Cattāri Brahmavihārā

• Rule 1: For the course of the year, until the first day of Ramadhan 2019, I may buy only groceries and household necessities such as toilet paper, paper towels, soap, cleaning products. No purchasing gadgets or items intended to make our lives somehow “easier”. Any necessities that I must purchase will be bought in person, not online.

• Rule 2: No purchases for myself of any kind. If my phone breaks I may have it repaired. Same for computer. If my skateboards break I may use the extended warranty but no new purchases. New clothes cannot be purchased; instead, I will need to go to a thrift store. No purchases include digital media, books, music, etc.

• Rule 3: No eating out or buying drinks or coffee unless it is with my family at their request.

• Rule 4: I may purchase items for others as dana and out of necessity. There are no restrictions on where or how I practice charity or the purchase of goods for giving.

I’ll edit and add to this list as I go along and I’ll be sure to document any deviations here. I hope to break the curse of conspicuous consumption and gain some sanity.