Over consumption

Blog Action Day

I've got to the point where i get really angry at people just by watching them spend spend spend on unnecessary stuff to fill a gap in their lives, to make themselves feel happy (or so they think).  This then leads to debt and far too much crap filling the landfills.  Yes i spend money and yes i often spend it on stuff i don't really need but over the past few years my habits have really changed.  You can find me standing in a shop looking something over asking myself "Do i really need this", "Is it worth it?", "Will i use it or is it just going to sit somewhere in my home as clutter then end up at the op shop or in the landfill?", "Where was it made, was it made in Australia or in a sweatshop?".  I won't pretend that i always make the right decision, i don't but i am trying.  I try hard to buy less and when i do buy i look for secondhand first or choose wisely.  I prefer to buy locally, handmade and environmentally friendly where i can.  I scour the op shops for craft supplies such as fabrics, sewing patterns, notions such as buttons and zips.  I do buy new fabrics, i'd love to be able to use only recycled fabrics i find at the op shops or stuff i'm given but the choices can be limited and i admit i'm a sucker for the beautiful patterns of the new fabrics.  And although what i buy may have come from overseas i prefer to support my local fabric store rather than buying it online.  I buy books secondhand when i find something interesting and i also use my local library but again i like to have the new craft books on the scene.  In my eyes books are always needed and used especially craft books, when i tire of books i swap them at my local secondhand book store or pass them on to others.

A recent spring clean has made me more determined to stop buying unnecessary things.  I dropped off a car full of stuff at my local op shop recently and still have at least one more car full sitting in my shed waiting to go there too.  My girls have a stupid amount of toys, a lot of which are secondhand from the op shops but they still have too many.  Even after the spring clean their corner of the living room looks like a bomb dropped there, they play with a small percentage of what they have and the rest just sits there untouched.  Needless to say there'll be another spring clean happening in the next few weeks and this time i'm being ruthless!  Esme's birthday is coming up and we've decided not to buy her any toys, instead we're looking at getting her a scooter, something that she can use when playing outside or at the park.  We're also limiting what we buy them at Christmas, at the moment we have a wooden dolls house ordered, pink of course!  Mia keeps asking for a sewing machine, i had thought about waiting until her birthday next year but she's pretty insistent so we'll get her one and i'll put together a sewing basket for her to go with it.  I'm excited to see what she makes.  I'm also looking for some Australian wooden toys, such as a cash register, any tips on where to find them? 

Over consumption doesn't stop at spending money on 'stuff'.  Have you looked at your home?  Your car?  What could you change there?  Do you really need a car?  We don't, even with baby number 3 on the way we don't feel the need to go out and purchase an expensive car that would guzzle our income and add to the damage already done to our environment.  We live in an area with good public transport and i walk a lot which means i get my daily exercise too.  At home we're conscious about the energy we use, we have green electricity and are gradually changing our globes to energy efficient ones.  We switch appliances off at the wall when they're not in use and have noticed our bills decrease.  We keep an eye on our water consumption by taking shorter showers, bathing together, using a front loading washing machine (which uses about half the amount of water a top loader does) and wash on a cold wash.  We make our own laundry soap and cleaning products.  We try to use minimum packaging and recycle as much as we can.  We use our own bags in the supermarket.  We home cook as much as we can, we make our own bread and yogurt, pasta now and again and i bake which is not only better for us but is also an activity for the girls, they get to make and their own biscuits and have learned something along the way. 

I could go on and on but i won't, it's getting late :)  I'd love to hear your thoughts about this subject, is there anything in particular you do?  Do you have any suggestions or tips? 

   

I was recently tagged by Elisa and thought it would tie in nicely with this post since i've just started reading Affluenza by Clive Hamilton and Richard Denniss.

The rules:

You have to open the book you're currently reading on page 161 and read the fifth sentence on the page, then think of 5 bloggers to tag with.

 

'Another important motive for downshifting is the clash between the personal values of the downshifter and those of the workplace.'

I'm tagging Justine, Diana,  Jorth, Sooz and Sofie.

Oh and if you happen to be in Melbourne this weekend there's a Save water, save energy expo on at the Exhibition centre.  I'm hoping to get there on Saturday morning.

Comments

[Rachel]

Really great post. You have inspired me to take on baking my own breads...something that hadn't really occurred to me. And I completely agree with you one the toy front; our girls always seem to be getting more useless plastic toys as gifts. I would love a way to encourage gift givers to give more enviro-friendly gifts.

[Barbara]

Great post for blog action day. I wrote from the recycling angle and agree completely with the overconsumption thing. It's why we have so much rubbish to throw away (or recycle) in the first place! Like you we have been changing our habits over the last few years. Oh I wish I'd thought like this 20 years ago and my house wouldn't be so full of junk now!

[Junie Moon]

Good post! I also support the Blog Action Day endeavor. My subject is making your own natural cleaning products so I posted printable recipes and labels.

Crafting has given me a whole new perspective on consumerism. I've learned the value of things and now am hesitant to buy things when I can make them myself.

Your Christmas ideas are wonderful and I think your children will thoroughly enjoy them.

[Rebecca]

Thanks for the book recommendation and a great post - we don't have a car either but use a car club for when we do need one: http://www.streetcar.co.uk/ (are these taking off in Australia too?)

[kirsty]

Fabulous post Nichola. I have a contact for wooden toys. They are located near Bright but they ship. It's been a while since I bought from them but they were very competitive on price when I was buying from them for kinder.

Wombi Toys
Whorouly South, VIC 3737

p: (03) 5727 1345

[leighcia]

Thanks for the post! It's always encouraging for me to read about people who are trying to live more simply (and becoming happier as a result). I am still in the process of learning to stop letting material objects run my life, but it can be so tough. Everything around us seems to tell us otherwise. But it ends up being quite the endless cycle-- you buy stuff, you end up with more clutter in your house, you buy a bigger house or more storage... and you spend more time just organizing and cleaning things. It seems so much more logical to just own less, and feel more free. Easier said than done though. But thanks for the example!

[kirsten]

affluenza is a very confronting book, isn't it? we read it some time ago and i was only thinking last night that it might be time to read it again! i have also booked my tix to the save water expo - might see you there! as you know, i fully agree with your sentiments and is the direction i want my business to go in and we pretty much do all the things you listed to reduce consumption, too. my husband recently got a new job within walking distance for next year so i am super-excited that we can go down to one car and we will probably purchase a secondhand vespa for local running around instead. fun as well as more energy efficient. i also agree with your ideas on presents - surely we want to pass on to our children a healthy approach to consumerism that does not mean owning almost every toy at the toy shop! :)

[Fiona]

Great post, Nichola! There's a wooden toy factory in the Adelaide hills, and they also have an online shop: http://www.thetoyfactory.com.au/online.html

Hope you're well. xo

[Kate]

Great post. This is something we have been thinking about too - how much crap can we fit in our house and how do we avoid bringing so much more over Christmas.

[Leisl]

Okay lady, all done! I think you'll enjoy it ;-)

[patti]

Just lurking but I wanted to reply! I have thought a lot the last couple of years about "stuff". We all have too much. I was watching TV yesterday, one of those shows where they go to someone's home and declutter it. The girl had lots of pairs of jeans and the host said she should whittle it down to seven. Seven? I have 4 pair and feel like it is too many!
With all the issues going on with toys made in China having lead paint, I have gotten to where I really don't want to buy anything! Of course you need food and sundries...but really. My kids don't need that many toys. THey mostly like books, coloring books, and playing outside.

I recently read "Not Buying It- My Year of Not Spending". While I did not agree with the author's political soapbox, it does get you thinking! Where do you draw the line? Is liquid soap too much of a luxury, and we should buy the bar soap? Is a candle a reasonable purchase?

Very good post!!

[Patricia]

I agree. Aside from he enviromental issues,
which is hugely important!!
It is the way people are buying for emotional neediness. It gives instant gratification and fills a gap temporarily, feeding the inner emptiness. The cycle just keeps going. I have been a victim at times, but am realising so much that I don't really need some of the things I buy.

[Elizabeth]

What an excellent post, I so agree with everything you are trying to achieve. I try really hard to buy only second-hand items, and to cut back on our use of electricity and gas. Sometimes I find this hard and I know that with Christmas fast approaching there is going to be more pressure than ever to spend money and to be a 'regular' consumer. As there is nothing much that I really 'need' (as opposed to 'want') for Christmas, nor is there much that my relatives 'need' either, I'm hoping that as a family we can cut back a bit on the ludicrous spending that tends to happen around this time of year. I particularly want to try and avoid anything that has been made in China this year - I was shocked to see on the news last Christmas that pretty much everything the UK and Northern Europe had bought for the festive season had been imported on one giant container ship from China.

[yarnkaterina]

I have no kids myself, but heard this tip from another mom, and it always stuck with me. She said that every year for Christmas her kids got 3 gifts and that was it - just like Jesus did. And it really makes you think about the day and why we celebrate it. I liked that idea, and hope to implement it when I have kids.

[Wooden Toys]

Hi Nichola

We specialize in quality wooden toys and you can always give us a call or pop in to visit!

www.thetoyfactory.com.au for a map to our location (we're in adelaide)

Great post too!!!

See you soon.