Buy Nothing Day

You've heard the commercials, you've seen the ads. Even if you're steadfastly resisting, ignoring, attempting to tune out the din, the buzz creeps in. Black Friday is on its way.There is an antidote. There is a lovely little homegrown holiday that has quietly been gaining traction. Buy Nothing Day is usually celebrated the day after Thanksgiving. How do you participate? Well, you don't buy anything. Go out for a walk. Visit with friends. Make something. Bake cookies and share them with the neighbors. Dance. Anything that doesn't involve going out and participating in the mad rush. Instead of participating in the scrum, try taking a step back and thinking about what motivates your consumption. It's quieter. It's less frenzied. It doesn't dictate that you live in a cave and eat roots for the rest of your life, but it does give you a way to determine the timing and impact of your consumer choices as opposed to simply reacting to a barrage of advertising tailored to make you react unthinkingly to the schedule of a retail establishment. Your money. Your time. Your choice.Over the next week, I'm going to look at different ways you can participate in Buy Nothing Day and possibly lighten your own personal load as well. In the meantime, if you have any ideas, please share!