"No New Stuff" | Avoiding the stores? Well, not quite

Kristin Hyde says the "No New Stuff Seattle" effort never really jelled as a formal group with definite rules. But she's encouraged that she keeps meeting more people who want to be less wasteful.

In May, The Seattle Times visited a clothing swap hosted by Seattle women who were launching an effort to buy as few new things as possible. It was an idea they adapted from a San Francisco group called "The Compact."

"I did my best to stick with the principles of trying to limit myself to buying used, bartering, and generally being a lot more thrifty," Hyde says. She still buys art, crafts and jewelry made by friends, and she has helped organize shows for them.

Hyde's 6-year-old son, Alec, now enjoys their trips to Goodwill. He has found a football, a hockey stick and some great videos.

But Hyde admits she has bought new stuff, too. That includes most of the presents she gave for Christmas. She said she felt short of time, energy and creativity.

Ritzy Ryciak, another woman who helped with the clothing swap, said one of her happiest moments from the effort was finding a tech-savvy friend to overhaul her laptop computer for $100 and a Thai lunch, saving her from buying a new computer.

— Jack Broom