I stumbled on the "Crunchy Chicken" blog during a break at work (quite possibly the most unusual blog name ever), and the writer is proposing a month of buying nothing that's not edible, essential, or previously owned.
Facing a cluttered house from Hurricane N. (my 2 year old) and quite a large gas bill from 28 hours in the car two weeks ago following a death in the family, I think it's worth a shot. Better late than never.
Of course taking part in the Buy Nothing Challenge means delaying one of my favorite pasttimes, scrapbooking. While I love it, I told my husband the other day that it's interesting that for someone who wants to make a more positive impact on the environment, that I engage in a hobby based on the use and accumulation of paper, lots of paper. My children's scrapbooks take far more space than the photo album I have of my childhood through eighth grade, and neither of them have hit the age of 3 yet.
But, I think this challenge is worth a shot. Maybe I'll tackle those previously printed photos. Dig deep into my stash of papers and embellishments to use them up. Or, gasp, take my latest and greatest photos and create the pages digitally.
And until May 1, I will stay away from the hallowed aisles of Archiver's. Unless of course, the coupon for the five free sheets of paper doesn't count...!
Oh, Robbie. Give up scrapbook shopping?!?! Sounds treacherous, but I know you can do it! Actually, I have put a bit of a squeeze on the ol' wallet when it comes to scrapbook supplies, too. I know I could scrap for years using just what I've got (OK, maybe purchasing a little adhesive along the way), and it helps the budget as well. You can do it!
ReplyDeleteI like your idea of going digital. You can still get your scrappin' fill in, save some cash, save some paper...but still save those memories. And the finished books take up much less space on the bookshelf to boot.
I've made the switch to digital for my family pages and have decided to just do "traditional" scrapbooking for my kids' books (things that are special or unique to them, like their portraits or preschool graduation). It's actually been a fun challenge, and I have some photos from 2008 already scrapped! Woo hoo!
Anyway, glad you started your blog! I'll be a regular reader!