When I came to Canada, as an immigrant, I had very little money. I struggled to pay for rent, food, and tuition and at that time I learned to be frugal and to ask myself if every item I bought was a want or a need.
Now, after 22 23 years in Canada, I am in a much better position. I am financially independent and I don’t need to ask myself if I can afford one thing or the other. I can buy what I need with little consideration of the price. However, I am still very conscious about my purchasing decisions and I avoid, by all means, buying any new items if I can do without them.
Some of the purchasing decisions I make are:
- Not to buy any new clothes unless my old one is torn. Being in fashion is not something I care about. If my 10-year-old shirt is still in good shape, I will not buy new shirts.
- Not to buy automobiles. Uber, taxis, metros, busses, walking, jogging, and car-sharing fills the transportation gap. I save a lot of money, and believe it or not, my life is better without owning a vehicle.
- During holidays, I have an agreement with friends and family. Don’t buy me any gifts and don’t expect any gifts from me. I do buy gifts for friends and family on holidays, I buy them when I feel inspired to do so.
- I don’t buy any animal products. Animal consumption is bad for the environment, bad for my health, and cruel towards animals.
How to reduce our consumption
One way to consume less is not to buy new things. Whenever it’s possible, buy something used.
- As a photographer, all my cameras have been second-hand.
- When I used to be a car owner, all my cars were second-hand.
- Every time my winter jacket wears down too much, I buy another second-hand winter jacket
Get into the habit of asking yourself, “Is this a need or this a want? Yes, you can buy yourself little gifts to compensate for the hardships in your life, but just be aware of the difference between a need and a want.
For example. If you need a vehicle to get to work and back, you can easily get by with a second-hand car. Another example is smartphones. We are already trained by the phone companies to upgrade every two years, but is it really necessary?
You can buy second-hand items at buy-nothing groups, Facebook marketplace, goodwill centers, craigslist, Kijiji, and many other digital or physical locations.
We don’t have to buy things just because it’s Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s day, or Black Friday. All those dates have been commercialized and promoted in a way to make you feel guilty if you are not participating. You don’t have to participate, you can be your own individual and decide when (and if) to buy an item.
Every new purchase puts into motion a global chain of events, usually beginning with extracting oil to make the plastic that is in everything from stretchy jeans to the packaging they come in. Those materials travel from processing plant to factory to container ship, to eventually land in my living room, and then become mine for a time. Sooner or later, they will most likely end up in a landfill.
In her book “Consumed,” Aja Barber, a sustainability and fashion industry expert, writes about the perpetual disappointment of Black Friday shopping that ends in buying “merchandise you hadn’t seen before and didn’t especially want, but somehow felt compelled to buy because of the low, low, low cost.”
Merchandise you hadn’t seen before and didn’t especially want, but somehow felt compelled to buy because of the low, low, low cost.
Aja Barber
Less consumption is good news for the planet, It reduces somewhat the movement of stuff from one side of the world to the other and the extraction of natural resources required to produce new earrings and toy cars and jigsaw puzzles. It also saves some items from landfills while they can still offer some utility or joy.
Instead of consuming stuff we could spend time together in conversation, on a walk, or preparing a meal. All those moments together with the people we love are far more meaningful than anything you can unwrap. The ritual of buying and showing off stuff can get in the way of the human connection most of us are seeking over the holidays.
If we gradually reduce our household consumption we could help the environment, without damaging the global economy. The economy is resilient and it can adapt to our reduced appetite for goods.
Contact me
I love talking about personal finance. If you would like to have a one-on-one consultation, don’t hesitate to write me a line at Guillot.alai@gmail.com