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Eat what you have, shop secondhand, and if it's broke, fix it!
Dear Reader,
On the heels of Dot’s 12 Days of Giftmas (if you missed Dot’s fabulous gift suggestions, all in Bluedot Living’s Store, click here), Dot is shifting attention to abundance — but not the material kind. Our culture — driven by a rapacious marketing machine — does its best to convince us that we need more stuff, more food, a bigger house, a bigger vehicle with a bigger thirst for gasoline. But research tells us that we don’t derive greater happiness from stuff (though we do from experiences).
Dot’s two friends who work as professional organizers have shared with me that many appointments with clients involve tears. “They shop thinking it will make them happy. And when it doesn’t, they shop some more.” My friends, both kind and compassionate, spend much of their “organizing” time helping people break the cycle of consumption.
Consider this: The average American family spends $3,000 a year on food they don’t eat. We each buy roughly 53 new items of clothing per year — four times more than we bought 25 years ago in 2000. Our houses are three times larger than those of our parents or grandparents in 1950. The Guardian calls our love of large vehicles “autobesity.” There’s no denying that life is expensive right now. Housing prices are too high and groceries cost a small fortune. (Dear Dot has some advice on how to eat well and more cheaply.) Clothes are cheaper than ever, but they’re not made to last or be repaired; they’re made to be thrown away, then replaced.
But while living “sustainably” is sometimes equated with a life of austerity and denial, the truth is that by wasting less, we gain more. More money, more time, more self-sufficiency, improved health, and more satisfaction. So … what if we did things differently? Learned ways to use up our food instead of throwing it away? Bought items and clothes second-hand (or not at all) and then repaired them? Borrowed items from (or created) a Library of Things? Participated in a community garden? Think of the money we’d save! And the fabulous experiences we could use it for. Dot has been investing in piano lessons (I’ve almost mastered O Holy Night in time for the holidays). And I’m considering tickets to see my favorite essayist David Sedaris. Tell Dot what experiences you’re saving for!
Abundantly,
Dot
Check out the iFixIt global repair community.
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
