In 2004, a Brooklyn writer mostly avoided non-essential shopping to challenge consumer culture; she spent a year buying necessities with some exceptions and turned it into a book

In January 2004, Brooklyn-based writer Judith Levine and her partner, Paul, made a simple but difficult agreement: for the next 12 months, they would buy only what they considered necessary. Food, medicines, household essentials and expenses connected with their work were allowed, but new clothes, entertainment and many everyday treats were off the list. The experiment became the basis of Levine's book Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping, published in 2006.According to The Washington Post, the idea came after Levine found herself caught up in the pressures of Christmas shopping and increasingly concerned about her finances and the culture of buying. She was not presenting the experiment as a complete solution to consumerism. Instead, she wanted to see what happened when shopping, something that had become an ordinary part of modern life, was deliberately removed from her routine.When shopping was no longer the defaultThe rules seemed simple enough, but they became increasingly difficult to follow in everyday life. Levine and Paul could still buy food, toiletries, medication and other necessities, but many everyday purchases now required them to decide whether they were truly necessary. Is eating out at a restaurant really a need? How about a new book, movie tickets, or clothes? The differentiation between needs and wants was one of the main issues raised during the experiment. Levine kept her job and had apartments in both Brooklyn and Vermont, and so the task did not consist of breaking away from a routine.Entertainment, however, presented a special problem. The couple reduced their spending on many things they usually bought, including movies and dinners at restaurants. Instead, they started borrowing books from libraries, taking part in free events and socialising with friends more often. Some social events even required them to ask for others’ help in providing things they needed instead of buying them all themselves. The experiment changed not only what they bought, but how they thought about spending itself. Buying coffee on a trip, purchasing a new piece of clothing and going out could not become a routine anymore.What research says about consuming lessLevine's experience fits into a wider area of research known as anti-consumption, which examines why people deliberately reduce, reject or avoid consumption. Research published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs has examined the relationship between anti-consumption, materialism and consumer well-being, identifying control over consumption, material desire and the sources of happiness as important differences between anti-consumption and materialistic behaviour.Levine's year serves as a personal example of the difference between these two approaches to spending. It was not just about spending less. Rather, Levine had to question what she wanted in the first place and if not having that would really make any difference to her life. At other times, Levine realised the social dimension of her consumption. Eating out, engaging in entertainment for which people pay and giving gifts are not only acts of personal consumption but social practices as well. And Levine realised that sometimes not spending might mean not participating in certain social events.A year of shopping less, not buying anythingLevine and Paul did not claim to have stopped spending money altogether. They defined necessities as food, medical needs, domestic needs and business needs. There were times when, even by their strict standards, it was hard to distinguish the difference between necessity and wants. As a matter of fact, Levine had bought herself trousers during the year, which complicated the experiment's results. However, it also proved the general idea behind it.Financially, however, that year made a big difference. According to contemporary accounts, Levine calculated that she and her husband were able to save roughly $8,000, which enabled her to settle her credit card bills. Through the experiment, Levine gained a better understanding of how her shopping habits had become part of her daily routine. The result of her experience is Not Buying It, a month-by-month account of her exploration of shopping, needs, desires, scarcity and consumer culture.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.