Shopping - I have given up shopping. I went cold turkey September 1st and am now only purchasing consumable products and cosmetics like soap, shampoo, tooth paste, alcohol. There are a few caveats; I can spend on house and car repairs, I continue to pay my bills and I can shop when I am not in Canada (you should see the boots I bought in London). I can replace essential items of clothing that might die and I can buy presents for friends and family ... not as extreme as some other environmentalists, but it is a start.

Why did I give up shopping? I was feeling to sucked into the consumer cycle of buying for the sake of buying - plus I kept coming home with purple sweaters and kitchen implements. I was spending $100's on little things here and there on a weekly basis that have done nothing to improve my general quality of life. Here in Canada we have a very high standard of living and our lives are pretty sweet - mine is fantastic, and while that fancy garlic press makes my life really easy, I never needed to buy it, or the matching ice-cream scoop, pizza slicer or peeler.

Now that I am no longer shopping, my weekends are not filled with miscellaneous trips to Canadian Tire to buy something for the house (I have started to improvise) or trips through malls battling with hundreds of other people for the same top from some generic store. The urge to spend is being replaced with a calm acknowledgment that the pleasure of whipping out my credit card lasts as long as a cheap Le Chateau top.

I am very lucky and have a fantastic quality of life and access to what I want, when I want it. Now I am taking the time to take stock of what I have a prioritize things. Not purchasing for the sake of purchasing means that I buy what I really need - not what I think I need. I have found myself thinking of all the things I need to buy next year when I start shopping again, but I forget them soon after I put them on my mental list, a sure sign that I never needed them in the first place.

Quick math: If I spend on average $200.00 a month of stuff I don't really need, in a year I save enough money for a return trip to Thailand AND a live-aboard scuba diving trip, talk about being really lucky and having a fantastic life! It could be worse - I could have eight purple sweaters instead of just four!