With the year more than half over, maybe now is a good time to revisit the pledge I made back in January: the pledge not to buy anything for a year.

I did this five years ago and found the experience cleansing. And not that difficult, oddly enough. Many of you even joined me in my crusade to simplify. Others wrote in to question my sanity.

The rules, which I cleverly made up myself, remained the same and give me an out every now and then.

I'm allowed to buy books and music because they are nurturing things. I can buy gifts for friends and spend for travel. Those are also good things.

But just going out and buying things for myself, the answer remains the same: No.

My partner, Jack, loves it when I go on these nonbuying binges. He reminds me daily I don't have enough money to retire, so he thinks keeping the credit card in the wallet is a very good thing.

I can't say I feel all that good, or cleansed, this time around. I have failed. Not terribly, but I have consumed. And more than a few times. I'm not sure why.

One of the things I found that works is to never go in a store. It solves a multitude of problems. The temptation is removed. I broke that rule this time around, but I'm happy to say it didn't turn into an orgy of consumerism.

There's a new store in my neighborhood that's temple to preppydom: I never knew there were so many pink pants in existence. So I went in.

I saw about 1,000 things I would have bought but walked out without a bag in my hand. I was proud of myself.

But enough about restraint. It's confessional time. I have bought four things in six months. Two I did not need.

One was a prayer stick, which I probably "do" need, but an unnecessary purchase nonetheless. Priests in Ethiopia lean against them during prayer. I bought it in Addis Ababa. It was $90. I have no regrets.

The second item was a black-and-white photograph of the keyboard of an old typewriter. The letters are worn with use. It spoke to me. I have it hanging over my desk, a reminder of the good old days when newspapermen actually made noise at work. It was $50. Again, I have no regrets.

As for the necessities, I bought shorts from L.L. Bean. I can't say I "love" them, but it's summer and I needed shorts. Two pair: $54.

The last purchase was a belt, which I also needed. Maybe not this one, but I did need a belt. It's needlepoint, sporting a row of multi-colored nautical flags.

Painfully preppy, yes, but also practical. It will go with everything I buy at my neighborhood temple to preppydom, come Jan. 1.