. I don't like to throw things away; it acutally causes me anxiety to have to get rid of stuff. With the exception of necessities (I consider cigarettes and beer to be in that category [:D]), I haven't bought anything substantial in months. The last major purchase I remember making was for a new pair of glasses that I needed.

pahunkboy -> RE: "Compacters" (6/30/2008 5:17:40 AM)
I dont mind paying if I am getting full value - a great deal. I try to hit a medium of "just enough". clothes fades - and one can "look" trashy with dulled colors. Shoes too worn, then some things one simply must upgrade- out-grow. feng shui is sort of about this topic. maximizing what is in your life. the flow of energy. I find if I am too tight on the money- it costs me more. Oh on the clothes- I am hard on them- since I "play" in the yard all summer. But I find decent t-shirts and that is fine. One neighbor is 75 and she still organizes and sorts her junk...so- it seems to be a lifelong thing. spending wisely can be good. instead of alot of weed killer- i bought better garden tools, instead of a 2nd AC, I plan to do things to a sun screen, low teck non energy users. I tend to go to the store only if I need something....

pahunkboy -> RE: "Compacters" (6/30/2008 5:26:37 AM)
I have to laugh about "paint", lol. In a years time I used 30-60 gallons, right now I have maybe 30 gallons sitting around. I buy the mis tints. So runs $5 a gallon. The article does have a point...I have thrown out stuff that was shot before paid for on visa card....argh. The thing is for someone running a household- you have to have supplies and materials- if not things fall into disrepair and that is no savings.... It floors me that no matter how much space a person has tho- all of it gets filled.....

pahunkboy -> RE: "Compacters" (6/30/2008 6:38:28 AM)
http://freecycle.org/ this place is a good exchange of stuff. there are chapters everywhere. in the past month i have traded here---

faerytattoodgirl -> RE: "Compacters" (6/30/2008 7:10:21 AM)
my landlord is telling me that i dont need a new television..my tv is fine...oh yea???really??? 1)its 10 years old and obsolete 2)the color fades 3)the sound is very off and has lots of disturbance 4)i need hdtv 5)he's to damn lazy to bring my digibox in to switch to hd terminal 6)he's still living in the 50's and watches old shows and thinks he's a teenager. thank god he pays the bills still...Alzheimer's will be kicking in soon me thinks.

hizgeorgiapeach -> RE: "Compacters" (6/30/2008 7:24:13 AM)
Not a chance I could go that route. I spent to many years to Poor to buy anything that wasn't second hand other than groceries - now that I'm Not so poor that it's a necessity, I doubt I could ever Intentionally go back to doing so unless I was forced to by necessity again. I didn't kick and claw my way up out of abject poverty just to continue living as though I were still at a poverty level of income.

popeye1250 -> RE: "Compacters" (6/30/2008 2:54:49 PM)
I don't buy a lot of stuff because I have everything I need,. I have enough socks, underware, t shirts, golf shirts, cargo shorts and jeans (30 pairs) to last me the rest of my life. I buy smokes, groceries, lottery tickets, gasoline very sparingly, and I go out to eat a few times per month. I don't even need ammo, I must have about 4-5,000 rounds of it in various flavors.

sub4hire -> RE: "Compacters" (6/30/2008 3:08:25 PM)
Depends on what it is. I've always been cheap...yet if I really want something. I'll research then buy it later at a severely discounted rate. Items as big as a new car...I've waited and researched years. Something cheap...I've bought immediately. Some items I never buy...really just depends. Typically I shop about twice a week for necessities. Beyond that..maybe twice a month..then sometimes not that much.

jlf1961 -> RE: "Compacters" (6/30/2008 5:04:55 PM)
The majority of Americans fall prey to the market philosophy of 'planned obsolescence.' Basically manufacturers come out with new models, every so often then flood the airwaves with the 'new and improved' slogans. Everyone then goes out and buys the stuff. For example, Bunn released the first drip coffee maker in the early seventies. Since the technology wasnt proprietary, soon everyone was making drip coffee makers. But they had to get people to buy em, so they started with timers, under cabinet mounting, etc. Bunn went back to institutional sales, and everyone else is selling coffee makers, including black and decker who started out in the tool industry. Now everyone wants the latest, fastest, coolest, etc gizmo that hits the market. Now, as technology advances so does the products we can buy. Plastic surgery is a good example. Of course with the advances in genetic medicine, just think it may be possible in a few years to go in, order a new body, to your specifications.

candystripper -> RE: "Compacters" (6/30/2008 7:28:21 PM)
It was a terrific article. Thank you. I could -- and do -- go indefinately without buying new stuff. I intend my furniture to last indefinately, apart from my mattress. I use a small wardrobe of clothing I already own, since I am losing weight. When I grow smaller I already own clothes that will fit. I have begun buying flourescent bulbs that last five years. I have turned to my friends for sources of presents rather than retail stores. Sometimes I buy, sometimes I barter, and sometimes I am gifted and then re-gift. I find these handmade original works make better presents. I have not been able to reduce spending on food and such, but I have nowhere to stockpile, so that's a barrier. candystripper

xxblushesxx -> RE: "Compacters" (7/1/2008 10:05:43 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DomAviator I went to Walgreens today for a pack of cigarettes and I came home with a a hawaiian shit. Mt ex used to tease me and say that I would buy a turd if it was on sale... LOL a Hawaiian one?

DomAviator -> RE: "Compacters" (7/1/2008 10:09:50 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: xxblushesxx quote: ORIGINAL: DomAviator I went to Walgreens today for a pack of cigarettes and I came home with a a hawaiian shit. Mt ex used to tease me and say that I would buy a turd if it was on sale... LOL a Hawaiian one? LMFAO, now THAT was a hell of a typo! LOL Hawaiian SHIRT I bought a SHIRT not a SHIT LMFAO... Its the fucking banannas I tell ya! Its the revenge of the damn banannas!

GreedyTop -> RE: "Compacters" (7/1/2008 10:21:45 PM)
[sm=ubanana.gif][sm=banana.gif]

xxblushesxx -> RE: "Compacters" (7/1/2008 10:23:10 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DomAviator quote: ORIGINAL: xxblushesxx quote: ORIGINAL: DomAviator I went to Walgreens today for a pack of cigarettes and I came home with a a hawaiian shit. Mt ex used to tease me and say that I would buy a turd if it was on sale... LOL a Hawaiian one? LMFAO, now THAT was a hell of a typo! LOL Hawaiian SHIRT I bought a SHIRT not a SHIT LMFAO... Its the fucking banannas I tell ya! Its the revenge of the damn banannas! I was just shocked no one had caught it. I found another funny one on a different thread you were in, but, remembering I just busted you on this one, decided to give ya a break... g

DomAviator -> RE: "Compacters" (7/1/2008 10:54:15 PM)
Im the first to admit I am a poor typist, and my wireless keyboard doesnt help as it sometimes drops letters.... However, I am not as bad as the Luby's Cafeteia on Center Street in Deer Park Texas. I drove past there and according to the sign they are "Now Horing" I was tempted to go in to ask the hostess how much but decided Deer Park PD might not appreciate the humor. After my now ex-wife sent out 200 resumes indicating the was seeking a position as an "Alimentary Teacher" I gave up on spell check... LOL

GreedyTop -> RE: "Compacters" (7/1/2008 10:56:31 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DomAviator After my now ex-wife sent out 200 resumes indicating the was seeking a position as an "Alimentary Teacher" I gave up on spell check... LOL That's just scary....

DomAviator -> RE: "Compacters" (7/1/2008 10:58:53 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: GreedyTop quote: ORIGINAL: DomAviator After my now ex-wife sent out 200 resumes indicating the was seeking a position as an "Alimentary Teacher" I gave up on spell check... LOL That's just scary.... Actually that wasn't her fault beyond poor proof reading. Microsoft Word came up with "alimentary" ... In a way it was accurate - she was an asshole![:D]

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