I know this sounds silly to knowingly buy stuff before my year of no shopping. But leading up to it I was thinking through some things I wanted and needed in the new year. When I told my hubby about my preempitve purchasing he laughed. So here are the things I bought days before 2021 rolled in:

• Boots.($75) Not dressy boots but practical ones that will keep my feet dry. I had bought some cheaper knock offs, they got a crack in the heel and the last time I wore them my foot was soaked. I bought name brand boots hoping they will last years but I don’t often take stock in expensive name brands because I feel you are mostly paying for the “image” or the name of the item. But I am hoping they are more expensive because they are better made. So this purchase truly felt more like a need because it rains alot in NC.
• 5 lined journals.($30) I love to write. Most mornings I write in my journal. I have a gratitude journal that I write a few lines in most days and that one should last me through the year. But my current journal was almost full. These journals are where I practice Lectio Divina and where I write things my heart is processing through so I guess my journal is like a diary in a way. It is also the place where I write things I am learning or cool God Stories. This purchase certainly feels like a soul care/self care need. I thought I would probably only need 3 this year but bought 5 just in case and they were cheaper if I bought in bulk.
• Apocrypha.($6) I grew up Protestant so I had no real knowledge of these texts. I have dear friends who are Catholic and have shared how much they enjoy reading some of these books.
• The Soul of Discipline ($20), this book is certainly a need since we have been having trouble with our youngest’s behavior. I really enjoyed his first book, Simplicity Parenting and felt like I needed this next one for greater peace in our home and family. I first checked our library and they did not have it nor did ThriftBooks.com
• The Contemplative Pastor ($14), this was a book I really wanted to read. I did not realize that the subtitle was Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction. I thought was a cool bonus because I would like to become a spiritual director one day so feels like a great book to equip me on that journey.

So about $180 may seem like a lot for my pre no buy year but I figured these are tools that I am hoping will help me this next year. Last year alone our family had 181 Amazon orders!!! That does not mean 181 items but 181 orders with many of them likely having more than one item. True we have kids who are making purchases and some were gifts or work expenses but that seems like alot. This does not include others things purchased from other stores (online/brick and mortar). I

• A Year of Us ($13) this was a couple’s journal of daily question prompts to have more meaningful conversations. I had wanted a tool to further strengthen our marriage.
• A Grabber/reacher tool thingee ($10). This is one of those things you can use to pick up trash. Whenever I take the kids on hikes or to parks it grieves me to see so much trash and items that can be recycled littered about. Pretty much every time I say that I need to buy one so I can pick it up. I decided to finally act instead of buying bummed about the trash. One of my hopes this year is to take the kids on more outdoor adventures so there will be plenty of opportunities to use it.
• Toe socks ($14) This may seem like a weird buy. For Christmas I got crocks to wear around the house but they hurt my feet so I returned them. I have flat feet and it hurts my feet to walk around barefoot in our home. The only shoes that feel good to my feet are my croc flipflops and flip flops in the winter is chilly. So I got some socks to wear with it. true it looks silly but my feet are warm now.