Week 2
As I start my second week, this last weekend saw my first real temptation - which I resisted! Last year I started getting into Korean skincare, and was seeing a lot of success in that area. I was even able to discontinue an oral prescription, which is always great when I can cut out a pill. One of the nice things about the whole somewhat cultish Korean skincare (is it a fandom? it certainly seems like a fandom at times) is that while you do end up using 5 or more products every time you wash your face, the products are generally much less expensive than their European or American counterparts. Look at the skincare shelves in Sephora, it's not unusual for the bulk of products to be near or over $50, and some going over $100 for very small portions. Meanwhile, most of the Korean skincare products I've bought are at or under $20 each. That to say, while walking down 14th Street in Manhattan with the S/o, we happened to stroll by an old favorite shop, which was now plastered with signs saying $1! $3! $5! I couldn't resist looking inside. Sure enough, it was clear this particular shop was folding, and everything inside had been marked down and placed into bins labeled to either $1, $3, or $5. That was the hard part, seeing products I already use, some of which I'm getting very low on, marked down from $25 to $3, from $18 to $1. It was hard to walk away! But I did. Even though I'm running low on my favorite Korean blurring primer, I am nowhere near running out of primers after a year of subscribing to Ipsy. (Yes, I cancelled all subscription boxes for my Depth Year, so no more of that.)
So I walked away, a little bummed that I was missing out on such a great sale. (I did text that sale to at least one other friend. They're not on a Depth Year.) And almost immediately, we walked passed an art supply store that also was plastered with "80% OFF!" banners. I resisted even going inside there, knowing it would be a problem if I did. And, like make-up, I have plenty of art supplies. I don't NEED more!
This lead to a discussion I knew would come up eventually. The S/o asked how gifts work for my Depth Year. I told him that it really depends. If someone (who may not even be aware I'm doing this whole thing) gives me something for whatever reason, then that's fine. As an example, my new roommate just gave me a shirt that a friend had given her, but she didn't care for it. It fit me just fine, so I kept it. However, if I had seen that sale, and then poked my S/o and said "ah! I can't buy any of this without breaking my rules, but I really want THAT, will you buy it for me?" then that's cheating. He agreed, and we went on our way. I have told him that he's not to enable "cheating" or "loopholes." We'll see how that goes.
This has also made me think about a couple of other more social activities I've participated in that are definitely in some kind of conflict with my Depth Year. I just received an invite to a semi-monthly swap-meet at a bar not too far from home. I've gone a couple of times, and it's a good place to drop off clothes that might be a bit too nice (or weird) for a thrift store, but aren't worth trying to sell to a consignment shop. It's also been a good place to look for more interesting cast-offs, and everything there is free. I've decided that that does violate the spirit of the Depth Year, and while it would be OK to go, drop off stuff, get a beer and hang out and chat, that the temptation might be too great if I saw something on the tables, so I'll be avoiding those for now. The other is definitely another fandom. I am a huge fan of an indie perfume company called Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, and they have their own forum, their own fan pages on Facebook, and a very active social circle all over the internet. The company has released thousands of perfume variations over the years, focusing a lot on seasonal and limited edition scents that creates a very collectible vibe. I have more than enough perfume bottles and samples (and hair glosses, and bath oils, and atmosphere sprays) to last me for more than a year - easily! However, a bit part of the social group is trading. Since the perfumes are natural, and not cut with alcohols or other chemicals found in commercial perfumes, they tend to change based on individual skin chemistry, so you never know until you put an oil on your skin if it will smell as good on you as it does in the bottle. And what do you do if it doesn't? You turn to the community and try and re-sell or trade it away for something else. Buying is obviously out, and selling or gifting to others is obviously fine. I haven't quite decided on how trading might or might not fit. For now, I'm not going to pursue any swapping, but if someone reaches out to me and wants something from my list of unloved smellums and is offering a trade, I'm not I'm ready to shut that door completely. I think it'll be in a wait-and-see situation. It doesn't come up all that often, anyway, so I might not have to really even think about it this year.
I have also started to eye my tea shelf at home and wonder. Technically tea falls under food and drink; but even in the case of food and drink, reducing unnecessary purchases is a good idea. However, I am very nearly out of any herbal teas, and I'm pondering if I'm splitting hairs to try and create work-arounds. If I want to apply the Depth Year idea to tea, should I not buy any tea as long as I have any tea, (tea is absolutely a necessity!) or is herbal tea (being naturally without caffeine, and generally not containing any actual tea leaves) distinct enough from black and green tea, that if I only have black and green tea, that herbal tea is in the free and clear. Haven't decided yet. I still have a small amount of herbal tea left, so until I make up my mind, I'll just work on burning through it first.
By the end of my second week my only non-food purchases were a couple of very necessary over-the-counter medicines.
So I walked away, a little bummed that I was missing out on such a great sale. (I did text that sale to at least one other friend. They're not on a Depth Year.) And almost immediately, we walked passed an art supply store that also was plastered with "80% OFF!" banners. I resisted even going inside there, knowing it would be a problem if I did. And, like make-up, I have plenty of art supplies. I don't NEED more!
This lead to a discussion I knew would come up eventually. The S/o asked how gifts work for my Depth Year. I told him that it really depends. If someone (who may not even be aware I'm doing this whole thing) gives me something for whatever reason, then that's fine. As an example, my new roommate just gave me a shirt that a friend had given her, but she didn't care for it. It fit me just fine, so I kept it. However, if I had seen that sale, and then poked my S/o and said "ah! I can't buy any of this without breaking my rules, but I really want THAT, will you buy it for me?" then that's cheating. He agreed, and we went on our way. I have told him that he's not to enable "cheating" or "loopholes." We'll see how that goes.
This has also made me think about a couple of other more social activities I've participated in that are definitely in some kind of conflict with my Depth Year. I just received an invite to a semi-monthly swap-meet at a bar not too far from home. I've gone a couple of times, and it's a good place to drop off clothes that might be a bit too nice (or weird) for a thrift store, but aren't worth trying to sell to a consignment shop. It's also been a good place to look for more interesting cast-offs, and everything there is free. I've decided that that does violate the spirit of the Depth Year, and while it would be OK to go, drop off stuff, get a beer and hang out and chat, that the temptation might be too great if I saw something on the tables, so I'll be avoiding those for now. The other is definitely another fandom. I am a huge fan of an indie perfume company called Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab, and they have their own forum, their own fan pages on Facebook, and a very active social circle all over the internet. The company has released thousands of perfume variations over the years, focusing a lot on seasonal and limited edition scents that creates a very collectible vibe. I have more than enough perfume bottles and samples (and hair glosses, and bath oils, and atmosphere sprays) to last me for more than a year - easily! However, a bit part of the social group is trading. Since the perfumes are natural, and not cut with alcohols or other chemicals found in commercial perfumes, they tend to change based on individual skin chemistry, so you never know until you put an oil on your skin if it will smell as good on you as it does in the bottle. And what do you do if it doesn't? You turn to the community and try and re-sell or trade it away for something else. Buying is obviously out, and selling or gifting to others is obviously fine. I haven't quite decided on how trading might or might not fit. For now, I'm not going to pursue any swapping, but if someone reaches out to me and wants something from my list of unloved smellums and is offering a trade, I'm not I'm ready to shut that door completely. I think it'll be in a wait-and-see situation. It doesn't come up all that often, anyway, so I might not have to really even think about it this year.
I have also started to eye my tea shelf at home and wonder. Technically tea falls under food and drink; but even in the case of food and drink, reducing unnecessary purchases is a good idea. However, I am very nearly out of any herbal teas, and I'm pondering if I'm splitting hairs to try and create work-arounds. If I want to apply the Depth Year idea to tea, should I not buy any tea as long as I have any tea, (tea is absolutely a necessity!) or is herbal tea (being naturally without caffeine, and generally not containing any actual tea leaves) distinct enough from black and green tea, that if I only have black and green tea, that herbal tea is in the free and clear. Haven't decided yet. I still have a small amount of herbal tea left, so until I make up my mind, I'll just work on burning through it first.
By the end of my second week my only non-food purchases were a couple of very necessary over-the-counter medicines.
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