Besides thrift stores and garage sales, participants found a wealth of free or previously owned merchandise in online classifieds and sites where people post stuff they want to get rid of, such as http://www.freecycle.org and http://www.garbagescout.com.This is fascinating to me, because I have experienced the same thing. Something I thought about buying, but didn't, will often turn up for next to nothing at a garage sale or resale shop.After going through an initial period of retail withdrawal, discovering just how easy it was to score pretty much anything with a little time and effort was an eye-opener, according to participants.
Rachel Kesel, 26, who works as a dog walker, said she was astonished by how often the items she needed simply materialized — the friend who offered a bicycle seat when hers was stolen, the Apple store employees who fixed her laptop at no cost.
Similarly fortuitous timing happened often enough that group members came up with a name for it — "Compact Karma."
Once, when my two oldest boys were little, they were begging for Batman and Superman costumes for dress-up. At Party City, those costumes were $26 each. Neither boy had a birthday coming up, and I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much money. Weeks went by, and one Saturday morning, I pulled up at a garage sale and there, hanging from track of the garage door, were a Batman and a Superman costume--in the exact sizes of my boys!
The Lord--or Karma? (Maybe the anti-consumerist mentality is dearer to the Lord's heart than most Americans would guess!)
"One of the byproducts of The Compact has been I have a completely different relationship with the things in my life. I appreciate the stuff I have more," [a participant] said.
Related article here--one I happened to bookmark a year ago about the same group.
2 comments:
I read a book called "I'm not buying it" written by a lady who went a year without purchasing anything that wasn't necessary. It was very interesting and I am glad to see thrift and going-without becoming a sort of trend!
You gotta love the different unique ways God is getting the idea thru to us, that HE is our provision, and if we'd just stop providing ( via debt of course) for ourselves, He would send what we need..and want! I'm being challenged about this too. I REALLY need a decent haircut before a big Pastor's and Leaders conference, and I realised, I could go to the HairDressing School and get the same cut for 1/2 price....so away I go! Saving money, and praying for a good cut!
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