Are diamonds a girl's best friend?

Diamond advertising went for the jugular this holiday season. How many women felt unfulfilled, unrecognized and under-rated because the rocks that are forever did not appear in their stockings? The radio ad with dad and junior making a selection inferred generational guilt and retribution if a purchase wasn't made.

Reams are writtten about holiday shopping orgies, mountains of returns and fear of charge card bills to come. Perhaps the excesses are not as necessary as our consumer society has been brainwashed to believe.

Take the experience of a group of San Francisco friends who made a pact to go a year without buying anything. According to Associated Press writer Lisa Leff, some of the group's original members say the self-imposed shopping sabbatical was so liberating, they resolved to do for another year.

After an initial period of shopping withdrawal, discovering how easy it was to score pretty much anything with a little time and effort was an eye-opener, according to the group of friends.

Besides thrift stores and garage sales, participants found a wealth of free or previously owned merchandise in online classifieds and sites where people post stuff they want to get rid of, such as www.freecycle.org.

The group exempted food, essential toiletries like toothpaste and shampoo, underwear and other purchases deemed health- and safety-related.

As one woman commented, "I really found a lot of times there were things I thought I needed that I don't need that much." Another man added, "One of the byproducts of 'The Compact' has been I have a completely different relationship with the things in my life. I appreciate the stuff I have more."

The pledge the group half-jokingly named The Compact, after the Mayflower pilgrims, spread to other cities through the Internet and an appearance on the "Today" show.

It has truly given me food for thought.

What about you?

Would you be willing to share this challenge for the next year?