Consumer dropouts swear off new products for a year

The first time my husband and I pledged to buy nothing new for a whole year, in 2007, we were trying to be green and to reject consumer gluttony. We figured we could rough it if we had to.

Turns out, it was fairly painless.

When you have 30 sweaters, it doesn't hurt to skip winter clearance sales. When you have five pairs of black sandals, you don't really have to replace one if a strap breaks. If the lawn chair collapses, you can get another out of the garage. Chip a vase? Who doesn't have a dozen more in a cabinet?

But I never expected it would go this far: I was all set to buy a new car, a Scion XD, and settled for a used Subaru Outback instead. I hated the Subaru at first, but a tuneup gave it a lot more pep. Now, it suits my needs: It's roomy enough to haul my 5-year-old son, Drew, his friends and their Big Wheels.

The biggest challenge for my husband, Guy, was finding men's pants after he lost 25 pounds. You can find nearly new men's shirts at thrift shops, but the pants typically are not in good condition. He just cinched his belt tighter until I convinced him that he looked like a bum and needed to break the pledge. So he bought new work pants and a pair of jeans.

Now, two years later, Guy and I are renewing the no-new pledge with an added recession-inspired motive: We want to save money, and we plan to track our savings.

So, in 2009, we will buy nothing new except food, toiletries and home-improvement items.

Consumer Zen

While the results of the 2007 pledge weren't dramatic, the pledge changed some of our habits and helped define our values. It certainly made us mindful of purchases.

We found we didn't need much, and that what we did need could be bought from thrift shops, vintage stores, consignment shops and Craigslist. We bought beautiful furniture including an armoire and a dining room table with six chairs. We bought books from Half-Price Books for kids' birthday gifts. And we made do with what we had, somehow getting by without granite countertops and flat-screen televisions.

This is what we learned:

1. Buying is a habit; giving up the habit buys time.

Guy was the first one to blow the 2007 pledge. In fact, he blew it the first morning. He went to Albertson's to get groceries and bought clearance Christmas lights for a dollar or two. He was stunned when I pointed out the violation. It was an early lesson on how easy it is to buy without thinking.

I had to stop reading Target ads for a year, and it hurt. The ad was the first thing I turned to in the Sunday paper, and if it lured me to the store, I hunted for things I didn't know I needed: a colander, picture frames, T-shirts, socks, storage bins, bird feeders, extra light bulbs, a paperback book and clearance items.

But when you swear off buying new stuff, you gain time. You can read the front page of the newspaper first, and you can go to the park instead of to the store. It may sound hokey, but I gained peace.

2. I can live with what I have.

Our first no-new pledge took place when the housing market was in good shape. It seemed that everyone was upgrading something in their houses to help boost resale values. I felt great pressure to get new kitchen countertops.

After the pledge kicked in, I didn't give the countertops a second thought. I quit worrying about window treatments and new carpet and bathroom redos. And I discovered that I feel pretty comfortable most of the time in my worn, 25-year-old house.

3. Buying used doesn't necessarily mean saving money.

You can buy estate jewelry and used Porsches. Antiques shops in the Design District offer pricey used furniture. And you can spend hundreds of dollars on consignment clothing.

On the bright side, you don't have to break the pledge to make nice purchases.

Take the pledge

Taking a no-new pledge is a lot like going on a diet. It works best if you build in flexibility. Clarify objectives and establish a few exceptions to help it work.

Our exceptions:

Food.

Toiletries. We may have enough to last a year since I've been buying Walgreens rebate items for years and we have a stockpile of hair products, shaving cream, razors, lotion, etc. And now, CVS has an even better instant-rebate program. The other day, Guy complained about our large stash of deodorant. But, honestly, when does he expect to quit using that particular product?

Home-improvement and home-maintenance products. There's probably a way to salvage air-conditioner filters, but I'm not going to do it. And I need new tile in the entry hall. (Used tile isn't an option.)

Free stuff. If I can get it free with a rebate, I'm going to buy it. Sorry, but I can't help myself.

School uniforms. We have a kindergartner. I'm not sure I can find used kindergarten attire in good condition.

Special shopping sprees. This year, we'll try not to do this, but in 2007 I gave myself one day during our summer vacation to shop for clothes at resort boutiques. It was a treat. I also went to Kohl's on the Friday after Thanksgiving (my first time doing Black Friday shopping) to buy bedding. (No used bedding for us!) I was amazed at the prices.

And this time around, we're going to experiment with other challenges, just to be a little more hard-core.

• We will spend no more than $100 on food in January by consuming what's in the freezer and pantry. We'll start out OK since Grandma Reynolds sent us a fabulous Christmas gift from Omaha Steaks, but we'll probably be sick of Tuna Helper and Progresso soups by the end of the month.

• We'll pick a month to see whether each of us can get by on one tank of gasoline.

• Spring festival season will be a good time for free entertainment.

• We'll see how long we can go without using air conditioning.

• We can make up other challenges along the way. And why not? We'll have plenty of time since we won't be shopping.

My confession

We didn't stick to the no-new pledge this past year because I didn't want to, even though Guy did.

For a good bit of 2008, the frugal habits of 2007 stayed with us. In fact, Guy came home on Earth Day with a used dog (a too-intense pound puppy that he'd recycle if he could).

But toward the end of the year, I began to covet new stuff. Plus, the sales were supposed to be so good during the holidays that I had to shop.

I bought a purse, some sweaters and socks for everyone. And, just before the year was up, I used a gift card to order flip-flops from L.L. Bean for Drew. (No used flip-flops!)

And now, we're into our 2009 no-new pledge.

May the recession end before we have to swear off used stuff, too.

Nancy Visser is an editor on the Breaking News Desk. Her husband, Guy Reynolds, is a photo editor who also works at The Dallas Morning News.