2024: my year of no
It’s been a while since I’ve done new year’s resolutions! I used to be very committed to them, but over the last several years, I tried to focus more on just making the right decision in the moment. Instead of making a resolution to floss more, I just make a decision whether or not to floss every night–and I try to remind myself every night that I will be happier at the dentist office in however many month’s if I just take a minute to floss. (Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t!)
That said, I have a few things that I’ve been wanting to change, and I need a little push to commit–so a public declaration timed for the new year seems like just the push I need. So! This year I’m committing to no new clothes, no Amazon and no plastic bags.
First up, inspired by Ann Patchett’s year of no shopping, I’m committing (publicly! 🫣) to not buying any new clothes. When I read her essay about no shopping in These Precious Days at this time last year, my interest was piqued but it felt like too much to commit to right then. But now I’ve had a year to reflect! I’m going to keep using Nuuly and will *replace* any workout clothes if absolutely needed, but my goal here is to wear what’s in my closet and stop buying things that I don’t really need. I have plenty of things in my closet, and I want to get creative and start wearing them–and if I get through this whole year without wearing any items, I will be doing a big closet clean-out at this time next year!
And before I buy something, I want to be slightly more intentional about it. Do I need to buy this book or could I get it from the library? Is this a toy that Jojo will use and enjoy for a day/a week/a month or will it be able to grow with her for a while? And when it comes to Jojo’s wardrobe, I will admit that I *love* being a baby stylist and she does quickly grow out of clothes (or ruin them with paint/food/mud/etc)–so I will likely still be buying things for her, but I’m going to try to approach it more out of things we need versus something cute that I bought on impulse.
Next, we cancelled our Amazon Prime subscription last month, which honestly felt like *a big deal.* I heard someone discuss their choice to do this on a podcast episode a few months ago (although for the life of me now, I can’t remember which podcast) and I appreciated their perspective on: if I need it enough, I can pay for shipping–but having to take that extra moment to decide has stopped me from the impulsive, need-it-immediately shopping mentality. I definitely got very dependent on Amazon right after Jojo was born (I’m still in disbelief that they were able to get me a specific breast pump part the SAME DAY I ordered it) and look: it’s easy and it’s cheap! But I do not like the concept of making one billionaire richer with every purchase, I hate all of the packaging and I’m not a fan of all of the Amazon trucks that are constantly on our street. In general, I know the power of voting with your wallet and I would like my wallet to start voting differently! I’m hoping to support small and local businesses as much as possible, and get back to the farmers’ market (or my beloved CSA box) every week. But even when big box is necessary, I’ll go to my neighborhood Target and pick it up to avoid the shipping and the packaging. And similar to my no-new-clothes resolution, I want to try and be better about not buying things just to buy them–I want to be more intentional in not just what I’m buying, but how I’m buying it.
And lastly, although I’m *pretty good* with bringing reusable bags, I have gotten lazier lately (somehow I bring them in the house and then they don’t make it back into the car). My friend Katie mentioned that her resolution for 2024 was no more plastic bags, and I was *inspired* to have the same blank slate. So! No more plastic bags! The end! And to use the ones that we do have, I want to get better about bringing the plastic bags currently shoved under my kitchen sink and my trusty trash picker-upper when I’m doing beach walks, hikes or strolls around the neighborhood.
What are your new year’s resolutions for 2024?
