Buy Nothing Challenge It's already been more than seven months since my wife and I started this buy nothing challenge. Other bloggers have joined in on the fun too. It seems like we are all doing decently well. Nobody is buying fancy cars or expensive yachts (at least from what I can tell). The truth is, we can't realistically expect to buy absolutely nothing. At some … [Read more...] about Buy Nothing Challenge July Update: Community And Giving
Minimalism
The Art of Minimalism
The Art of Minimalism Minimalism is an art. It is abstract. And it comes in all different colors, shapes, and sizes with no "one size fits all" definition. What exactly is minimalism? Thoughts of minimalism often conjure up images of someone who sells their possessions, quits their full-time job, and lives in a downsized trailer. Wait a minute. That sort of sounds … [Read more...] about The Art of Minimalism
Buy Nothing Challenge June Update: Summer Sunshine Savings and Frugal Wins
Buy Nothing Challenge At the beginning of the year, I enlisted my wife and I to join other personal finance bloggers in a buy nothing challenge. Fast forward to now and it's already July. I can't believe the year is half way over! Time sure seems to fly when you're either busy or having fun. Luckily, most of the time we're busy having fun :). So how are we doing on … [Read more...] about Buy Nothing Challenge June Update: Summer Sunshine Savings and Frugal Wins
Traveling Made Me Who I Am Today
Traveling I have always loved traveling since I was a little kid. In fact, my first international trip occurred when my parents took me to Mexico City as a one year old boy. Do I clearly remember everything about that trip? No. But I do have some vague memories of it based on the stories that my parents would tell me. Every year, my parents made an effort to take me on … [Read more...] about Traveling Made Me Who I Am Today
Buy Nothing Update: April, The Month We Came Close To Buying Nothing
Buy nothing... sounds easy enough That's what I thought back in January when I first heard that other bloggers were doing it. My wife and I are relatively frugal and semi-miimalists. How hard can it be, right? So I accepted the challenge. The first three months (January, February, and March) were not ultra-frugal. We bought big ticket items that we had planned to purchase … [Read more...] about Buy Nothing Update: April, The Month We Came Close To Buying Nothing
Eat Better Than The Average American With A Grocery Budget Of Less Than $200 A Month
It's astounding to me how much the average American spends on food. According to the USDA, the average couple spends an average of $625 a month on groceries. That equates to $7,500 per year. And that's just for groceries! It is also estimated that the average couple spends about 40% (or about $5,000 per year) of their overall food budget going out to eat at restaurants. Doing … [Read more...] about Eat Better Than The Average American With A Grocery Budget Of Less Than $200 A Month
Buy Nothing Update: A Minimalist March
I hope everybody had a Happy Easter / Passover / April Fools / National One Cent Day or whatever holiday you chose to celebrate this weekend. :D Spring is in full bloom here in Southern California. And because it's a new month, it's time to fill you in on our "buy nothing challenge" for the month of March. So how did we do? We spent a total of less than $1,500 Yes, … [Read more...] about Buy Nothing Update: A Minimalist March
Buy Nothing Update: January Edition
Wow. January flew by really fast. If you recall from a previous post, my wife and I accepted the challenge to buy nothing for a year. In addition to a few exemptions for things we were already going to buy, we had planned to be mindful of our purchases through conscious consumerism. So, how did we do? Pretty good if you ask me. Below is a recap of our purchases. Food I … [Read more...] about Buy Nothing Update: January Edition
Conscious Consumerism: How a Frugal Minimalist Justifies Buying Things
Last week, I posted about how my wife and I are challenging ourselves to buy nothing for one year (with exceptions, of course). Upon hearing this, a few of my coworkers were understandably skeptical. They tell me "You make a decent amount of money. Why challenge yourself to buy nothing?" I respond with a simple "I don't have to buy anything to make me happy." To an outsider who … [Read more...] about Conscious Consumerism: How a Frugal Minimalist Justifies Buying Things
Challenge Accepted: Buy Nothing for 1 Year
The Challenge Yup, you read correctly. The challenge is to buy NOTHING for a year. While it might sound ridiculous, I think it's a great way to practice mindfulness, frugality, and minimalism. The originator of this "experiment" was The Happy Philosopher, who then inspired others to join in on this challenge, including EJ from Dads, Dollars, Debts. Initially, The Happy … [Read more...] about Challenge Accepted: Buy Nothing for 1 Year