already we're eleven days into the new year, yet my resolutions feel weak and unmotivating. the usual 'be nicer' and 'do more' are floppy, vague promises, hard to quantify while i'm in the mood for tangible results.
so i AM going to do more. as stiflingly unimaginative as it is to set personal goals at this time of year, i'm going to embark on a little adventure:
from today, 11th january 2010, to 10th january 2011, i will not buy anything from the high street.
doing so will, i presume, make me feel better (more smug?) about my spending habits while simultaneously saving enough money to counter all the good work in a massive january sales binge this time next year. or, y'know, put down a deposit on a car, or a nice flat, or something actually useful.
obviously there are exceptions to this resolution, else i might go spare. there are challenges, and there's needless suffering. so i'm allowed to do the following:
1. buy presents for others. who genuinely appreciates half-arsed, slapdash homemade gifts from someone with zero creative ability? no-one, unless they're 100% nice (rare). at least my family and friends won't have to endure kirstie allsopp-esque thriftmares.
2. indugle in essentials. essentials as defined by me, not by, say, the people who run brat camp. so decent shampoo and conditioner, black/sheer tights and soap. i refuse to smell for a year for the sake of my moral fibre.
3. charity/second/hand/vintage shops. i suppose the 'high street' aspect i'm getting at consists of the big guns, arcadia, department stores, and anything else found in the shiny halls of consumerism in town centres. but this need not include shopping second hand.
ok, so i do most of my shopping in this environment already. which to some might suggest i'm not taking this challenge seriously. it's what you're thinking, isn't it? well you're wrong, because despite this get out clause, i'm going to limit spending in these environments to a frighteningly low £20 a month. why? why the hell not.
4. work clothes. cv and interview success willing, i plan on spending some, most, or all of this time in work. where a uniform isn't needed, i'll be after something to wear for this. i think, with all reasonableness, that this should be another exception, particularly where strict rules apply. for the purposes of clarification, i'm allowed a white shirt, a work skirt and work trousers, one of each, twice in the year. and only if i'm employed.
5. a new phone. for november onwards only.
so that's it. goodbye high street indeed. watch as i fail spectacularly in week three!
so i AM going to do more. as stiflingly unimaginative as it is to set personal goals at this time of year, i'm going to embark on a little adventure:
from today, 11th january 2010, to 10th january 2011, i will not buy anything from the high street.
doing so will, i presume, make me feel better (more smug?) about my spending habits while simultaneously saving enough money to counter all the good work in a massive january sales binge this time next year. or, y'know, put down a deposit on a car, or a nice flat, or something actually useful.
obviously there are exceptions to this resolution, else i might go spare. there are challenges, and there's needless suffering. so i'm allowed to do the following:
1. buy presents for others. who genuinely appreciates half-arsed, slapdash homemade gifts from someone with zero creative ability? no-one, unless they're 100% nice (rare). at least my family and friends won't have to endure kirstie allsopp-esque thriftmares.
2. indugle in essentials. essentials as defined by me, not by, say, the people who run brat camp. so decent shampoo and conditioner, black/sheer tights and soap. i refuse to smell for a year for the sake of my moral fibre.
3. charity/second/hand/vintage shops. i suppose the 'high street' aspect i'm getting at consists of the big guns, arcadia, department stores, and anything else found in the shiny halls of consumerism in town centres. but this need not include shopping second hand.
ok, so i do most of my shopping in this environment already. which to some might suggest i'm not taking this challenge seriously. it's what you're thinking, isn't it? well you're wrong, because despite this get out clause, i'm going to limit spending in these environments to a frighteningly low £20 a month. why? why the hell not.
4. work clothes. cv and interview success willing, i plan on spending some, most, or all of this time in work. where a uniform isn't needed, i'll be after something to wear for this. i think, with all reasonableness, that this should be another exception, particularly where strict rules apply. for the purposes of clarification, i'm allowed a white shirt, a work skirt and work trousers, one of each, twice in the year. and only if i'm employed.
5. a new phone. for november onwards only.
so that's it. goodbye high street indeed. watch as i fail spectacularly in week three!
