15/01/2009

Don't buy anything new for a year - and Carrot and Hazlenut Roast.........

A few of you have asked me about my "Don't buy anything new for a year" challenge, so I thought I would elaborate a bit more and let you all in on what it's all about.
I'm not sure who's responsible for starting this but many of the ishers are participating and the title basically says it all. Don't buy anything new for a year! I'm not an extravagant person but I do tend to buy a lot of tat. You know, pretty shiny things covered in glitter and the like, most of it ends up going to charity in a few years time anyway, so this is a really good opportunity for me to break my tat buying habits and save some pennies in the process.
Plus I think we live in such a throw away society with items being replaced at the first sign of a problem with a similar object all shiny and new. Our parents and grandparents were more from the "make do and mend" school of thought and this is more where I'd like to be too.
Now, because everyone is different and we all have different needs I have basically decided on my own rules and regulations for this challenge. Items not included in this challenge are as follows: Food Loo roll and cleaning products Medicine Anything that would jeopardize the health and safety of me and my family Certain people's birthday and anniversary gifts Tobacco I had started this on 1st January but I have failed dismally already so I am re-starting this again. Why did I fail? Because the gym I've just joined informed me that DM's are not suitable footwear for their gymnasium!! The cheek! I had put up a request on my local Freecycle group requesting for a pair of trainers any style, any colour, didn't matter if they were for men or women so long as they were size 6. I got zero replies so was forced to go out and buy a pair of shoes suitable. Trust me, I have come up with a garzillion excuses NOT to join my local gym, I really didn't need any help in this matter - but I was determined to join and get this aging body of mine back to a reasonable state of fitness. So suitable foot wear was kind of an emergency. Kinda. Loathed as I was to buy new anything, I was even more loathed to buy traniers, which I NEVER wear. So I managed to pick up a pair of black baseball boots for under ten euro and left the shoe shop feeling reasonably pleased with myself. At least baseball boots I will wear outside of the gym as well. Just to elaborate further, buying second hand is OK. Whether it be from ebay, Freecycle or charity shops and boot sales. Now onto tonight's food. This has to be the BEST Nut Roast I've ever had (yes, yes...I've had a few). It's the first recipe for me to try out of a book I bought myself for Christmas - Vegan Vitality by Dianne Hill. Holy Schmoley! Amazon have got this second hand from as little as 1p!! Go snap it up I say - it is an amazing book and even though this is the first recipe I've tried so far - I have my eyes on oodles of things in this book that all look fantastic. There's Cheez recipes in there too! Now obviously I can't print the recipe here because that is naughty BUT lo and behold the identical recipe can be found here HURRAH! Though it does miff me that no credit has been given to Diane Hill! HARRUMPH! The only thing I did different was I subbed Nutmeg for the Mace because that is what I had (who has Mace in their cupboard? 'Fess up!) Anyhoo - I'll let my GORGEOUS photos do all the talking necessary
served with Roast Tayties, Broccoli, Peas and LOTS of Onion Gravy. YUM!
As you can see, I have been acquainting myself with my new camera and these lush photos are all down to Vegan Yum Yum's most excellent post about taking photos for your food blog. If you haven't read this yet and want to learn all about the little tips and tricks to get the best out of your camera, then head on over there now. It is SUPERB!

33 comments:

aredcardigan said...

hahaha your photos are gorgeous!!

wow the dont buy anything challenge sure sounds like a good one....wish i have the discipline to do so. will def keep this in mind tho. love these sort of challenges:)

THANK YOU!

Tara said...

The nut loaf looks amazing! I think that your goal is a noble one, and you did try very hard not to buy a pair of trainers. And no, I don't know anyone who has mace in their cabinet!

Debbie said...

Great goal! The Compact has been doing the buy-nothing thing for a couple of years now; their movement started with a group of friends in San Francisco and has now grown world wide. Good luck!

Lisa -- Cravin' Veggies said...

That nut roast looks lovely! Yummers!!!

And you've got some mad photo skillz! LOL

I love that VYY post...

For the Love of Guava said...

Very impressive new pics lady!!!

And what a great link! As if I wasn't insecure enough about my pics already... put it on my to do list... :)

DJ said...

I love that post too - so informative! I tried that challenge last year and only made it to february so I have my fingers xxd for you!!

janelle said...

I like the goal to not buy anything new for a year. I hadn't even heard about that.... I think it's really admirable

Anonymous said...

Wow! So much goodness here! Thanks for the like to VeganYumYum's photo tutorial...my food photos suck monumentally. I'm doing my best not to buy anything until we move in July except food, meds and household supplies. So far, so good as I'm currently in a decluttering frenzy. Can't wait to try that loaf! Thanks for the linky.

aTxVegn said...

The roast is indeed gorgeous! Thanks for the info about the book.

I don't think I bought anything new last year and thankfully, my son is the king of thrift shopping. We may not do this 100 percent, but it will be close!

thedalyn said...

So, does that mean you can buy things second hand? Or no buying at all? I have to admit that I've gotten a lot better about having things fixed; I've had my favorite pair of boots for about 6 years now thanks to various cobblers. I admit that they're leather--bought before my vegan days--and I'm loathe to think about replacing them. Good news is that they've gotten me into the habit of trying to make what I own last...

A.M. said...

That is one admirable new year's resolution!

Shoes are actually quite important to your health; I used to run on the wrong shoes and my knees started to hurt. Now I have running shoes, and didn't have pain in my knees one single time since...

Amanda said...

OMG! I am so excited that you wrote about not buying anything for a year!! I too started Jan. 1st doing the same thing without knowing that the amazing Jeni Treehugger was too. I was going to blog about it but haven't gotten off my lazy squirrel bottom to do so! Wow..yup, I'm doing the Freecycle thing too. I also found a consignment shop to "resell" some things (may be more work than it's worth unfortunately but interesting). I was looking for someone who is doing this (no buy year) and well, here you are! yay!! I'm so excited. Let's just add some extra "!!!!!s" in so you can tell ;)

Anonymous said...

Woah. not buying anything for a year?? I could NOT do that... you have a lot of will power though!!!

Jen Treehugger said...

Guys _ the Nut Loaf IS amazing!! Y'all have to try it now, you hear me!

Debbie - thanks for that link, I was curious as to where this all started from.

thedalyn - second hand is fine. I should have elaborated more in my post (I've edited it now).My DM's aren't Vegan either. When I DO have to replace them, I will of course buy Vegan. But considering every pair of DM's comes with a 25 year guarantee - I should get plenty more years out of them. I can't decide if that's a good thing or not!!!

Hey Sanja - my friend is a running fanatic and he's told me how important buying the right shoes is. I figured that seeing as I'm not running (can't even run to the end of my street!YET!) then my cheapo baseball boots would suffice.

Amanda - YAY!
A buddy! I'll be watching your blog closely to see how you do. What are your rules and regs?
You MUST blog about this.

FFF - the year's only just begun!!
We'll see how I feel about it this time next year!
:)

Anonymous said...

Glad you are getting on well with the new camera~ vegan yum yum's post taught me everything I know!
Good luck not buying anything for a year too, I couldn't do it (I like to think that I am doing my bit for the failing ecomomy by continuing to buy stuff from the little independent companies *chuckles*). That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

OMG that challenge would KILL me, I love buying shit I don't need. Especially kitchen stuff. Except I don't throw things away, which is why my flat is full of boxes of crap I've had since I was a teenager!!

The nut loaf looks/sounds really yummy. Your photos look great, I really should try and make mine look a bit better, but I'm usually too hungry to wait for a good picture.

Jen Treehugger said...

Sal, Rabbit - things are just beginning to dawn on me as to what exactly I have signed myself on for!!
(but ebay and charity shops are still allowed and I really think they will be my saving grace!!).

Sal - I know what you mean about being to hungry to faff about with a camera, I don't photo half my meals for exactly that same reason!!

Anonymous said...

That nut loaf looks too good to be true! I really dig that challenge, we do need to try to use what we have more and buy less - we're such blind consumers! Be careful with those shoes, though - you don't want to hurt your back or knees. If you start feeling woky pain you may need to get more sporty shoes. Oh, that groovy song is from here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066380/

Jen Treehugger said...

Hahahaha - lesbian vampires! Yes, of course!
;)

Marni said...

I think your commitment to not buy anything for a year is fantastic! And even though I'm sure you're going to have to break "the rules" a few more times before the year is up, imagine how much more aware you're going to be about buying things after a year or trying not to. Fantastic! I applaud your efforts. It's really inspiring.

The nut roast looks fab and I've printed the recipe to try. Lovely photos, too! I'm going to check out Vegan Yum Yum's photo tips and see how much I can score Vegan Vitality for here in the US.

Oh, and :::raises hand::: I have mace in my herb cabinet. But, I'm a freak that way. :)

jessy said...

i'm love'n the food & your photos, Jeni! that's so cool on the "nothing new for a year"! wahooooo! keep us posted on how it goes - i would love to read along in your adventure! hooray!

Tracy said...

Congrats on getting back on the wagon with the don't buy anything new. I started my own project doing this about 6mos ago and man did it open my eyes to the frivolous spending I did before. I am less stressed about clutter and finances, good timing for me to start that challenge. I wish you lots of luck! It is fun trying to be more creative around the house, with outfits, and with gifts.

Your roast looks scrumptious, I really need to read those tips. Well documented ;c)

River (Wing-It Vegan) said...

Yummy, nutty goodness! Your pictures are beautiful, Jeni!

Good luck with the "Don't buy anything new for a year" challenge, it sounds tough but you can do it!!

Felicity said...

The roast looks totally yum. I'm determined to get my bod into shape this year as well!

disabled account said...

i have mace!! i'm a big fan of the stuff, seriously.

Laura said...

I'm definately going to try making this, I've never made a nut roast before but since they discontinued the granose ones it seems like a good time to start! Thanks for the recipe link :)

Jenn said...

Oh, wow. That looks fantastic! Ha, I don't actually have any mace. It might be in a spice blend, but no outright mace.

Lily Girl said...

I love your challenge! Heaven knows I have entirely too much crap. I fantasize about moving to a tiny cabin in the woods (of course the kitchen occupies half this space in my fantasy, since I'm rather attached to my kitchen "things") and living off the land. ::sigh::
And I 'fess, I have mace...

Vegan_Noodle said...

I am super impressed at your "don't buy anything" challenge!!

And the nut roast looks absolutely amazing. Nice photography!

Lovlie said...

Just find your blog! Interesting! I've added you in my list. The nut roast looks yum!

Bethany said...

looks really yummy! I have yet to find a really good roast/loaf, but I never stop trying. hopefully this is the one :)

hmmm... i wonder if i could go a year w/out buying anything new. I don't buy that much stuff, I tend to loathe shopping, especially for clothes. which explains why I always wear the same stuff :).

wingraclaire said...

Your nut roast looks luscious and I will definitely try it. We have a nutloaf we love a lot and are always looking to try more.

Keep up the good work with the "buy nothing" campaign... anything you do will help, in my opinion. The mindset is what will drive your actions, and you'll keep finding new ways to reuse or totally recreate what you already have!

Oh, and mace and nutmeg come from the same plant.... so you were on the right track. :)

wingraclaire.livejournal.com

LeAnne said...

that really does look tasty. I must try!