It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon, which may be why – despite my daily writing goal and Transaction Cleanse - I found myself resisting the idea of writing about money. That is, I resisted until I was struck by the idea to map this piece to song titles from the Motown group The Temptations. Hopefully, you’re in a similar mood and will indulge me on this one!
The good news for my Transaction Cleanse is that writing isn’t the only thing I’ve been feeling resistant about. I also managed to resist spending this entire weekend. Luckily, my preferred activities usually take me into the woods or back roads to hike, bike, or run. There, temptations to derail a zero transaction week tend to be a few. (Temptations sing: "All I Need")
But make no mistake. Temptations hunt me down: the delicious “real, local food” energy bar samples at the bike race registration, the ultra thin socks the running store swears won’t bunch, the micro brewpub one block down, the much-recommended garden shop on the drive home. Is it just me or does it seem like the temptations to buy have gotten both dramatically greater in number and more attractive in the last decade or so? (“Just My Imagination")
I remember moving from metro Boston to southern New Hampshire in the late ‘90s, and being so underwhelmed by the local restaurants as to decide it wasn’t worth going out. The mall contained most of the same stores as everywhere else, but the inventory seemed oddly limited and less compelling. Too lazy and traffic-averse to drive to Boston, I dusted off my sewing machine and made pillow covers, bike jerseys, skirts, and more. (“You’ve Got to Earn It”) If it weren’t for food, gas, and cross-country ski passes, I could have gone weeks on a Transaction Cleanse without even trying. It didn’t hurt to be living out in the boondocks in a climate that frequently discouraged leaving the house. ("Mother Nature”)
Fast-forward two decades and shift to the other side of the continent. I feel like I’m living in a giant commerce soup. Cool new stuff is everywhere, begging to be sampled and creating FOMO. (“Try It Baby”) The weather almost yanks me out the front door, right past endless purveyors of stuff. ("I Wish It Would Rain")
But of course, there’s no longer any need to "go shopping." Stuff is more than happy to come right to the front door. What’s a Transaction Cleanser to do? "Get Ready" to hear about this and much more in the next episode of “'Check Yourself' vs. 'Ain't Too Proud to Beg'".