M onica Glines decided to do something that feels so out-of-step with the American norm she is hesitant to discuss it in mixed company.
She made a pledge not to buy anything new for one year. No shopping at the mall, no trolling for deals at warehouse stores, no purchasing mountains of new gifts at Christmas.
If the family needs something, the Arlington mother buys it secondhand or borrows. The only things she will buy new are groceries, toiletries, medicine and undergarments.
“Society tells us we need to have all of these things,” said Glines, 32. “It seems like the whole American dream is up for sale.”
Glines made the decision a little more than a year ago after her brother-in-law told her about The Compact, a grassroots movement started in San Francisco that aims to counteract what the founders call “the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of U.S. consumer culture.” The group is named for the compact the Pilgrims made on the Mayflower before settling in the New World.
In addition to pledging to borrow, barter or buy used, The Compact’s credo calls for its members to support local businesses, to reduce clutter and waste and to simplify their lives. The group has no official roster and nobody is keeping tabs on anybody else. It’s just an idea with a Yahoo online group and a Web log.
Its membership has spread worldwide, with satellite groups appearing in places as far-flung as Sydney, Australia; Hong Kong and Iceland. The closest is based in Seattle and has its own Web site.
Kristin Hyde started the Seattle Yahoo group list for The Compact in January. The list has grown to more than 30 members. She attended a women’s clothes swap last month and everyone came home with a wardrobe that was new to them.
“I’m sure there are far more ‘Compacters’ in our region who just don’t know about that or need it,” she said.
For another member of the Seattle area group, Tami Olsen, 49, of Arlington, The Compact is a meeting of the minds, a group of people to which she can seek advice and glean ideas. She made a habit of being thrifty, buying what she couldn’t grow from local farms, and living simply long before The Compact.
“That’s pretty much how it’s always been in the family,” said Olsen, a married homemaker with a teenage son at home. “We’ve always tried to make a low impact on the Earth, recycling when we can. This fit our lifestyle.”
Simplifying life and saving money is what first appealed to Monica Glines about The Compact. Glines used to escape to the mall to get away from a messy house and the stress of work and small children. She remembers several months when she spent hundreds of dollars on children’s clothes. That’s mind boggling to her now, she said.
“I thought because we worked hard, we deserved nice things.”
Making changes in her life wasn’t easy, she said. Not everyone in her life understands or supports what she is doing. One friend told her it sounded like a cult. Another said she was becoming a hippy. Her husband, John, supports her. Her daughters, ages 9 and 11, are handling it well, she said, even the secondhand clothes.
“They don’t look any different than their peers,” she said.
Christmas was nerve-racking for Glines. She’s not good at making crafts, so that was out. She found secondhand gifts instead, including two American Girl dolls her daughters wanted.
She hasn’t followed the plan perfectly. Short on time, she bought her daughter a new dress for a funeral. In a moment of weakness, she bought herself a pair of new shoes. It was hard to hold the grandparents back from buying her children loads of toys during the holidays.
But after a year, the change is significant.
Her once cluttered home is clean and tidy, and consequently Glines said she has more time to spend with her family. The couple is trying to sell their sports utility vehicle to save on gas, insurance and maintenance. Doing that and along with the changes she has made will save the family enough money for her to quit her day job, she said.
She buys organic locally grown produce and is thinking and reading about how she can continue to make changes in her life.
Breaking her retail habit has saved the family enough money that she was able to quit her job and stay home.
“I really contemplate purchases now,” she said.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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