I didn't even try to buy 2nd hand gifts for my daughter for Christmas, all of her clothes, and most of her toys and books are bought 2nd hand all year so I figured some new things were in order. I did donate 2 boxes of clothes in return and am gathering another box of clothes and books from my closet to donate to ensure I keep up with the 2 item donated per new item purchased. I will comment on how it felt to be buying new, as I went through some interesting phases. Very similar to the 5 stages of grief.
I purchased most of my daughter's gifts online from Scholar's choice, the opposite of shopping at the BIG BOX store, I may have decided to buy new but I still have my limits and there are lines I will not cross. It was easy, a few clicks, an online coupon, 15 minutes and I was done. I also was able to buy a few extra things for my Mom to save her the shopping trip. It was so easy sitting in my living room and it made it feel less real. I wasn't shopping, I was clicking. It was convenient, and it was painless, and it was totally cheating on my plan but the benefits outweighed the cons. I told myself that 50 times and believed it about half of the time. I bought not one thing at a big box store and this made me feel principled, but in reality I was re-entering the machine, morphing back into a consumer cog. This was the denial phase. At first it was very uncomfortable, but it got easier.
For my husband I bought a WagJag Jaunt to Niagara which technically was not a thing so score one for the plan. Of course there was a stocking to be stuffed so off I went to a local bargain store because even though I was buying new I was trying to be as frugal as possible. At this point I entered the anger phase. I got angry as I was subjected to the holiday decor, impulse items and quickly wanted out of the store. I was frustrated with myself for caving even a little to the consumer pressure of the holidays. I was angry at the shiny decorations, the catchy advertising, angry at the pressure to "purchase" the best Christmas possible for my child and my family. Rudolph's nose might have well been blinking in morse code, buy me, buy me , buy me and buy a happy Christmas!!!
I also agreed to buy a few things for my husband on behalf of my mother and at this point I began to bargain. I bought a Groupon for a discount book store, $10 for $20 in merchandise at a store that was already 20-40% off, so it was such a good deal it was OK right? I mean the prices were almost as cheap as 2nd hand and it wasn't a box store so it wasn't THAT bad right? Besides they had yummy hot chocolate, Michael Bublé singing carols and pretty candles.... I was weak, forgive me for being so easily misled? I mostly skipped depression, but there was a little sadness every time I made a new purchase. Although I wouldn't do too much differently I felt sad that I wasn't quite able to break away from the consumer Christmas as much as I had hoped.
Last but not least acceptance. I understood that I didn't keep to the plan as much as I had hoped I would but I accepted that I stumbled, and I felt the best way to deal with it with it was to get back up on the 2nd hand rocking horse and try again. I tried harder to keep in line with the plan when it came to gifts for family and friends. For my extended family I bought Heart and Stroke Lottery Calendars, I made some Kahlua (which got rave reviews) that I bottled for a few family members, and I made a Christmas vase for my mother in law! It was my first upcycling project from a vase and candle holder I bought 2nd hand , an some etching kit and some decorative sand from a craft store. Ribbon I had in my decoration box.
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| Just add a nice wreath of greens and voila! Centerpiece! |
By the time I was done with the holidays, and went to spend my gifts cards, I was numb to it all. I went into a mall and didn't cringe. I walked into Winners and spent every penny of that gift card without even wincing. I bout a yoga mat which arguably I would not buy 2nd hand anyway (sweaty 2nd hand? no thanks!) but I also bought a few things for my daughter and could feel my eyes drifting to the sweaters and jeans, looking longingly at the shoes and almost fell right off the wagon. So I shook the sales banners out of my head, dusted myself off and walked out of the mall with a reaffirmation to my 2nd Hand Plan. I hope you all had a great Holiday, and I will be posting about my daughter's 2nd hand birthday and why 2nd hand shopping is one of the best ways to stick it to Wall street.
