buying fast update 3

from my co-conspirator:

September

I didn’t buy anything new in September – not even anything new/old from the Consignment shop. I turn inward during this time of year, reflecting more on my inner life than on external appearances. I push things around in my head, evaluate the past, discard that which is unhealthy and unhelpful and arrange and plan for an emotional and spiritual future. Coincidentally, while engaged in this Tishrei exercise, I also re arranged my closet. I packed away the summer shirts which had become too flimsy, in favor of the sturdier more substantial winter turtlenecks and wool jackets. Here too, I arranged and discarded. What surprised me most during this enterprise, was my feeling of gratitude – gratitude that I had the time and space to unpack, gratitude that I did not have to worry about warm clothing and a warm home. I am blessed with both. I spent September arranging what I needed in order to move forward. It was a good month.

NBC again: As for me, I fell off the wagon a bit.

I tend to have a "uniform" that I wear each year, each season. Often, they are the same from year to year. But the problem is that I wear the clothes to tatters. Literally, my shoes have a hole in the toe; my pants have a small tear in the fabric. Not in the seam, in the fabric from being over-worn. So, I will have to retire the shoes after the cool weather settles in, which it seems to be doing even as I write.

The pants I will try to repair. And I will need to return to my winter wardrobe. But I did the same thing with several pants last winter - just wore them out. So I went to get another pair of black pants in September. My wardrobe is simple. It helps me dress in the morning and the reliability and constancy of it helps me hold together a constant persona amid whatever turmoil or distraction I may be struggling with. (I have taught about the spiritual impact of clothes - our wardrobe, our choices in the morning, our costuming ourselves to gird ourselves for taking on the world each day. I hope to write more about that in the book about Home I have been working on. It should only finally flow!)

The problem was I could not find winter pants that worked. However, I did find two items - a pair of leggings and an oddly designed but amazingly warm, body-hugging knee-length sweater. Together, these make an irresistible outfit to wear around the house when we hope once again to keep the thermostat way down low. I have found that women's sweaters are mostly made for appearance, not functionality or warmth. So when I find one that actually is attractive (I do not like to lounge around in sweatpants and sweatshirt) and irresistibly warm, I am not averse to seeing if it fills a need in my wardrobe. This one did.

We will be fixing our house from water damage this fall - an upcoming necessary expenditure. I am not sure it fits within the rubric of a buying fast violation, but I will mention it in the appropriate upcoming monthly log (for it does help the economy and hurt my pocketbook). At the same time, we will be upgrading our insulation to make our home more fit. As long as we are at it, we determined to get a wood-burning stove - we live in the woods after all and are able to find sufficient fuel all around. I will report that too if that indeed comes to pass. But I mention it now for if the stove is sufficiently efficient and the insulation works well, I may not even need the sweater!!

We will see. That is it for my monthly consumption. More to come next month.