http://www.care2.com/greenliving/help-the-earth-buy-less-stuff.html
Want to Help the Earth? Buy Less Stuff
Sometimes it seems as if people in our society are in a contest to see who can fill their house with the most stuff. Because our culture trains us to be consumers, we are often unaware of the many, many benefits to being frugal. Remember, everything you own owns you.
Everything you buy you must maintain, store, repair, clean, and perhaps insure. Our stuff quickly becomes a psychological burden. The more you buy, the more money you need, which increases your work time at the expense of your family and friends. Finally, all of our stuff takes natural resources to produce, making everything we buy environmentally costly. Here are a few pointers to help you buy less stuff:
1. Fix broken things. Our disposable culture encourages us to replace broken items even when they are relatively easy to fix. Just because you can afford a new lawn mower doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to fix your old one.
2. Reuse stuff. You can reuse many so-called disposable items, such as paint brushes, sandwich bags, and plastic containers.
3. Borrow from friends. Borrowing saves resources, money, and time and also helps build community. Check our books, movies and CDs from your local library. Ask your friend id she has a pipe wrench, since you only need it for a day or two.
4. Ask yourself, Do I really need it? Advertising makes us feel as if we’ll be left out if we don’t have the latest gadget or name brand clothing. When it comes down to it, we don’t need much of what we buy.
5. Take a shopping list. Plan ahead before you shop. Decide exactly what you want before you go; otherwise fancy displays, colorful packaging and salespeople might convince you to buy something you don’t need.
6. Avoid impulse buys. Companies actually design their stores to encourage impulse buying. Do you really need any of that junk that surrounds you in the check-out line? One powerful technique to avoid impulsively buying big purchases, such as a new stereo, is to wait two weeks before you buy it. If you still really want it, then get it.
Adapted from The Better World Handbook: Small Changes That Make a Big Difference by Ellis Jones, Ross Haenfler, and Brett Johnson (New Society Publishers, 2007).
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add your comment »Growing up I lived on an island near Seattle and as such we have no garbage pick up. Instead we composted kitchen waste and once a month my Dad would load the one garbage can into the trunk of the car and off to the local dump we would go, where he would then spend an hour seeing what what dumped off by others that he could reclaim. So we always went home with stuff he had found. I remember one day when he was getting ready to go to the dump when he came to my room and quietly placed four used pencils on my desk and softly noted they still had plenty of use left in them. And they did. It was a quiet reminder to me to not waste and the lesson has stayed with me all these years.He didn't yell or preach, but quietly pointed out that I was being wasteful.
~Beth~
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The late actress Audrey Hepburn had a small list of classic clothes she wore and she avoided fads. This is why I love an Armoire for clothes since it makes you have less, which means being more creative and less is more mode.
We also buy food that is local and we bring our own bags which are washable and reusable. The least packaging is a must!
And joining with friends we can buy things like rice,oatmeal in bulk and save money as well.
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Buy less clothes. If you don't love it, don't buy it. People with less items in their wardrobe often dress better then people with full closets. If you have a few nice pieces you can combine and mix, you can always look your best and it will take less time to get ready in the morning.
www.greensavesgreen.blogspot.com
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The Scrooge Strategy
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The bottom line is: less clutter feels like one has more freedom; recycling, reusing, repairing makes one feel more creative - so overall, it's more fun!
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I had this wonderful post and hit "refresh" instead of spell check like an idiot. Oh well, I just wanted to say, even though you believe in recycling, you can take that to extremes. If you don't need it, don't take it even if it is free, don't buy it even if it is at a garage sale for one dollar, and don't buy something you don't need no matter where it is found. I decluttered my house and you wouldn't believe how much I had that I didn't want or need. It was a revelation.
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I try to resist buying things that say, "Made in China". Oh, how I hate those little stickers!! I love to shop at Goodwill and other thrift stores - you can find some nice stuff! Needless to say that I love to shop many other places however when I shop I look for "cheap but nice" items and love clearance items!
PROMOTING ANIMAL & ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
KindnessNotCruelty.org
VeggieGuide.co.nr
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is the BUY NOW - the better world handbook link
at the bottom of this article
a little bit too ironic
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Great advice! We love the flea market where we buy most our books. We look at internet ads and have bought many used furniture and appliances that way.
How much stuff can a person need? We don't need so many things the stores try to sell us. Most of it won't last the year and ends up in the landfill.
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Great artical! I'm with you Susan I don't buy anything made in China!
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