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Not Buying It by Judith Levine

Wednesday, 28 November 2007 11:21

I recently borrowed "Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping" by Judith Levine. I'm quite glad I borrowed this book rather than bought it myself. It was interesting in the same way that people-watching and reading someone's blog can be interesting, but little more than that. The basic premise is that, for one year, Judith and her partner Paul purchase nothing that is "non-essential". All food purchases are permitted, as are petrol, necessary items for work, mortgage, insurances and the like. What is not permitted is clothes shopping, paid entertainment (such as going to the theatre), take away food, gift shopping etc. In comparison to "Living the Good Life" (by Linda Cockburn) - where a family take on the challenge of living off their own suburban block for a whole year - this was a breeze. There were few dilemmas (what do I give for this gift-giving occasion? and does wine count as essential?) and a few splurges (both involving purchasing clothes). While there were a few interesting thoughts posed and reflections gained from the year without shopping - such as how much did the sewing machinist in China get paid for this $40 item of clothing? (answer: about 15c), none of them were new concepts to me. So, my "verdict" would be, read it if you can borrow a copy, otherwise don't bother.