BUY NOTHING NEW... THE UPDATE.

It's been six months since I took on the Buy Nothing New (BNN) challenge. It's been great. It's been something that I think about on a regular basis. It's been something that I'm so glad I did.

It does mean sacrifices though.


Like my gym membership. I said goodbye to my daily workouts in May after much deliberation. And like many of the decisions I torture myself with for far too long, turns out I can exercise just as well without spending $75 per month. How surprising is that?

I'm up and at it at 6:15am. The perk is that if my husband is away, I still can exercise. Because I head out the back door and can hear the lads if they're stirring. I'm thankful to Pinterest and all those clever people who write up programs that I can do in the luxury of my own back yard. Oh, and did I mention that I don't have to do my hair or brush my teeth? I don't have to moisturize or care what I look like? Because nobody can see me in my own backyard.

Plus, the lads think it's funny when they watch me plank on a random bit of furniture (didn't you know that's one awesome exercise for your inner-core strength? Yes, it is!). They attempt push ups and squats. Makes me think I should have done this a long time ago. Never mind, I'm doing it now. And I'm grateful to BNN for even considering that I could exercise for free.

Another big BNN moment was the lads' birthdays recently. We hosted a pirate party. And while I relish in second hand shops, they're a real nuisance when you have something in particular you want to find. Like a vest. Or stripey pants. Or a striped scarf. Or pajamas. (Yes, I'm particular sometimes.) And yes, they were hard to find. But find I did - well, mostly. But the vest and jammies, I just couldn't find - no matter how hard I looked. Turns out they're a bit popular or a scarcity at second hand shops. So, I bought a vest. And pajamas. New. Yes, I know. I could kick myself. But I needed that vest for the pirate party. (And now we have a lovely vest for the next three years since I bought it in size 8.) And I just couldn't handle seeing my six year old in summer pajamas any longer. It was just too cold.

We did go great guns for the boys' party, but I did buy plastic plates and pirate patches. The budget was well and truly under as we did old fashioned games that required minimal purchases. And we have a whole bunch of memories which cost us very little (Pirate Party post here).

And others have caught the BNN bug. Like my friend Renate who is BNN for a whole month, and one of my oldest friends who is going the whole of 2013 without BNN! So proud of you two girls! The thing that I'm finding is that is' quite easy not to spend money, once you set your mind. Cheering you on, because it really isn't that hard.

Otherwise, we're going gung ho and I've purchased some great finds at the op shops. Must share with you in a Fancy Pants post. Must get my camera back out of retirement for some entertaining shots.

If you are buying nothing new, how are you going? Would you consider BNN for a month like my friends Renate or Kellie?

Thanks so much for popping in.