Closing Remarks

Only two more days I am locked into the oath I took a year ago; I would not buy anything new that I could not make or buy used. I readily admit that I have not stuck to this oath religiously; I confess to a new collar for my cat, flip flops, earrings, and a host of other miscellaneous new purchases. But before you dismiss me as a fraud, I have spent a year paying careful attention to each purchase I made and examining the immediacy of each need I felt. I sincerely considered many different ways to satisfy these inherent “needs;” I grew my own food, made my own soap, crafted my own cheese, and sewed my own clothes. I wore donated shoes, painted my eyeglasses, watched my debt disappear, and went without shaving. Ah, the good times.

So now what? Do I continue or do I go on a buying spree like a kid in a candy store? The answer is no, I will not continue the Nothing New Project. And no, I will not go on a shopping spree. It has been a fantastic exercise in discipline and mindfulness, which I always need. But I have a new appreciation for well designed, high quality, socially responsible “new” things. I look forward to buying a new pair of shoes that will make my feet feel good and last me a long time. Happily I will exchange my hard earned money for an item I agree with. I look forward to financially supporting individuals, companies, and services that align with my own beliefs.

I come away from this project having truly learned one very important lesson. BE PATIENT. If I want or need something, all I need to do is ask for it and then watch and wait for it to show up. It’s best not to feed the instant gratification monster as it will only make him stronger. Just calm down. Wait.

I don’t know if it’s my over-achiever tendencies or maybe my Catholic upbringing that urges me to put myself in these absolutist situations (I do it all the time outside of this project), but I think I’m going to give up vows for a while. Putting myself in rigid, extremist positions doesn’t allow much wiggle room for change. I think I’m just going to be. Slow way down and be.

Thank you to everyone in my “real” (not digital) life who encouraged me, challenged me, discussed with me, listened to me, and perhaps was inspired by me during the execution of this project. Thank you, thank you.

Looking forward to new shoes,

Elle

Around the House

Lampshade made from scrap muslin, scarf, coat hanger.

Curtain made from scrap of fabric, shower hooks. (No sew!)

This was originally my bed frame, but it makes a better fabric rack. Now my mattress is on the floor.

Kitty bathroom privacy provided by a moving box. I'm either going to cover it with fabric or draw on it.

Timeless

Early on in this project, I blogged a few times about my watch. The band had broken and I kept making new ones, improving the design each time. The watch itself finally stopped so instead of buying a new battery, I've been living without a watch. It's made me pay closer attention to my surroundings and I've discovered that clocks are everywhere. I'm less anxious as I wait for the bus or the train because I'm not watching the minutes tick by. Instead, I read a book. Or just stand still. And if I MUST know the time, I just look at my phone.

Close Call

Saturday night I found myself in a situation that wouldn't have occurred back in the Midwest. It was Saturday evening and I had spent the day out and about with some friends. I decided to go out with them that night, but I was far away from home in flip flops and cut off shorts. I could borrow clothes...but Brit and I wear different shoes sizes. What to do?! I was prepared to break the oath and just buy a new pair of shoes, but I was able to find these used Diesel boots at a local clothing swap. Phew!

These clothing swaps are all over NYC. They're brilliant! On Sunday, I traded in 3 items I don't wear and got 3 new ones in return (for $2.75). Why aren't these places all over the Midwest?!

TMI

So, I stopped shaving a little while ago. Partly because I ran out of shaving products and was resisting the urge to buy new ones, part laziness, but mostly out of curiosity. I've been shaving since I was 11 and have been pretty consistent ever since. I wanted to know what my body looked like with all its natural hair. My hypothesis in this experiment is that the body is designed with hair so it must serve a function. Here are the results:

Underarm hair definitely serves a purpose. Odor hasn't been as big of a problem, I sweat less, and arm movement is more comfortable. My skin doesn't stick to itself like it used to. The only downfall; it's summer and I'm too embarrassed to wear tank tops because I feel too self-conscious.

Leg hair doesn't seem to serve much purpose. I feel very masculine with leg hair so I'll probably go back to shaving my legs, but only in the summer. And only to just above the knee.

I also found this great article at salon.com that looks at America's obsession with shaving from an outsider's point of view.

'As Is' Aesthetic

A key component to the Nothing New Project is the appreciation of subtleties; accepting things "as is." I took some pictures around Bushwick to help illustrate what I mean.

furoshiki!

Who knew that I'd have to furnish two new apartments in the year-span of this project? Sunday I moved into my new address in Brooklyn, New York. Eleven months of self-induced concientious consumerism has prepared me for this new culture. I can no longer drive over to Target to pick up "essentials" for my apartment. There isn't one. The practice of creative reuse has now become more necessity than novelty.
During my short stay with Amy, she showed me this blog about furoshiki. Above is my square-of-muslin rendition of furoshiki sock holders.

Irresponsible Disposal

Some may call it littering, but I prefer Keri Smith's terminology: guerilla art. I left Sheboygan a few going-away presents.

Inspiration

I saw this apartment in an issue of Dwell a while ago and I thought it was high time I added it to the blog. Not much to say, just look at the pics.


I also want to give a nod to happy mundane. It's a good blog.

Responsible Disposal

I've been liquidating my apartment for about two months now. I only want to bring the necessities to New York; I want a fresh start. The challenge has been how to responsibly shed my accumulation of stuff. Strategies are as follows:

-donate it to a thrift store
-donate it to a building re-store (they take some stuff that the thrift store won't, like tile or electrical wire)
-sell it at a consignment shop
-pawn it
-sell it on ebay or half.com (great for textbooks)
-sell books/cds to a used book/cd store
-think of a friend who could really use it/like it and don't forget to give it to them
-leave it in the local coffee shop