[silver8]

Article in the Daily Mail today. Aim to give up buying anything new except food,underware,and medical supplies. Has anyone here tried this? Wouldnot mind giving this a go but where do things like soap and toothpaste fit into this?

[Jeanieblue]

Oooh, could you use a twig like they do in the African bush?  And have you joined your local freecycle, ours is great - anything from odd computer wires to plastic knives and forks.

[WG.]

Article in the Daily Mail today. Aim to give up buying anything new except food,underware,and medical supplies. Has anyone here tried this? Wouldnot mind giving this a go but where do things like soap and toothpaste fit into this?

but you'd need to stop buying the Daily Mail too

[Jeanieblue]

Don't be buying newspapers!  you can go to the local library or catch up on the news on-line. But don't chuck out the local freebie newspapers - you can use them as funky wrapping paper, to line pet cages, make cheap plant pots,and of course don't forget they can be cut up into useful squares for the littlest room !!!!

[GrannieAnnie]

We use the odd newspaper we pick up to light our woodburner!!!  So I've started to save em up for this coming winter!  Don't buy them very often though, nick them off friends etc!!!!

[Jeanieblue]

Having slept on the problem, I've decided you can include toothpaste/toothbrushes/mouthwash under your medical supplies - it's preventative health after all !!! TRead an article in the Saturday Telegraph - bigger pages, more paper !!! - about this and they had wine at the top of their list - could be considered stress management !!!! That's my nursing head done for the day. Soap/bubble bath/shower gel - how about swapping for veg, Birthdays, Chrismasses, Mothers Day .... plenty of occasions to choose.  Good luck and keep us posted. And don't forget Freecycle.

[Oscar Too]

A point of clarification - they aim to give up buying anything NEW other than medical and food.  For other needs, it's beg, borrow or recycle.  So I should think a few people on this site are more than ha;f-way to being compacters.

It's a nice philosophy, a development of National Buy-Nothing Day.  You know you're on to something when the business pundits start saying that it will mean the end of civilisation.

[silver8]

Thanks everyone. Think I was almost there anyway before reading the article.Buy most of my clothes from charity shops and have got a great boot sale in Cardiff- brought a brillant bread making machine there for just £7. Dont buy newspapers, and even given up the T.V which i really dont miss.Will miss Lidls though.

[mkhenry]

There are already in this country thousands of people who have given up buying anything new.Except we call them OAPs
And before anyone says anything I am not yet one.