The Accidental Experiment

Because of my accident, I'm going to have to purchase a car. That goes without saying.
I also need to somehow save all my money as much as possible.

I need something drastic.

Like the woman in Miller's book, I think I can go without buying any clothing for a year.
But let's expand this thought.

What concerns us as a society?

Cars.
Liquor.
Clothes.
Jewelry.
Cell phones.
Name brands.

What if we gave all that up? What if we just said "No." to most of it, if not all of it?
Would it enrich our life any? Would we feel more fulfilled?

Let's find out.

The rules are as follows:

• Until 12/31/2007, I cannot purchase any non-essentials for myself. This includes music, video games, clothes, shoes, candy, crackers, etc. This goes without saying that if you give me candy or cheez-its, I will scarf it down and probably ask for more. On the same token, if I need to buy something for a party, I won't actually eat what I bring.
  
• Essentials can include, but are not limited to toiletries, gas, repairs for cars and computer, metro ticket, etc.
  
• I can purchase gifts for other people. (Can't skip birthdays, now can we?)
  
• I have a total limit of $20 a month (or $240 a year) for my hobbies which are but not limited to:
• Photography - this includes film and processing and creating prints.
• Reading - this includes new books and coffee for sitting at the shop. I'll probably be visiting the library a lot more as well.
  
• Rock Climbing - this includes additional chalk. (Membership needs to be an exception though.)
• Liquor - I just got into single malt whisky as well as other fine liquors. This one, I feel I can't give up just yet.
  
• Note: The $20 can be carried over from month to month.
  
• Food, drink and events are excluded, since that is the one thing that tends to glue me and my friends together.
• Food is defined as anything involved with a legitimate meal: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
• Drink is defined as any kind of drink that is coupled with the meal including soda or liquor. Drinks outside of a meal does not count for whatever reason: milk tea, smoothies, shakes.
• Events is defined as any kind of concert, expo, convention, vacation trip to a distant place, etc.
  
• If a get together is held at a restaurant, unless it's for a legitimate meal, I'm there to hang out.
  
• If we go to a foreign country, or go on vacation, the same rules apply - no souvenirs, no purchasing outside of what's necessary.
  

What I intend to do is rapidly reduce the amount of money I'm spending, and at the same time, lead a normal life.

Can I do it?

I have faith that I can. It doesn't seem all that hard. But I know it will get tough.
And I hope this blog can help me keep me on track.