whose idea was this, anyway?!

To be fair, this is not a new idea and, much as we would like to, we can't claim it as our own. There are various groups of people who have decided to leave shopping behind and opt for the simple life.

But particular inspiration has come in the form of Janet Levine, author of Not Buying It. She spent a whole year shopping only for essential items, not particularly for any spiritual reason, but because she'd simply had enough of the raging consumerism she saw at every turn.

Similarly, we're hoping that no new shoes will help us to think more clearly about what we buy, why we think we need it and where it comes from. It's not about saving money (although I certainly shan't complain). Cutting down on our purchases should also help us to shrink our carbon footprints - we won't be filling our homes with un-recyclable junk and its packaging, and hopefully what we do buy won't have travelled quite so far to be on our tables.

But we'll need some help and advice. We would love it if you would join us in the project and let us know how it's going for you by commenting on this blog.