The case for buying less, or even a Buy-Nothing Year!
Back in 2016, an IKEA executive made headlines when he said, “If we look on a global basis, in the west we have probably hit peak stuff.”
It was an amazing admission from one of the world’s biggest retailers of stuff; you could call it another inconvenient truth about our human footprint on Earth. Consider:
- There are four times as many of us on the planet as there were 100 years ago, with each of us consuming much more than our forebears did; but the planet is not getting any bigger. Many of us now have so much stuff that we need to rent space to store it.
- In an economic system like ours that is obsessed with sales and growth, the only thing that really matters is completing transactions profitably. Considerations like quality and sustainability are far less important, and it doesn’t even really matter if a product is useful or needed. The end result? Tons of resources consumed; tons of throwaway junk created; tons of trash generated.
- The mantra of our economic system may be perpetual growth; but the reality of our physical world is finite limits.
- Could there be a better time than now, as many people struggle to afford housing, food and other necessities, to review and rationalize our spending?
Buying less stuff is good for the planet and great for our wallet – so why not resolve to buy less stuff, every day? Here are some ideas:
- Spend some time getting into the mindset of buying less stuff; develop some strong and supportive self-talk and rationale you can use to reassure yourself if your resolve ever falters – points you can also confidently share with anyone who asks
- Unsubscribe from catalogues, newsletters and ‘influencers’ so you won’t be tempted by their offerings
- Discover your local thrift stores, and make them your first go-to when you need something
- Give up the belief that new things are better
- Buy second-hand (with due diligence) on Kijiji, Marketplace or other online platforms
- Before purchasing anything, ask yourself what you will get rid of to make place for what you’re considering buying
- When tempted to buy something, wait for a week, and only buy it if you still feel the need for it then. Especially true for purchases from Amazon or other online platforms that offer instant gratification!
- When buying anything, mentally put it into one of three categories: necessities, needs and no needs; then strive to eliminate ‘no need’ purchases. (Again, especially true for Amazon et al.)
- Avoid Uber Eats, Skip the Dishes, DoorDash and all other forms of take-out and delivery. If necessary, keep a supply of a few inexpensive-easy-to-make-delicious-comfort-foods-everyone-loves handy (like frozen pizza) for those days when you’re tired and tempted.
- Avoid delivered food boxes and meal kits; they have a huge carbon footprint, and besides, you can get everything they contain much more affordably at your local grocery store.
- Strive to ignore advertising, because it usually over-glamorizes products and exploits our weaknesses and vulnerabilities
- Join free stuff groups on social media like this one; take part in community free stuff events like curbside giveaway days; use websites like Freecycle; find or start something similar near you!
- Get into the habit of repairing rather than replacing when possible (any budding engineers in the family or handymen in the neighbourhood?)
- Spend some time appreciating the stuff you already have; it will help take the edge off of desiring more (because desire is at the root of our too-much-stuff problem)
- Set yourself an annual limit for items like clothing
- For the hardcore: commit to a buy-nothing year or a buy-nothing-new year; September is as good a time as any to start!
And to help reinforce the rationale, habits and benefits of buying less, read Your Money or Your Life, an excellent book on living sustainably and retiring early. Available at your local library, of course!
In the news:
Facts, not ax: a new study of global climate policies finds that putting a price on pollution is a key ingredient to successful climate action.
The Bekevar Wind Energy Project, a new 36-turbine wind farm partly owned by the Cowessess First Nation, ramps up to power thousands of Saskatchewan homes!
The Australian government approves the world’s largest solar farm and battery storage system, which will supply Singapore via undersea cable.
Quotable
“Most of the things that really make us happy are not things that are the ruin of the world.”
Dominic Boyer, Cultural Anthropologist, Rice University