Friday, September 12, 2008

The Fall Gimmes


Ugh, just when I was feeling so smug that I haven't had to deal with the gimmes lately, they've struck again. Of course, this always happens in the fall. Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the cool weather, sunny or rainy days, the smell of woodsmoke, and the fall-only activities like apple picking and leaf peeping.

But with fall always comes this deep desire to have a new wardrobe. And a new house. And a huge new creative project or two, just to keep things interesting.

I think it's because I feel so energetic and happy at this time of year, that I want to celebrate--for me that means spending money and eating too much chocolate. I can't take all the blame for that. . . my mom used to give us "treats" to celebrate events when I was growing up. They usually involved shopping for new clothes or eating ice cream in some form.

But I digress. What's a girl (or guy) to do about these pesky gimmes?

Perhaps I should seriously think about freeganism. But I think I'm still a little too squeamish to eat food from a dumpster. Unless it was super clean. Like brand-new clean. And everything inside was wrapped in mounds of un-earth friendly plastic or secured in very sturdy glass or something.

Maybe I should join The Compact? That seems much more do-able. I've been following this blog by Katy about her experience trying to live more lightly. She's a Compact member and seems completely cool.

But all of these things are simply distracting me from what I really want to do--rush to the mall (which I normally avoid at all costs) and shop, shop, shop. New clothes, new music, new home decor--then a trip to a big bookstore to shop some more. Books, a journal, magazines, a new yoga DVD. And of course, we can't forget Michael's Craft store.

Maybe instead I should look for some new ways to celebrate things that don't involve overeating or overspending. And hey, when the gimmes pass, I might just have an extra hundred bucks in savings and still fit into my jeans.

"I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires, rather than attempting to satisfy them." ~John Stuart Mills

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

My type of "gimmies" involve my longings for Vermont :-)

Peggy Frezon said...

Perhaps just give in to one of your desires. An excellent piece of quality chocolate. One purchase of a new fall sweater or a tempting book. Or maybe you could indulge your desire for decorating without spending, by rearranging furniture or cleaning a closet! Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I'm not only "completely cool," but am also an absolute dork.

Thanks for link.

-Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."

http://thenonconsumeradvocate.wordpress.com