The Rules + Keeping Score

Nothing new for a year. Here are the exceptions:

-Food

-Consumable housekeeping items (soap, toilet paper, laundry soap, etc)

-Underwear*, socks*, shoes**  

-School-required supplies

-Do-or-die home/car repair items

-Art supplies, Christmas gift-making supplies***

We can buy second-hand, although in an eBay world, NNY could quickly lose any meaning. For the sake of encouraging us to be content with what we have, we will add up weekly/monthly points (with the goal of the least points)

**Update** we ditched the points a long time ago. Just didn't care enough. 

GOLD (-5 points): when we fill an emergent need without buying anything (use what we have/repair something/make something) 

SILVER (1 point): fill a need**** using a yardsale/craigslist/a second hand store

BRONZE (5 points): fill a need using eBay

COAL (50 points): buying a new item from a store or online

We'll calculate points based on the number of items.

 *I think we have a year's supply of underwear and socks, and we can earn a gold by fixing a hole, but we won't get too crazy with this

**a few months ago I read through a bunch of other NNYers exception lists, and many of them had shoes, but we already buy second hand shoes when the mood strikes (don't tell our podiatrist) (we don't have one). I DO worry about good sports shoes, and sometimes a good newish pair of every day shoes doesn't pop up from a second-hand source.

***this is a big loophole, but we're talking markers, paint, crayons, paper--stuff that gets used up quickly around here. We are going to help the kids plan & make some Christmas gifts, so there's that.

****Hopefully analyzing each purchase will help us focus on "needs". The kids are on board with NNY to an extent, but the ones who are old enough to understand the ramifications have already thought about where they can buy used-but-intact lego sets. Clearly not "needs", but we want them on board, so if they use their own money to buy used toys, we will just add up the points and carry on.