Colorado couple tries to go a year without buying anything new

Of course, some Americans have been living a version of The Compact since, well, the Mayflower Compact, after which the experiment was named. In certain circles, there’s nothing new here except the sudden cachet of frugalness. While the terms thrifty and penny pincher verge on pejorative, being a Compacter sounds novel, adventurous – trendy, even.

“It’s not so much the practice that’s new, but the mobilization of people making it into a community effort,” says Tringo, dressed in secondhand blue jeans and gray pullover. “People have been practicing this recycle-reuse lifestyle for generations in some families. Then there are people like me who decided, ‘I’ve got to stop the madness!’ ”

In this season of frenzied gift-shopping, when it’s practically an American tradition to spend beyond one’s means, Tringo maintains a Mona Lisa calm. “I don’t feel obligated to give big gifts,” she says with a shrug. She, in fact, will be giving homemade baked goods and gift certificates for services like a massage.

But the challenge of gift-giving also drives home an essential point: “The reason it’s so hard to think of what to buy for most adults is because none of us really needs anything,” she says.

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Strolling along historic Public Avenue – Lafayette’s version of Main Street – Tringo is toting her 3-week-old son, Victor, in a baby carrier, and reflecting on the experience of eschewing consumerism as a new mother.

“From Day One, I never wanted a lot of baby stuff,” she says. When visiting family members with children, she noticed how their homes were stuffed cheek by Barbie doll. “I wondered how much of it was really necessary,” she says.

These days, Tringo relies on Craigslist, thrift stores, and Freecycle (an online recycling network) for essentials. Thanks to hand-me-downs, getting most of the baby’s gear (including crib, stroller, and high chair) was easy. For now, the family’s modest 2,000 square-foot home is free of piles of brightly colored molded plastic. They used recycled materials when remodeling their kitchen. Their furniture is secondhand. Even their dog Pixie, a 3-year-old Dalmatian mix, came from a rescue group.

“If we have another baby, we’ll probably get the next one used,” Tringo jokes.

When unable to find an item she truly needs secondhand, Tringo will buy it new – such as the Onesies bodysuits she recently got Victor. Other new-purchase exceptions she makes – like most Compact followers – are socks and underwear, and safety items such as bike helmets.

As for food and consumable products, the family buys in bulk, and locally when they can. They also grow their own vegetables. This year they had plenty of tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, and carrots.

Outside Oasis Books, Tringo pauses to peruse the free book bins. Lifting a text on data analysis software, she grins, exclaiming. “Oh, I need this one!” Earlier this year, Tringo was laid off from her job as a data analyst. Now home with Victor, she’s job-hunting, preferably for home-based work. As family members stretch their one income taut, the savings from their new lifestyle is a welcome boon.

“The cost-savings is the biggest thing for us now, with a new baby and Andrea not working,” says Mr. Posusta, a technical editor. “But we also want to have less of an impact on the environment. And we find that when we’re trying to save money, we’re also being green.”

As with any life change, there have been humbling moments. Over herbal tea at the Mojo Coffeehouse, Tringo says she has learned to smile when relatives bring new items for the baby. It’s more important to keep family peace than to foist her principles on others, she’s decided. “Some people don’t agree with this lifestyle,” she says. “I have to respect that.”

Victor, who has been sleeping blissfully, opens his blue eyes, blinks, and then returns to slumber, snuggled against his mother.

For Tringo and Posusta, what began as a one-year experiment is now a lifestyle they embrace – and plan to continue. “This hasn’t been a chore for us,” says Tringo. “I think life is pretty simple. That was part of the motivation behind it.”

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