Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Update re No new clothes until Jan. 1, 2010 - Part 2

In yesterday’s post I mentioned one personal goal for 2009 - buy no new clothes. Nada.

Here’s a quick update.

I’ve slipped up once in ‘09. Stink.

While at the Home Hardware gardening center in The Village recently I noticed a display of straw hats, recalled I’d been unable to find my old straw hat, checked the price ($21.99) and my wallet ($32.17), and without thinking about my goal, bought the hat.

Only a day or two later did it dawn on me - I had done a terrible thing! And almost on National TV!

What will my readers think? (Oh yeah, I’ll have to tell them. My palms are sweating already. Public humiliation - AHHHH!)

And I’d been doing so well. No new T-shirts (though my supply is thinning out), underwear (my brand wears like iron... which can get uncomfortable at times), pants, sweaters - the whole nine yards.


["Something you don't see everyday - Gord's underwear and T-shirt drawers": photo GAH]

One used pair of Levis and two used hockey sweaters had been my only clothing purchases in 2009 until I bought the hat two weeks ago.

Last Sunday, however, while visiting my son and daughter-in-law in Fenelon Falls, I bought another hat. This time a used one, at a flea-market-slash-antique shop.


A sexy number from Caracas, Venezuela, for $10.

The new one will remain in the closet until the summer of 2010, and I bet I won’t slip up again.

***

Would you buy a used hat? Do you cringe at the thought?

.

4 comments:

SILVER said...

Cringe. naw. Smile, yes, although i have to admit i won't do it.
;)

~Silver
Reflections/
One Day at a Time

G. Harrison said...

Hi Silver,

Thanks for visiting It Strikes.

Could you buy a used hat if it was the perfect gardening hat? Or took ten years off your age - as it did me, in my humble opinion.

Cheers,

GAH

Kathleen said...

You crack me up, Gord!

Are you kidding me? Everything I wear is previously used. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Your resolution sounds like torture. But I'm impressed with your resolve.

Are you familiar with The Compact?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thecompact/

Is this what inspired you?

G. Harrison said...

Great comment, Kathleen.

I have heard of The Compact but was motivated by other things. My weekly column was taking a 'green angle' for the most part and I felt inclined to try reducing consumption in a variety of ways.

Retirement has given me time to carefully assess habitual behaviours that aren't too helpful - as far as future generations and mother Earth are concerned.

Buying less is becoming a new habit. Can I do without a more frequently asked question.

See, old dogs can learn new tricks.

Cheers,

Gord