Buying with Intention

Black Friday: Stores nationwide will be putting their merchandise on sale before the break of dawn ... in order to draw in the millions who have the day off of work for no apparent reason, other than we have a national holiday on a Thursday.

K-Mart, BabysRUs, Cotsco, Best Buy ... there are so many stores having huge sales to bring people in ... to promote this consumerism.

Now, there's an uprising of people over a period of time that have invented something called "Buy Nothing Day". I understand the protest of consumerism ... it is really a good idea ... it makes a statement to people ... and draws them to a cause, a good one, against buying things ... they bring attention to the way that things have taken over the minds of our country, where you go to the store an buy thousands of things you don't need each week ... you see things in catalogs and think ... "I want that" ... and you know how it goes. They are creating a movement, that I really do encourage.

But, something I have been thinking about for the last two years or so ... and something I recently discussed with some friends at work is ... why not have an abundance of self-control year round? Can we buy nothing almost always (364 days a year) and just save all of our shopping for when they have 50% off sales at half the stores we shop in on a normal basis ... on this specific "Black Friday"?

Everyone knows they buy gifts for birthdays often in a rush, or that washer and dryer that would be really great to have, or that winter coat that you need because your whole sleeve came off ... all those things you need. Why not wait until these once a year sales?

Or what about getting up at 5 AM on black friday and buying 27 coats on sale for $7, so you can give them away? Why can't we give up the on-the-whim shopping? The 7th-pair of jeans shopping? The new appliance shopping? Do we really need on IPOD or laptop today? If we're seriously going to buy these things, why not wait until Black Friday?

Two examples, I heard a story from a girl I met who did this huge benefit event for this organization. Her and her mother went out on Black Friday and bought expensive items for crazy mark-downs, they were high value items. They then went on to raffle them off at this event and raised an abundance of money. Also, another friend of mine has a very large family. They only choose names and buy a gift for one other person, after they randomly draw names. Now, they have a price limit and they know this person months in advance. Now my friend's brother and wife chose what they wanted to get for her, and waited until Black Friday and went out to specifically buy this item for her. They saved so much money, for the gift they really wanted to get for her.

Now, the thing about consumerism is that it is not just the focus on things, but the immediacy of it, the idea that I earned this, the carelessness of not looking at the bigger picture of wealth distribution ... which I fail at as much as the next person.

But, I'm trying to look at the larger perspective of have a "Buy Nothing Life". What would that look like? What about seriously considering everything you buy? And for the moments your in Borders or Urban Outfitters (or whereever) and you buy an item and leave and second-guess, thinking "God, did you want me to spend YOUR money there?" ... not hesitating to take the item(s) back, if you think you should.

I admit, I have been planning each small gift that I am buying for Christmas presents for my family. And next Friday is the time I will be buying each item for 1/2 the price it normally would be. I guess they will each be things that they do not truly need. But, I'm not at the place yet where I have completely abandoned gift-giving at all costs.