Some simplify by saying bye to buying new

A book is inspiring Portlanders to change their shopping habits

By STEVE WILSON

The Portland Tribune, Sep 18, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (1 Reader comment)

L.E. BASKOW / TRIBUNE PHOTO

Hannah Kellogg says she isn’t just saving money and resources by buying used items as part of a home remodel — she’s also getting pieces with more personality.

A couple of years ago, Kelly Carmichael, 53, had all the trappings of a successful corporate cog. She lived in the Pearl, wore new tailored suits and worked too many hours.

That was when she heard of “Not Buying It,” a book that detailed one couple’s attempt to live for a year without purchasing anything that was not a necessity. Carmichael never read the book, but it changed her life.

“I only heard the title of the book, and it really struck me as an interesting concept,” she says, “not buying anything new. I was ripe to hear that. I was already interested in the reduction of waste and reuse, specifically creative reuse.”

Carmichael moved out of the Pearl into cheaper housing in St. Johns, and she stopped buying clothes. She began frequenting locally owned stores and buying locally grown food.

Changing her buying habits had other effects on her life as well. By cutting her spending Carmichael was also able to leave her stressful job and take on an AmeriCorps position at the School & Community Reuse Action Project, better known as SCRAP.

“One of the things that making this decision allowed me to do was consider doing a year of AmeriCorps service,” Carmichael says. “Making that commitment to not buy anything made me realize I could simplify my life financially as well as responsibly.”

As SCRAP’s volunteer coordinator, Carmichael gets to help other people see the potential in reuse. SCRAP’s volunteers go to street fairs and schools to educate people in the art of “creative reuse.” SCRAP’s retail store sells castoff office supplies, knickknacks, paper, flooring, and other odds and ends.

People who decide to limit their consumption have different views on what that means. At one extreme are “freegans,” who resist the capitalist economic model by Dumpster-diving, squatting (living in abandoned buildings), and bartering for goods and services.

Carmichael’s approach is less dogmatic, which she believes makes it more sustainable.

She says she did have qualms before changing her buying habits, but adds that it has not been as difficult as she thought, in part because she has not needed to make many purchases. Her closet was already so well-stocked with professional clothing that she hasn’t bought any clothes in over a year. Another reason: her home life.

Carmichael lives with her 40-year-old partner, Brian Casey, and his 13-year-old son, Austin, and says that their acceptance makes her new lifestyle possible.

“My partner is very supportive,” Carmichael says. “He hasn’t made that same decision as I have, but he’s much more conscious of what he purchases and how he consumes, and also of his generation of waste. He makes it possible for me to do this.”

Carmichael’s decision to limit her purchases is partly driven by environmental concerns, but her ability to stay true to the new lifestyle comes from a larger desire to live more simply and more consciously. In a way, she says, purchasing less is an outgrowth of following that moral compass. In addition, Carmichael has begun to view her spending habits as a political act.

“It’s really had a big impact on my consumer behavior. Even for consumables I’m really interested in making sure that the dollar I spend counts, so that it goes to a local business when possible or is locally grown.”

Author says to take it slow

Carmichael’s views echo those of 33-year-old Neona Rice, who, along with husband Chris and daughters Cailyn and Beverly, has been trying not to buy anything new since April.

“We’ve been sticking to it pretty well,” she says. “The one thing that has come up for us was when the kids were invited to birthday parties. We didn’t feel like we could not bring gifts. So we tried to focus on gifts that were less commercial, activity gifts, like games and puzzles.”

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