Our Motivation:
The average person in the U.S. consumes and wastes (literally) tons each year.
As humans, we have a
desire to consume. After meeting our basic needs, we try to satisfy our desire for what we think we need by buying more stuff. In the U.S. (for the average middle-class person) we have it pretty good compared to a lot of places around the world. Our basic needs are satisfied, so we allow our 'wants' to consume our thoughts and wallets. This consumption is spurred on by the slick loud ads everywhere we look and social pressure to have 'the latest'.
We would like to curb our consumption. This will not only save us money, but we will send less to landfills and reduce the depletion of natural resources. Here's what we've done so far.
Urban Sister & Small Town Sister:
We have both found that just by avoiding certain things and places, we can significantly reduce the desire to buy things. We avoid malls, Big Box supermarkets (This sadly even includes Target, which is one of the less evil of the Big Boxes, in our opinion), and we don't have cable television. By avoiding these things you can stop feeling that frantic push to Buy More! Buy More!
Who needs the added stress of being told that everything they own is just not good enough? The mall stores tell you what you should wear, the supermarkets what to eat just by their huge markdowns, and the skinny rich women on TV tell you that you're not beautiful unless you buy their eye cream. We are controlled by something much larger than us: Consumerism.
It's not as powerful as it seems though, and by turning off the commercials and ignoring the ads, you can decide for yourself what you really, truly needed. And as it turns out...it's not so much.
- Urban Sister: Don't get me wrong, I'm not your perfect consumer by any means. I still like to get new things, and shiny ads still sometimes hook me...but by looking at my consumption habits in a new way, I am able to control my purchases much more easily. I think about whether an item is really worth the money, and whether purchasing it will make me an ethical consumer or an irresponsible one.
- Small Town Sister: I also try to refocus my 'wanting energy' into 'working energy' and figure out what underlying problem or need I'm trying to fulfill. I still buy things, but I try to think long and hard before forking over my hard earned cash. If it will truly make my life better, and I can justify the item, then I find out if I can borrow it, rent it, or buy it used. I make sure it is good quality and will last a long time.
How We Reduce Our Consumption:
- In the Kitchen
- No Plastic: Avoid anything packaged in plastic, which just ends up in the trash, and sometimes can't be recycled. Buy things in reusable containers, like glass jars, or wrapped in paper, which is more easily recycled.
- Urban Sister- Glass jars are great to bring back to use in the bulk food section!
- Small Town Sister- I try to buy things in bulk and store everything in different sized canning jars. I try to avoid disposable products (see Paper Towels and Reducing Plastic)
- No Big Box Groceries: Stay away from the Big Box supermarkets so you don't get duped into buying 10 frozen pizzas for $10 - which is much worse for your health than any benefits to the wallet!
- Urban Sister- Instead, I stop at my local co-op on my way home from work every few days so I only buy what I need at the time, and nothing more.
- Small Town Sister- I don't have as many choices for where I can shop, but I shop at the smaller grocery stores even though it's a little more expensive. I also have a strict budget and shopping list to help avoid the bad stuff.
- No Overly Processed Food: It's bad for your health, costs a lot, and tends to come with lots of packaging.
- Urban Sister- Since I don't cook or bake much for myself, I try to visit locally owned restaurants that use organic, fresh ingredients. I also make it a point to order something that will keep well as leftovers, making sure nothing goes to waste.
- Small Town Sister- I enjoy making healthy homemade food. I'm learning old fashioned methods and adding my own twists and shortcuts (see Yogurt, Bread, and Popcorn).
- In the Bathroom
- Urban Sister- I've vowed to not replenish most of my make-up supply once it runs out and, for the items I just can't live without, to look for natural alternatives.
- Small Town Sister- I don't use much makeup beyond a little powder and mascara. (We of the fair skin are a little attached to certain things!) I would like to find a more natural or even homemade concealer and powder.
- Homemade/Natural Products:
- Urban Sister- I make my own hair and skin care products out of ingredients like coconut oil, oatmeal, and baking soda, or buy handmade products like olive oil soap, which are better for my body, cost a lot less, and don't buy in to the brands with the big ads.
- Small Town Sister- I also make my own natural hair care and skin care products (and also house cleaning products!) out of a few ingredients I can buy in bulk and store in reusable containers. (I'm still working on deodorant and lotions)
- Bulk Paper Products: Buy big packages of double roll toilet paper and big boxes of tissues.
- Urban Sister- In a one-person household, I don't go through that many of these products, so I buy individual rolls of toilet paper wrapped in paper to cut down on plastic waste.
- Small Town Sister- I can buy recycled but I just don't see myself consuming less of these items
- Buy Used: Only buy clothes, furniture, and household items at second-hand stores. (Sometimes though, new is necessary - as in mattresses and underwear.)
- Urban Sister- Why pay more for brand new? Shopping at second-hand stores is cheaper and you'll find much more interesting items - it's almost like a treasure hunt!
- Small Town Sister- I don't bother with the latest trends, and try to find classic well-made items.
- No Junk Mail: Sign up for every Do Not Mail option available and get your news online.
- Urban Sister- I sign up for e-mail updates instead of paper catalogs, and I recycle any junk mail that does make it into my mailbox.
- Small Town Sister- I have yet to persuade credit card companies to stop sending junk and I still need to stop delivery for the free local papers. I do feed junk mail to my composting worms!
- Laundry Room: Buy concentrated detergent and use less and stop using dryer sheets.
- Urban Sister- You can cut down on laundry loads by wearing everything more than just once before washing - except for underwear, of course! Wait until you have a full load before washing. (I'm also planning on trying to wash clothes in the bathtub and then line dry...if it works out, it could be a much cheaper alternative to coin-operated machines.)
- Small Town Sister- I'm experimenting using half detergent, half Borax, so far it works great. I've heard dryer balls work but I have yet to find them in the stores nearby.
Bottom Line:
Small Town Sister- According to my
Greendex score (46) I am just slightly better than the average American (44.9) and less than the average Canadian (48.5) or European (48.5-50). I have a way to go yet. There are still things that I take for granted as normal that are wasteful and unnecessary.
Urban Sister- My Greendex score was a 48, which is a little better than the average American, but I would still like to reach a much higher score someday. The actual actions of reducing consumption aren't difficult, but sometimes making the extra effort can be. It's best to accomplish these kinds of goals one step at at time - changing your entire lifestyle can be daunting!
