January 9, 2013

Not Buying A 2013 Calendar

Captain Kirk says, "Beam up those 2002 calendars - they're good all over again."
I haven't bought a wall calendar for many years, and thanks to a quirky tip, this year will be no different.

My mom has been sending me beautiful calendars as gifts every year for over a decade. An added bonus is that their purchase has supported non-profit environmental groups (my mom is nice, and green).

This year, for the first time in years, mom didn't send a calendar. She had radiation treatment for a brain tumour just before solstice, and couldn't fill her role as the calendar elf. So I took down 2012, and thought about what 2013 would bring for mom. And for me - I don't have a calendar, and I am definitely not going to buy one.

I say that this is a quirky tip because I am not sure if it is for frugal reuse, or for hoarding old calendars. I mean, who would actually have old calendars hanging around? Uh, well, me as it turns out.

All the calendars mom sent over the years had amazing photographs of beautiful, wilderness settings. That is why I have kept some over the years - for artistic inspiration, and perhaps to paint one or two in watercolours (something that hasn't happened yet).

I went looking for a calendar from 2002, the most recent year that can be used for this year. I almost hoped I didn't have one - do minimalists have 10 year old calendars lurking around their tiny homes? I knew I definitely didn't have a calendar from 1901, but 2002 was within the realm of possibility.


crescent
waning
Digging into my art supply container, I located several old time trackers. The oldest one was from 1998, which will be good again in 2015. After flipping through about 10 newer calendars, I hit the jackpot - 2002. I hung it in the void on the wall left by 2012, and noticed the days did indeed match up, even if the moon phases were off by a bit.

I was a little freaked out that I have been carrying around old calendars for as long as I have, even if they are beautiful and can be reused eventually. Whatever I lost in minimalist cred, I gained in frugality and reuse, but it did make me wonder about the things we hang on to.

Now that I know my calendar stash is more than nice pictures, it is hard to give in to the urge to purge. Linda has done one drawing from 'the collection'. From 2002 at that. Arghh... I slipped them back into the art box.

Here are the calendar years that will work for this year, 2013. Hopefully your stash doesn't go back as far as 111 years... although it would be interesting if it did. 

2002
1991
1985
1974
1963
1957
1946
1935
1929
1918
1907
1901

Frugal reuse, or hoarding? You decide. And mom, thanks for the calendar... again.

For more calendar reuse information see here.

7 comments:

  1. I haven't bought a calendar for a few years. I print off a free one-page yearly calendar w/holidays (I look online if I want to know moon phases and time change dates) and hang it beside my desk below a piece of artwork from a previous calendar. I even have framed calendar art in my kitchen. I used to spend so much time scouring the clearance sales for calendars - no more!

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    1. Those are some thrifty ideas. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. That's amazing! I shall keep calendars from now on, I think!

    I hope your mum is doing well.

    Bunchy.

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  3. Anonymous1/10/2013

    My best to your Mom.

    I don't have a calendar that I can re-use, although I have saved some in my art supplies as well. I made a donation to an environmental group and recieved a free one for this year. I'll tuck away the idea of reuse for the future.

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  4. Thank you, dear readers. Mom is doing fine, although adjusting to having no hair on her head has been difficult for her. Better bald and alive, I say...

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  5. Anonymous1/11/2013

    Wouldn't/doesn't work for us--our wall calendars are "working" wall calendars. With 2 businesses and 2 outside jobs in the house (with varying shifts) the blocks with the numbers have to be big enough for multiple notations--and they are usually full. But, on the other hand, the ones hanging on the walls of our respective work stations and in the kitchen right now have beautiful photos and cost $1.00 apiece at the local buck store.

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    Replies
    1. That's funny. It shows you how busy my life has been that I still have empty calendars. I could probably use them next time around, too!

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