buy nothing day

Here is your challenge, should you choose to accept. Tomorrow, Friday, November 26, 2004, the day after Thanksgiving (in the US), black Friday to some, is also International Buy Nothing Day. The concept is simple enough – don’t buy anything – but I know that it is harder it sounds.

The pressure is on. Many stores are going to open their doors as early as 5am. They are promising discounts beyond your wildest dreams. Target will even have a celebrity of your choosing call to wake you up so you don’t miss out. But I trust you are smarter than this.

Is there anything you honestly have ever willingly gotten up at 5am to do? Sure most of us have probably been crazy enough to book the first flight out or get up at the crack of dawn to make the bus to summer camp, but these had a big payoff at the end. What does shopping at 5am get you other than perhaps a good parking space at the mall if you are lucky?

For those in the US, this weekend is supposed to be about giving thanks. It should be about spending time with those you care about, catching up on your sleep, and just enjoying the time off. How does going to the mall and buying things you either don’t need, can’t afford, or that others don’t really want fit into this? That’s right – they don’t.

So what to do instead? Here are a few ways to keep your mind off shopping:

o Sleep in
o Spend the day in your pj’s
o Have someone make you breakfast in bed
o Make someone breakfast in bed
o Play with your kids
o Go for a walk
o Go to the gym (it will probably be empty)
o Take a long bath
o Soak your feet
o Give yourself a facial
o Invite a friend over for lunch or dinner
o Volunteer
o Visit a museum
o Pretend to be a tourist in your hometown
o Take your camera out
o Write a letter
o Read a book
o Watch a DVD
o Make popcorn
o Bake cookies
o Decorate your home for the holidays
o Play in the snow or the water depending on your locale
o Make a mix CD
o Address your holiday cards
o Take the dog to the park
o Go for a drive
o Tend to your garden
o Try a new recipe
o Paint or draw
o Call someone out of the blue

You get the idea. There are probably a million things you could do. Some are fun. Some will make you feel productive. All will leave you feeling better knowing that you haven’t spent any money.

Sure you can say, it doesn’t matter. That your not shopping won’t make a dent in the grand scheme. Ultimately it is up to you. You can choose to take action, or you can be take the bait and be a consumer zombie. It’s your decision.

Good luck!