Buying Less = Less Manufacturing = Good For the Planet

As you know, I am not very materialistic. I don’t buy things if something functional is already in place. I don’t need to be fashionable and switch out my clothes and furnishings according to the latest trends. There are more important things than things, and I choose to put my energy into them instead.

It helps that I am resourceful. I think I picked up this trait from my mother. She could rework anything into something else. Even though she had money and was an active participant in the post-WWII consumption, she was a frugal recycler in her own small way.

That said, I’d like to share with you my sitting area on the back porch. It’s not fancy, but it works. I spend sunny summer mornings here with coffee reading, writing or just looking at the views and letting my mind wander. Many a cold beer has been consumed in the shade here on warm evenings. When friends come to visit, I bring out a portable camp chair.

> The chair is from my mother’s house. This was a full set of outdoor furniture – dining table and chairs, a coffee table, easy chairs and a chaise lounge. It filled our screened porch when I was a kid in the 60s. My brother has most of it, and I have two of these chairs. The other one is where the afternoon sun shines, great for spring, fall and winter.

> I bought the bamboo table at a yard sale in 1996 for $1. ‘Nuf said.

> In my recent and continuous spring/moving cleaning, I emptied the green milk crate of small flower pots and took them to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. Voila! Instant side table.

My lifestyle is not for everyone, but I want to make the point that we don’t need to be constantly purchasing new things to be happy. When you are tempted to go shopping, ask yourself if you really need that item, then try to repurpose something else instead. Alternatively, go to a yard sale or thrift shop and buy something someone else was thoughtful enough to keep out of a landfill.

When you buy second hand or hang onto things you have until they are no longer usable, you reduce emissions by eliminating the need for a new item to be manufactured and transported. Lower your emissions, consumption and carbon footprint by repurposing what you have or buying used.

When you spend less on unnecessary items, you obviously save money. Americans go to work to support their shopping habits. I know in this economy, many people are struggling to keep their homes and feed their families. The evil credit card, though, has allowed us to purchase things we do not want or need but feel we must have. It lets us live lifestyles we cannot truly afford. If we could get out from under our credit cards and live on what we actually make, we would be living a lot more simply and maybe working less.

I have more second-hand furniture.

Happy recycling/repurposing/thrifting/yard sale-ing!