Buy Less
The U.S. produces 268 million tons of waste. 140 million going into landfills every year, with the average American throwing away 4.5 pounds of trash per day.
As humans, we love buying new things, and we're constantly placed in positions in which saying no to a new article of clothing or a new, well, anything, is hard. This is why it's so important to focus on quality rather than quantity when it comes to spending.
Before buying anything, get into the habit of asking yourself the following questions:
- Is it really necessary?
- Do I really need it?
- How will this add value to my life? My home? My joy?
Buy Well
As mentioned before, we're all human, so we can't completely stop spending, but one thing we can do is think about the item's full life cycle before making the purchase.
Consider where the item is coming from and where it's going after you're done with it.
Here are a few helpful questions you can even ask yourself:
- Can I find this locally instead?
- Who made it?
- Is it made to last?
Prioritize Being Content
We live in a world where we're told what we have is never enough, and in order to be happy, we need to buy more and spend more. Advertisers will cause you to believe that if we just spend our hard-earned money on this one little thing, it'll solve all of our problems, and we'll miraculously be overwhelmed with happiness.
But, of course, that isn't true.
Advertisers are expert manipulators, and the most rebellious and radical thing you can do is to simply find contentment with what you already have.
Things don't define you. They don't give you worth. Instead of buying things to make you look better or cooler, try spending time improving yourself and the quality of your overall life.
Invest in a skill, take a class, or focus on your self-improvement journey. Many studies have proven that people who opt for experiences instead of things are generally happier individuals.
Remember, it's not about being perfect, never buying anything, and always striving to be the most eco-friendly person on the planet; it's simply about making better and more conscious choices.
