Well, here we are at the beginning of something. Or at least I hope it's the beginning of something. What's beginning is the Stuff Stand-Off 2010, a challenge my husband and I have just decided to take on for the year. And this is our challenge: that for the duration of this calendar year we will not purchase and consequently bring into our home any "stuff" that falls outside of the realm of food and household necessities. So for one whole year there will be no new shoes or clothes, no additional electronics, no more furniture, no new books or games, no nothing. Most of all - and this will perhaps be our biggest challenge - no new home improvement projects of any kind. Not even paint. It all counts. If we don't need to eat it, care for our pets with it, or use it to take care of our most basic needs, it's out. No more. Goodbye stuff.

But that's actually the end of the story. Let me tell you a little bit about how it started...

The Story of Stuff

I suppose before I really dive into the explanation behind the Stuff Stand-Off I should give just a bit of background. I married the love of my life in May of 2007 and we packed up our belongings into a moderately sized moving van (the kind you can rent yourself, so that tells you it wasn't too big) and transported ourselves to the lovely town of Southern Pines, NC. Full of anticipation and excitement, we pulled up to our new 1500 square foot house and set to the task of moving our belongings inside. Like many newly married couples, our collection of furniture and belongings was pretty slim. This was in large part due to the fact that I had given away many of my things when I downsized to a dorm room for graduate school (seminary, actually) and all of Jonathan's belongings were second, third, and fourth hand pieces that were quickly denied access to our moving van by me. They became someone else's fifth hand items, I decision I still do not regret. But the result was a stack of boxes, a rickety bed frame with a dilapidated mattress (maybe we shouldn't have folded it all those times to get it up and down the stairs), an old red IKEA couch given to me by a classmate in seminary, another IKEA chair (also a gift), a wooden dining room chair with a red seat, and two very enthusiastic homeowners in a 3 bedroom house with plenty of possibilities.

I won't get into the details of how we managed to fill our house SO quickly, though IKEA did have something to do with it, but I will confess that every room in our house is now in at least it's second renovation - be it a new color on the walls, new furniture, new flooring or otherwise. Our closets are bursting at the seams, boxes and furniture not even two years old are stuffed into our inadequate attic space, and you couldn't put a car in the garage if you were Houdini. And all of that doesn't even begin to address what has happened with the gardens, yards, and walkways that surround our home. We have been very busy during these short 2 1/2 years, and our home is a far cry from the empty rooms that greeted us our first month of marriage.

To be honest though, we've been happy this way. The thrill of the renovation, the rush of adrenaline that greets you when the automatic doors swish open to welcome you at IKEA, the friends we've made at Lowe's... it's been a wonderful couple of years. Even if one part of our home has been torn apart every month since we got here.

But then my mom came down for Thanksgiving this past year, as is her new custom now that we are living down in the south. While we were visiting and sharing what had been happening in our lives she jumped up a little and said "Oh! Have you seen the Story of Stuff? I've got to show you the Story of Stuff." and before I knew it we were standing behind her in the room where we house our computer (once art studio, once craft room, twice a study, now just a room where we put the odds and ends) watching her boot up this video on-line. And then we were watching it. If you've got some time to spare, you should watch it too:

www.thestoryofstuff.com

If you don't have time to watch it, I'll offer you the description from their website:

"From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns."

I'd be lying to you if I said Jonathan and I weren't impacted by this video, and we could certainly see how we had fallen into the pattern of mass consumerism even when the objects we are buying aren't even remotely necessary. But while we certainly thought for a while about some of the things we were buying, there were no major changes in our behavior patterns. Because let's face it: shopping is so much fun! And when shopping fails to be fun, home improvement is always there to swoop in and save the day.

Which brings us to tonight, somehow. Tonight, after a long day at church, I was desperate for an easy fix for our youth group meeting (alright kids, there you have it - the truth comes out) and while I was lying down for an all too brief respite furrowing my brow in thought it occurred to me that a video would be the best way to go. But it was youth group, so it had to be a meangingful video.

"AHA!" I opened my eyes with a start, "I'll show them the Story of Stuff!"

Pleased with my new plan I loaded my computer into the car and to the dismay of my youth group members, so thrilled to be together again after a long Christmas break, I made them watch the short clip and then worse - they had to talk about it. Some of them benefited from it. Others were miserable and made no effort to mask their misery. But what was unexpected was that while watching this video again, twice actually, something happened to me. Suddenly I felt moved to do something big - something drastic - in order to see how our lives might be impacted by a change. Reflecting on the date, January 10th, I did a quick mental rewind over the previous ten days. Miraculously, I had gone ten whole days into the new year without shopping for anything, thanks in large part to some traveling and a busy work schedule upon my return. But save for a few People magazines in the airport, my shopping attempts (and their had been attempts) had been thwarted. Coincidence? I think not.

I came home and pitched my idea to Jonathan, and more evidence to why he's the man for me (as if I needed any) was his quick and enthusiastic approval of my plan: no more stuff in the house until 2011. Ripping a piece of paper off a note pad/fridge magnet/calendar thing I'd been given that was lying around, we jotted down the rules of engagement. They are as follows:

1. Groceries and other household necessities (kitty litter, toothbrushes) will be permitted during the year of the Stuff Stand-Off.

2. Gifts for others are permitted, but there must be an occasion. No more trips to IKEA to buy curtains for your sister and her husband (who perhaps hadn't even noticed that they didn't have curtains) just because it would be fun. (Sorry Kate)

3. Anything that we use that needs to be replaced is also allowed: paper for the printer, staples, etc.

4. Anything already in motion stays in motion, ie. our magazine subscriptions and the jacket I ordered off Ebay on December 31st that hasn't yet come.

5. If we discover that we really, really need something we can take it second-hand (if offered) from a friend or acquaintance.

6. We will gently suggest that our friends and family help us with this effort by not purchasing "stuff" for us, even if it's a holiday or birthday. If something is given to us that is outside of our control or despite our asking, we are committed to remove one item from our house for every item that comes in. So if we really want to keep the picture frame we are given when we host a party, something else has to go.

With our rules jotted hastily on our note paper, and a new name for our project we toasted to our effort and went our separate ways. Jonathan to the garage to continue making whatever drawer, cabinet, etc that he might be working on, and me to the computer (which will hopefully last a year!) to write down the story behind our effort so that we might have what we cannot do without: ACCOUNTABILITY. If anyone is still reading this, and I appreciate it if you are, it will help to have people know we have taken this on. Go ahead and ask us how it's going. While I'm not great about writing consistently (I was always hopeless at keeping a journal) I'm thinking that the Stuff Stand-Off 2010 will provide me with enough challenges - and free time! - that I'll be able to keep you posted over the course of the year.

Before I sign off I will say one thing. I fully recognize that this is at least a little reminiscent of Julie Powell's "Julie and Julia" book which of course became a big blockbuster movie. I suppose it's a sad commentary that I would much more easily give up shopping for a year than I would EVER consider cooking everything in Julia Child's cookbook. I think that's just insane, though I commend her for the achievement. But please know while I liked that book, I am not trying to mimic her effort, nor do I ever expect Amy Adams to play me in a movie. Really, I'm just looking for a spiritual overhaul; a change in the status quo. And I'm thrilled to have a husband that's happy to be along for the ride. Maybe you'll come along for the ride too. Or maybe you won't. And that's okay too, but pretend like you are. Otherwise I might feel so sad and rejected that I have to go shopping...