Next Non-Purchase: Dresser

The fact that we're expecting a new baby and we've decided to not buy anything new is not exactly a coincidence. I think that we were partly inspired on this journey because of the temptation to justify stupid purchases. I can justify many things. And I can easily convince myself that I need a new pair of jeans or I need a new pair of boots or I need a visit to Boston or I need a weekend in Atlanta. So here is the next challenge...

Because Jasper and new baby (who I refuse to give any nickname, even though I think that is an especially bloggerish thing to do) are going to be sharing a room, they are also going to be sharing a dresser. Jasper currently uses a dresser that I think we got at a used furniture place here in Knoxville, but it may have traveled with us from Boston. If it did, it should not have made the journey. It is in rough shape. I painted it white and put purple knobs on it when I was pregnant with Jasper. It has served its purpose, but it is very flimsy and very small for two wardrobes (as petite as they are). So I have set out in search of a new dresser.

The problem with only buying used stuff is that I'm picky. I went yesterday to a very weird and potentially illegal warehouse that had everything from stacks of tires for 4 Wheelers to records to a minivan. They also had some dressers. All of these dressers, though, have this overly ornate thing going on. I want an Ikea-style dresser. I just want to find it for $40 in a sketchy warehouse where the "owner" literally walks me through the place with a flashlight because there is no electricity in the building. (As we left, Jasper said, "This place is WEIRD." He is astute.) Actually, I don't need that precise experience. I would just like a used dresser that isn't trying to look like something it is not. It seems that dressers of the 1970s made up for any inadequacies with overly ornate knobs. I know I can change knobs. I'm trying to be imaginative. But really, so far, I've just found ugly dressers.

Meredith of last year would break down and get the dresser from Ikea that matches the crib. But Meredith of 2010 will find a way to scrounge up a dresser that adds to the eclectic look of this new room which already features a bed made of apple crates. I'm radiating that a well-built dresser with simple, clean lines and 6 drawers will makes its way into my life. Do I dare go the Craigslist route?

Short Pants

Just an update that Jasper's short pants evoked sympathy and action from his grandmother. No.... he didn't get new pants, but he did come away with a sort of jersey which might distract from his short pants.

My Blog Sucks

I have now had two friends, with varying degrees of tact, point out that my blog sucks. ("Your blog sucks," said one friend. "Meredith is not a natural blogger," said another). I can't just invite people to read my blog and care about my anti-capitalist experiments and then stop blogging. It's rude. Yet... it is hard to write about something that you're not doing. I will try, though. Especially since this was my big idea.

I'll start as I start most things that intimidate me, with a list.
Things I have wanted to buy recently, but didn't:

• new pants for Jasper as he headed off to visit family and continually showed his socks and his growth spurt. (Instead of heading to Target, I knew I would have to take a longer drive to a consignment shop. I did neither, but went with the idea that his family might feel sorry for him and buy him new clothes.)
• a winter coat that buttons over my pregnant belly. (Preparing for a recent trip to Boston, I was very tempted to buy a warm coat that I might be able to button. Meredith of last year would have done it. Meredith of this year just wore a smaller coat and didn't button it. Plus, the daffodils are coming up in my yard, so it can't be cold for MUCH longer.)
• an interview outfit for Jeff. (After trying on and modeling many outfits, though, we actually uncovered some things from deep in his closet. And he looked dashing.)
• William Faulkner's Sanctuary. (A colleague invited me to write an article about this book, which I read years ago. I agreed, but then found that I no longer had the book. Just as I was about to break and go get the book, said colleague left his extra copy on my desk.)
• a new water bottle. (I have a metal water bottle that I take with me everywhere. It is really beat up, but as of today, still holds water. I was convinced that it was lost forever and I felt a desperate need to replace it when I noticed it was lost. The day that I decided that I should give in and just buy a new one, I found it in the back seat of the car. Perhaps I should have written a blog about keeping my car cleaner?)

Does anyone really want to hear how hard it is for me to not buy new socks, though? It's a bit underwhelming... the concept of this blog. The good news is that I'm sticking to this ridiculous goal that I set, and it seems to be working out well in terms of karma. Just as I was struggling with my very limited clothing options (I seem to have loaned out all of my maternity clothes, but I don't know where!), I received a huge package in the mail from my step-sister with her maternity gear. And as I realized that I will grow out of some of her stuff soon, I was able to raid my sister-in-law's closet. Perhaps this trend will continue. (It should be said that neither of these people know that I am embarking on this no-buying spree. Otherwise, it would be a little bit pathetic.)

Other ideas for how to blog about something I'm NOT doing? I welcome them, if you've got them.

My blog may still suck, but at least there is a more recent post now.