Consumerism and Materialism: A Reflective Journal

Sunday Oct. 22nd

Today I got a haircut. I needed a haircut, as it was long overdue. My sister is getting married at Christmas time and I need it to be "grown into" my new look by then. It was a timely purchase/service that needed to be done. I did however purchase a styling cream, which was very out of character and somewhat of an impulsive purchase, as I felt at that moment that I needed something to help keep the style in my hair. My hair is so thin and flat. My stylist always makes it look so beautiful and full! She works magic with products I don't own. So this time I purchased a product hoping it will help bring my hair back to life. Alas, when I used it today, my hair was having nothing of it- lol. So, I sit here (Monday) with flat hair. This was a very relevant and needed purchase as I returned to work after a leave because of an injury. My injury really put me out and left me feeling defeated, over run, physically unfit, mentally at full capacity and with not a lot of support around me. This purchase was made in time for my return to work after my weeks off preparing myself mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally to have a "Take 2" at the start of the year. Cutting my hair rid me of the past energy, stories and experiences that brought me to this fresh start, this new take on the year. I am confident this purchase will aid me in my new chapter of life!

I also bought bacon. I had been living without bacon for a few weeks. My children don't eat much at breakfast time anymore and to me, a protein is essential in the morning to get them through the first part of their learning day. They won't eat eggs anymore! And I even tried to cook a special bacon I got from my farmer this time around when we bought our 1/2 cow for the year. It was my first time cooking and playing around with such a cut of meat and I wasn't sure how it would turn out. I was early for my haircut and the market was on the way so I stopped to pick up bacon, just in case the one at home that I had been cooking all day, didn't work out. Good thing I did because it didn't turn out how anyone expected and of course, my children were not interested in it (I am realizing they are food snobs, probably my fault). Anyways, I bought bacon from a farmer who always has a deal where you buy 10 packages for $80 dollars. It is local bacon, clean, non-gmo and at that price, a steal of a deal. It will bring me ease over the next couple weeks at breakfast time as I will feel much better about sending my children off to learn for the morning, with full bellies of bacon:) 

Monday Oct. 23rd

I purchased nothing today. I almost stopped to purchase mushrooms on my way home from work, because I wanted to make spaghetti carbonara with the bacon I had cooked yesterday (I am determined to get it in my children's bellies, one way or another) but we had a snow storm roll in and the roads and traffic were terrible so I decided to go straight home.

Tuesday Oct. 24th

Today I purchased my friend a coffee and myself a tea. We purchased from an organic, ethical location. I purchased them as a thankyou for her support during my time away from my job. She picked up a lot of my pieces and managed to stay a float! 

Wednesday Oct. 25th

Today I purchased nothing! However, it has been in the back of my mind to purchase a new outfit for an event I have on Saturday night. I have been going back and forth in my mind about what I would buy. After watching The Trap of Materialism I see that my desire to buy a new outfit is in the pursuit to feel a certain way. A comment was made by a friend of mine that has made me want to look a certain way and as I perused my closet I didn't find anything that met that feeling. Consequently, I've been contemplating 1. what I would buy and 2. if I really need to buy it.

Thursday Oct. 26th

I purchased nothing today, again! I was very busy at work though. I feel like I was consumed by my job today. Is that even a thing? Can that even be connected to consumerism? Sometimes I am so consumed by the work that I get home and I am exhausted beyond belief. Mentally, emotionally and physically. It is as though bits and pieces of me are chipped away at. My muscles sometimes are even sore! How weird is that? 

On days like today I don't get time to go outside. I find that when I have busy days, like today, if I can get outside even for just 10 minutes I feel very different. I did move my body. Stretches, exercises (minimal) and some light weights. However, I feel very drained. It will be interesting to see if this type of day comes up for me again over the next few weeks.

Friday Oct. 27th

We had a team lunch. I didn't eat but had a cup of tea. It was actually an interesting experience. It was a very flavourful and fruitful tea. It didn't come with a sieve or a mug so I had to drink it straight out of the cup it came in, tea leaves and all. It was an interesting experience.

Saturday Oct. 28th

I purchased groceries today. The usual routine- Safeway and Amaranth. I had to go to Costco to get laundry detergent and surprised myself and didn't spend more than $100, which is not what a usual Costco trip costs. So, considering that it was Costco, I am proud of managing to stay under $100.

I did purchase shoes today. My sister is getting married in December and I need a pair of black heels, suitable for the cold winter months here in Calgary, and I've been window shopping for a deal. I often will check out the Shoe Company to see if I find anything and today I found a magical pair of shoes. They caught the corner of my eye as I perused the shelves. They were at the very bottom shelf, tucked in the back, all on their own, and in my size! I checked them out and they were beautiful. Tried them on and they fit and felt great. Checked the price and they were on sale. A purchase I wasn't planning but knew I needed and felt pretty good and successful.

Saturdays tend to be my biggest spending day. 

Sunday Oct. 29th

Today I purchased nothing! Sunday is typically our day to cacoon. Apart from church and volleyball we don't really do much. We tend to stay home and work on home projects, meal prep, catch up on laundry and cook a big family meal. It could be seen as my cocooning day, as per Chapter 3 in an Introduction to Sustainability. Which I am not going to lie, is often my favorite day of the week. There is something about staying home and getting caught up and organized. Not everyone in my family ends up staying home on this day, but it tends to be the only day of the week that I can make that happen and I really enjoy the feeling of being rooted, settled and organized for my week.

Monday Oct. 30th

I bought nothing today and it feels really good. I had a very busy day. We got to carve pumpkins and we baked the pumpkin seeds! They were yummy. We also threw the scraps into the vermicompost. I wonder if our worms will like pumpkin? This will be a first for us...

Tuesday Oct. 31st

Halloween! I again bought nothing but I can't believe the amount of candy my children received this year. There was an exuberant amount of full sized chocolate bars, which my kids were so excited about, however they barely eat chocolate bars! So, I am not sure what we are going to end up doing with all the excess candy. 

What boggled my mind even more was the extent to which people decorated. It seems that each year there are more and more households decked out with more and more decorations. It almost feels as though people are competing for the best decorations, or the spookiest house. Don’t get me wrong, this is fun and all, I just can’t fathom the blow to the wallet. Each blowup decoration can cost on average $300. Some houses had entire villages on their front lawns. If you have five of these blowup decorations that is $1500 just on decorations. It doesn’t include candy, costumes, electricity bills and whatever other little things you might need. That is an expensive Halloween. I think I spend $100 on Halloween, and that is IF we buy costumes, we usually make them.

Worse than the blow to the wallet were my thoughts on the amount of trash these people are collecting by purchasing this excessive amount of decorations. How soon will they opt to throw out the blowup decoration because of the newest and greatest blowup at the store, next year? It comes back to that idea of perceived obsolescence spoken about in the video The Story of Stuff. We are so programmed to want the next best thing. That somehow having “last year’s” model makes us less than. 

Closed Loop Reduction is where I need to go next.

Wednesday Nov. 1st 

I bought nothing today.

Thursday Nov. 2nd

Today I visited SAIT campus and I ended up buying food from the culinary arts department cafeteria. I bought scones, bagels, chocolate and pork chops. All proceeds go towards the culinary department, and all baked goods are baked in house by students. The butcher is also run by students. I gave the baked goods to my children and they enjoyed them. The chocolate is for my colleagues, to be shared during our meeting tomorrow and the pork chops will be for dinner on the weekend. Definitely none of these items were needed however, I am rarely at SAIT and like to support local, especially students!

Friday Nov. 3rd

Today I took my children out for dinner, on our way home after volleyball. It was a long day and a long week. I did not get home in time to make dinner before volleyball and by the time we were out of volleyball it was late and everyone was hungry. It was a quick dinner, nothing fancy, and everyone was satisfied.

Saturday Nov. 4th

Today was grocery day. It always ends up being the heftiest blow to the bank account. I purchased all the necessities for the week; cheese, eggs, bread, veggies, fruit etc. I did have to go do a special pick up of some cold remedies and ended up purchasing a few treats that weren’t intended to be purchased. This always happens to me when I go to this store. It is my favorite store in all of Calgary. It is a local superfood store that has all these special, raw, local, traditional, medicinal remedies. I always find something there that I feel I “need”. This week it was rosemary and peppermint hair oil (that I’ve been contemplating buying for some time now). It definitely was the cheapest option I’ve come across and because it was made in house, at my favorite store, and it was on the shelf, I just had to do it. I didn’t feel guilty about this purchase. I also treated myself to an elixir, which I could have made at home, but I make them everyday, so when I can treat myself I feel like it is a great way to self-care myself, as it gives me one less thing to do at home. I don’t like it when my health routine becomes a “ have to”. I prefer when it is an “I want to”. Therefore, treating myself to an elixir once in a while doesn’t make me feel guilty as I know it is also a way to say thank you to myself for all the hard work I do for my health, on all the other days. I did end up spending more money today than was intended.

I also took my daughter to the Taylor Swift movie. This was because I couldn’t afford to take her to the concert, in another city and because she is not visiting Calgary. I surprised my daughter on this one. She was very happy. The $50 dollar evening was spent singing and dancing with my daughter, having one on one time. A special date together, that I think we will both remember for a long time. And much nicer on the wallet compared to the $400 concert tickets, plus flights, hotel rooms and who knows what else! 

Sunday Nov. 5th

Today I bought nothing.

Monday Nov. 6th

Today I intended to buy nothing. I had no need for anything. Not even a desire for anything. After my weekend of heavy spending I almost felt as though I needed a break from spending. As though I crashed after my weekend hit. It was an interesting feeling. A feeling you know is not necessarily a positive feeling. A feeling that might be associated with unnecessary spending. However, I did go to the grocery store with a friend and as we were perusing, chatting and filling his bag with the things he needed, I came across the seasonal Amaryllis plant, right next to the seasonal Poinsettias and immediately started to think about Christmas. I started to think about all the people I would buy gifts for, and the gifts I might consider, and the traditional pieces, like the Poinsettia. However, since we just got kittens I thought I probably wouldn’t be purchasing Poinsettias this year as they can be harmful to pets. My kittens are so curious and naughty that it would probably be best to not bring these plants into our home this year. Which is sad because I always have them in my home at Christmas time. I automatically thought that instead maybe I could start a new tradition with Amaryllis plants. So I bought two!

Wow- so interesting what consumerism just did to my mind and my apparent “need” of continuing a Christmas tradition. The ever so subtle advertising message that I believe was put in front of me- Amaryllis plant near the Poinsettia, gave me the exact idea that they spoke of in the video The Trap of Materialism, that these plants are both something different, that they are two separate items, with two separate functions. Nope. As I got home and started to reflect on my purchase I realized that they are the exact same idea. A Christmas plant. A plant that I believe I need at Christmas time, to continue a tradition started, I’m not even sure when/by whom, that somehow makes me feel more in the Christmas spirit. That is clearly rooted in the idea that “the more we consume the better our lives will be” (TheSpiritualFreedom, 2011). Wow. I was just fooled and just fell right into the consumerism trap.

Tuesday Nov. 7th

Today I bought nothing. I did go for a walk and stopped by a coffee shop but I was able to stick to my guns and not purchase anything like originally intended. There is something about walking into a coffee shop though. I love the way it feels. Full of energy, chatter, laughter. People sharing stories. Connections being made. There is something about sharing a coffee with a friend. It got me thinking about the whole idea of the concept of a coffee shop. The ambiance that is always created in these spaces is warm and inviting, cozy and welcoming. The many choices available for drinks, to suit the many different needs of people these days. They do an excellent job of creating an atmosphere that you want to be in and partake in- coffee. An experience of all the senses.

Wednesday Nov. 8th

Today I bought dinner. I went out for a walk after work and the time got away on me and it ended up being late and I was starving! So I bought a quick meal of vietnamese. I also didn’t have children to cook for this evening, so that made it much easier to justify not cooking:)

Thursday Nov. 9th

Today I bought nothing. It was a miracle! Because I was in a classroom full of books that inspired me and brought out so many creative, teachable moments. I now have a list of books I might buy for Christmas….oh Christmas!!! You are looming in my mind.

Friday Nov. 10th

Today I bought thank you cards and gift cards for some friends that helped me move a piano into my basement, which was generously donated to me for free, from a friend who was moving. I couldn’t say no to the piano as I had been looking around for one for almost three months. When she called and said she had one for free! And had movers to move it- I had to say yes:) It was an abundant moment in my life that has brought much joy to our little home. So, because my friend saved me so much money on the piano and moving it, I thought a little gesture of kindness to show gratitude for their selfless act of kindness, was the least I could do. It felt good to give back in some way. 

I also went to a painting class. I joined some friends and we had a night out enjoying time together, being creative and pushing some of our creative boundaries.

Saturday Nov. 11th

Today was Rememberance Day. We went to a morning celebration and then visited the field of crosses. It was a somber day. We didn’t purchase anything today.

Sunday Nov. 12th

Today I went on the regular grocery run. As I sit here and reflect I am surprised with myself as I spent less than I usually would. I did create a meal plan this week which did require me to stick to certain ingredients. I also planned around food choices that I already had in my freezer. I think this definitely helped me save money today. 

References

Porritt, J. (The Spiritual Freedom). (2011, Dec. 2). The trap of materialism (video). YouTube.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtwXryPNciM 

Fox, L., Leonard, A., and Sachs, J. (The Story of Stuff Project). (2009, April 22). The Story     of Stuff. (video). YouTube. http://storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/