'Who asked YOU?'

Friday, Feb. 2 -- So, it's the second day of my "Not Buying It" program. So far, so good. I brought a yogurt for lunch and am determined not to purchase anything today.

The weekend, however, will pose a problem. We normally eat out or pick up on Saturdays. But with our daughter babysitting, we thought we'd go to a movie. If my wife pays for it, is that kosher, since this is really my project? Or is that rationalization.

Speaking of that, how does going to a movie fall into consumerism? It's not as if they're making one just for me, or that I'll throw it into the trash when I'm done with it. Hedging already?

Found a couple of blogs that seem to adopt this no-buying policy, this one on Get Rich Slowy, and another on stuff we don't by, by David Sedaris.

One problem that has developed in our house: the clock on our stove is emitting this very annoying buzz that we can't seem to turn off. Now the stove is quite old, I would say at least 15 years. The hood doesn;t work, the arlarm doesn;t work, it isn't accurate. And my mother-in-law has offered to buy us a new one as an anniversary present. So does that make it okay? Either way, we'd have to pay to have someone come in and turn off the damn clock.

On the grand scale of things, I suppose we could put up with the noise. But is that necessary to prove a point? We also wanted to put down a new floor, been talking about it for years. Wouldn't be too expensive; our kitchen makes those in Manhattan studio apartments look oppulent in comparison. And since we have to have the stove taken out anyway, wouldn't this be the right time to do it?