The Marketer Who Went Off Consumption

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Now that we know why I have gone off consumption, it’s time to lay out the rules for my year-long off-consumption experiment, list down what is allowed and what isn’t.

The intent of the experiment is to spend an year — from Mar 23, 2008 to March 22, 2009 — without buying anything that is not a necessity.

I have deliberately avoided defining what is a necessity because one of the most interesting aspects of the experiment for me is to “discover” what I think of as a necessity and how it changes with context.

However, here are the ten rules — the ten commandments, if you must — I’ll use through my year of being off consumption –

Rule #1: I’ll continue to consume what I already have; when I run out of it, I’ll replenish it only if it’s a necessity.

I’m allowed to drink wine until my wine cellar is empty, I’m allowed to read the books and watch the DVDs I already own, and I’m allowed to fly if I’m using my frequent flier miles.

In case you are wondering, no, I didn’t go on a shopping spree to stock up before I started my experiment. In fact, I haven’t been shopping much for the last six months, so it will add up to effectively a year and a half without shopping.

Rule #2: Work is sacrosanct; it’s (mostly) allowed if my employers are paying for it.

My employers will continue to pay for my internet and phone charges, my air travel fares, my outstation car rentals and my hotel bills.

However, if I’m traveling alone and if it doesn’t adversely affect my work, instead of staying in a hotel, I’ll try staying with a friend, or couchsurfing.

Also, I have returned the office car I was using and I’m not taking the perk car I am eligible for.

Rule #3: Only basic groceries, toiletries and household items are allowed.

Most packaged food items — biscuits, chips and soft drinks, for instance — are not allowed, but bread, butter, cheese, tea, coffee, honey and museli are.

Basic toiletries like soap, shampoo and shaving cream are allowed but I’ll start using phitkari (alum) when my bottle of after-shave lotion is finished.

Basic household items like detergents and disinfectants are also allowed.

Rule #4: Eating out and going out for paid entertainment is not allowed.

I’m someone who tries to never eat alone, so not eating out is a bigger thing than you think. Even coffee shops, takeaway and home delivery are not allowed, not even when someone else is paying for it.

When I’m traveling outstation on work and staying in a hotel, I’ll eat in my room, and only order fruits and salads. Similarly, if I’m attending an official function or meeting, or, let’s say, a tweetup or a reunion, I’ll eat only fruits and salads.

Paid entertainment — including movies, plays or music concerts — is not allowed, even if someone else is paying for it. However, free shows and shows for which I get free passes are allowed.

Rule #5: Buying clothes, accessories and gadgets is not allowed, but repairing and borrowing them is allowed.

I have enough clothes, and enough shoes, to last me the year, but I’ll be hopelessly out of fashion by the end of the year.

The Nokia N95 phone I almost bought last week will have to wait, but I can get my Sony handycam repaired, even if I have to change half the parts.

Rule #6: Buying books, music, or movies is not allowed, online or offline.

I spend a fortune on books and DVDs, so, after eating out, this will be the second highest impact item.

However, downloading free e-books, movies and music is allowed. Borrowing them from a library, or from friends, is also allowed.

Rule #7: Mass media is not allowed.

I haven’t watched television, listened to the radio, or read newspapers and magazines for more than a year now, so this shouldn’t be difficult at all.

The only exceptions will be newspapers or magazines in which my own interviews or articles are published.

Rule #8: Household help is not allowed.

It may not sound like a big thing to you, unless you are in India, in which case you’ll be so used to it that this will be the biggest item on the list.

I have asked my maid-servant not to come anymore, so I’ll cook, clean and wash myself through the year.

Rule #9: Buying gifts is not allowed, but giving and receiving gifts is.

If you are a friend, your birthday gift is likely to be a book or a CD I already own. If I really love you, expect a poem written on a hand-made card.

You, on the other hand, are allowed to gift me whatever you want and, for a change, I’ll even be grateful.

Rule #10: Investments of all types are allowed.

Investments of all types are allowed, including shares, mutual funds, insurance and property.

I’m increasingly looking at my online presence as an investment, so buying domains and hosting or design services is also allowed.

These ten commandments, of course, will remain work-in-progress through the year; in fact, I expect to add (or delete) one or two as I think of more things.

Do let me know what you think of my ten commandments. Am I being too easy or too hard on myself? Which of the ten commandments are the most difficult, or the most interesting? I’ll be looking forward to your reactions.