Bought it! - Rated 
Whilst this was an easy read and the author had some interesting things to say about consumerism, I can't help feeling slightly cheated for having 'bought it'!
At times it all seemed like a big game for this middle class couple with two homes; they stocked up a little before the year started, and didn't seem to agonise enough about some of their cheats, and what defined a necessity.
I agree totally about the state of public libraries - of course I could have, no read that as should have, borrowed this book from there!
Not a lot of use really! - Rated
I received this (on request) for Christmas, and really wish I'd asked for Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle instead. Ms Levine is a political animal, so instead of hints we get polemic. She seems to have a very rosy view of European life (our wonderful housing and health policies, achieved by hard working unions, take care of all worries and we seem to work 9 weeks a year less than Americans???). Many times I actually did not know what she was talking about because she refers to products by their brand names so much. They appear to have been so well stocked before the year started that they (almost) restrict themselves to buying basics only - but again, their idea of basics is not the same as mine. In her favour, she does seem to question the American materialism but surely, at her age, with her background, this should not have been the first time she thought about cheap clothing being produced in Chinese sweatshops?
If you want a book that shows you an American comsumer view on the world, this does it well. If you want ideas on how to cut down consumption and lead a simpler life yourself, this is not the book for you.
insight into one person's personal year - Rated 
I really enjoyed this book - which I borrowed from the library - as she says herself - marketing a book about not buying unnecessary items is difficult!
Unlike the other reviewers I found the American perspective added to the book - although I did not get all of the cultural references. The point about the wrong type of sock was exactly the sort of decision a person would have to make (too difficult to explain in a sentence). The diary format meant it was easy to read a small part and then pick back up - but I read it in a weekend as I enjoyed it so much.
Dull and wishy-washy - Rated
Like many reviewers, I found Not Buying It a disappointing read. Disappointing because Judith Levine embarks on an extraordinary adventure in buying nothing but essentials for a year, and yet she shares so little of the experience. I was hoping for ideas and inspiration in my own battle to get out of debt and break free of consumerism. Instead, I got a lot of rather dull musings on economics and American politics, most of which were over my head (and I'm a university graduate).
In places the book reads more like an academic report than a biography, but then Levine's project was academic. She and her partner didn't need to cut down on their spending, not did they choose to do so for ideological reasons. Instead, they set up an experiment with an arbitrary set of rules (tissues weren't considered a necessity, but newspapers were, and they thought nothing of building a large extension on one of their properties during the year). By the end of the book, I didn't have a very favourable impression of Judith Levine. I was irritated by her constant intellectualising over ethical issues; she always seemed to talk herself out of taking any action. This is a woman who appears concerned about the environment, yet regularly commutes between Vermont and New York.
If you're interested in politics, economics or sociology you may enjoy this book. But if your interest is in saving money, my advice is to do just that and leave this book on the shelf.
If the going gets tough, go skiing - Rated
I have to agree with those reviewers who were disappointed by this. I, too, skipped a lot of the political stuff to get back to her lifestyle, but didn't get much out of it. As an avid anti-consumerist myself, I found it difficult to empathize with her and her partners' situation. They had a comfortable city home as well as a place in the country where they could play at the simple life, once the agony about having the right sort of sock abated. She may well make her mascara last a long time, but I got the feeling that taking your own sandwich rather than buying one was a big deal for her!
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