So, I am going to try something called a Slow Month.

Our trip to the US has caught up with us, finacially speaking. In between the sleepless nights we spent our days going out to eat, seeing friends and shopping.  This always happens when we go home. Target, Walmart, shopping malls they all beckon to us... come and spend and spend a lot!  And with the Euro being so strong against the Dollar, everything was even cheaper for us.

But now my husband who is in charge of our finances comes to me at dinner tonight saying we need to be reasonable this month.  He says this to me after I went to the grocery store and had the half the store delivered to us. We needed a lot of things that we don't normally buy on a regular bases like laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, Max's milk (which is freakin' expensive!) and in all honesty, we were pretty bare bones and I needed to stock up on the staples again. As we sat eating chili dinner ( I made 4 meals worth, three meals are in the freezer now) and talking money, I thought about my friend, Riana and her amazing life living a Slow Year. Read the right side module of her blog where she explains what a Slow Year is. She is not spending money on anything. Just a small amount to get staples like her baby's milk each week. Every thing else she either barters at her local market, zwaggles with her mama friends or makes it herself.  She inspires me so much. So, while my husband is  explaining our financial situation I was thinking about a recent post Riana wrote about where to start a Slow Year? Getting you started on living a slower life without so much consumerism.

Since I've met Riana I've been adding a little slowness to my life, bit by bit.  Max wears only cloth diapers now. We no longer use sponges or paper towels. We take recycling seriously. We are trying to buy locally grown veggies and fruits.  This is a small part but I'm thinking I'm ready to step it up a bit and do a slow month. A month of no shopping. No going out to eat. No grocery shopping. No extra spending. Of course, if we need to go to the doctor, we will.

Two nights ago, Julien and I went through a mad cleaning fit because of all the stuff we had laying around. We have so. much. freaking. stuff! And it just makes our apt look cluttered and tired.  We must stop the influx of stuff into our lives and purge the clutter that is engulfing our apartment.  I think I will have enough to keep me busy this month. A photo project. My personal project. A slow month. Maximilien. And losing Le Muffin Maximus.

If we can get through one month of slowness, I think it will really show us we can live without all this stuff and hopefully change us and the way we live everyday.

Comments

[Jiwon]

You've just given a title to something I've been wanting and trying to do for awhile now. A "slow month", or a "slow year", or a slower life in general is what many of us need to experience. I know how difficult it can be to drastically change a lifestyle. I hope you find success if your new quest. And maybe watching you succeed will give me more motivation to "slow" down my own life once and for all!

[Jenny Rebecca]

I wish we had daily markets here like you do in Paris. So does buying fruits and veggies at the markets count as locally grown, or do you actually have to find a market with local food? Hope that made sense...baby brain...We may not be ready for a slow year, but I like Ali Edwards' idea of picking one word for the year http://aliedwards.typepad.com/_a_/2007/12/an-end-a-beginn.html and mine is Simplify. The way I'm thinking about it comes across as maybe a starter Slow Year.

[Robyn]

Love the new blog template, I've been reading your blog on my bloglines.com but it's been a while since I've gone into your site and left a comment. Hope all is well with you! Things are good here, busy with Sean running around now (He's 13 months old now - where does time go?) Love keeping up with you guys though! We're pregnant with baby boy number 2 now! Due this June!

This post totally inspired me. I am going to read the posts you linked, and I think I'm going to do a slow month in March. Much needed! Thanks for posting this.

[The Bold Soul]

Here's another idea: if you have stuff around the house you are no longer using but someone else might be willing to buy, why not offer it on eBay and put the proceeds into a little "extras" fund so that if you DO want or need something that is not in the Slow Month Budget, you can do it with a clear conscience and enjoy it? Plus you get to clear away clutter which always makes me feel more at peace with myself. So... extra DVD player lying around? Sell it. Clothes or toys Max is no longer using? Sell it. Doesn't matter how much you make... it's an exercise in shifting your lifestyle and simplifying things.

[Riana]

great job aimee! you will love it and see that it changes your mindset about a lot of things.

please check in with the flickr group and let us know how you are doing, if you have questions, concerns, but most likely you will have great tips for everyone. I bet you can do more than one month, you will be surprised how much food you have in your pantry too.

i just posted about making the cheapest laundry soap ever. little by little we can make a big impact on our outgoing.

i thought about selling our crap on ebay, but then figured it was a waste of time. i dont need money, so why spend so much effort to get money by selling stuff. give it away, do a clothing swap with your friends, find a place that needs it.

[Aimee]

Here is a link to the Slow Year Flickr group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/456262@N21/

I will be adding my images there during my Slow Month.

[Emily]

Good luck! I think this project would be hard to do ...for me. But what an experience to see if I could actually accomplish it. I look forward to hearing more about your experience with the Slow Year.

[gleek]

this sounds like a great idea! on another note, can you tell me about your cloth diaper switch? i've been thinking about switching too but i'm not sure how to go about it. we ran out of diapers last week and i thought, if i were using cloth this wouldn't happen! especially since we have a washer/dryer in the apartment.

[Erin Merryweather]

And, again, more inspiration for my own life. This is exactly what I need to! Should be interesting!

[Family Smudge]

It's so lovely to see that so many people are trying this whole 'slow' thing. I too read Riana's blog. Inspirational stuff! We are just about to embark on life on the road (with a baby and dog) and I think we will be partaking in some slow living so it's great to find more people out there for daily support and inspiration. Can't wait to hear how the month goes.

[SuBon]

Yes, I see and admire an old transcendental friend in this idea of a slow month, a slow year.

"Simplify, Simplify, Simplify".

Once you learn to bake bread and churn butter, then take your buttered bread into the woods wrapped in newspaper, so as you eat it, you can enjoy reading the news and have completely recycleable packaging, a la HDT.

Love,
Ah-ppa

[ashbloem]

This is a really great idea. I had sort of already started this this month, but didn't really call it anything. But you've inspired me. Thank you!

[Alissa]

I am LOVING this idea. I'm not sure I'm ready to do it yet but I know it has given my brain fodder to consider. It's like a bolt of electricity just shot through me. TOO. MUCH. STUFF! This might work for me if I come up with a plan. I love it. Love it!