A few years ago, I bought nothing for a year. It seemed so simple on paper. Inspired by the OG Minimalism blogs – Zen Habits, The Minimalists, Becoming Minimalist, Slow Your Home – I loved the idea of a streamlined life, free from clutter and distraction. And so, in the January of 2012, I just… Read More The other side of buying nothing
It’s over! The experiment that was ‘buy nothing 2015‘ is done, wrapped up, and completed. So how did it go, and what did I learn? The first few months were plain sailing. Thinking myself an experienced veteran of the buy nothing movement, I found it quite easy at the beginning of the year. Then my… Read More Year of Buying Nothing: buy nothing 2015 round up
It’s nearly the end of March. Wow, that time has flown. The year is a quarter of the way through, and I’m just now settling in to the comfortable stage of buying nothing. The Hurdles I’m not going to lie. Far from being the rose-tinted experience I thought it would be, this year so far… Read More #buynothing2015: the hurdles and turning a corner
My little humbug car broke down. Of course he did, with my buying nothing challenge this year. At the back of my mind I think I knew it’d happen, but still, when the engine failed and the suspension snapped in half, it was a wave of frustration that washed over me. I’d planned on finding… Read More So, I bought a car…when buying nothing gets hard
It’s tempting to fall into the hoarding mindset when faced with a year of buying nothing. Thinking ahead to the changing of the seasons, to the unpeeling of layers as the weather finally warms us and the daylight lingers that little bit longer each day. Don’t save things just in case. Waiting and building up… Read More Don’t save things
Buy nothing 2015: the ground rules 2015 is drawing nearer and I’ve had a brilliant, relaxed, cosy Christmas full of family, friends and log fires. The year’s winding down and I’m looking forward to next year with excitement. I’ve so much planned for life, OneEmptyShelf, and just for myself that I can’t wait. And of… Read More One Empty Wallet 2015: ground rules
2012 Part 2 You may have read elsewhere on One Empty Shelf about my year of buying nothing, which I did in 2012 and which was such an adventure. I blogged throughout on the first incarnation of One Empty Shelf, and reading through my old posts has brought back the lessons, the struggles and many… Read More One Empty Shelf’s Year of Buying Nothing – 2012