That’s it!
Collectively, our thoughts and actions are contributing to the growing global groundswell choosing citizenship over consumerism.
Keep living it up, with your lighter footprint.
Remember, Buy Nothing New Month is just the start.
Just keep going.
What can you do next?
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” – Arundhati Roy
The Buy Nothing New Month Crew
Every year we suggest you guys learn to sew.
Be honest.
Did anyone do it?
It is such an easy way to get into second hand stuff.
Seriously.
Get a second hand sewing machine.
Or borrow one.
It’s fun, it will save you loads of money and is like a mindful activity (like those corporate colouring in books).
Oversized or undersized clothing from the op-shop can be easily taken out or taken in. (hello, GOOGLE, youtube for a lifetime of ‘how to’ videos’)
If you’re not that adventurous or lack time, take an armload of out-dated clothes to your local seamstress and work through options together to taken them in/out, up/down to refresh the look, saving you time, money and your kit from wardrobe oblivion.
That’s why buying good quality instead of cheap fast throwaway is great.
Good quality can always be altered into something else.
Cheap fabric, not so much.
“Buy Less, Choose Well and Make It Last.” – Vivienne Westwood
The Buy Nothing New Month Crew
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Wayne Dyer
We’ve all got stuff in our wardrobe we never wear.
Sometimes it just takes looking at the same thing with different eyes.
Try taking one item out of your wardrobe and commit to wearing it the next day.
The night before, hang it up on the wardrobe door, ready for its big outing. “we’re gonna be great together” you can whisper to it before you go to bed…
In the morning, mix it up with stuff you’ve never worn it with before.
This can help give new life to forgotten stuff.
They say we wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time.
Then we go shopping.
Nuts.
P.S. Drew Barrymore once wore a $25 op-shop dress on the red carpet.
The Buy Nothing New Month Crew
From op-shops to high end consignment, eBay, vintage stores, garage sales to swap parties nearly everything we need is available second hand.
We even get out electronics like laptops, iPhones and smart TVs second hand.
Done right, second hand is a smart default.
Email four mates now.
Set a date, buy a bottle of bubbles (it’s Buy Nothing New Month, not FebFast…) and get together.
Everyone brings 3 things (or more) from their home or wardrobe they no longer want/need.
SWAP EM!
See. Easy.
Not new, but new to you.
How to Buy Nothing New:
buynothingnew.com.au/how
“I get highs, to be totally honest, in second-hand shops. My hunting instinct, I expect, really kicks in.” – Bjork
The Buy Nothing New Month Crew
Who are THE NEW JONESES?
The New Joneses is a little house with a big message.
As a Buy Nothing New Month challenger, you are THE NEW JONESES.
You know the phrase ‘keeping up with the joneses’?
It’s a stupid, outdated consumer treadmill of ‘keeping up’ with the neighbours.
Like when the new iphone comes out.
And you feel the need to upgrade your perfectly good, existing iPhone…
Everything we do has an impact, so THE NEW JONESES show some easy everyday habits we can all make that are good for our people and planet.
Our choice of bank, our energy company, the dunny paper we buy. It all has an impact. The New Joneses show how to lighten our impact and make it positive.
Go to thenewjoneses.com to see what they’re up to.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall
The Buy Nothing New Month Crew
WHY BUY NOTHING NEW?
Simply put. We’re using too much stuff.
We found looking into the ethics and supply chain of everything seemed overwhelming…
For us, the easiest way for us to buy in line with our values was to simplify, to buy less of everything and buy everything we can second hand.
Extending the life of existing goods (buying second, up-cycling, re-cycling, sharing, swapping etc) maximises the energy and finite resources that goes into our stuff while keeping it from landfill.
We buy nothing new because we want to be part of the solution.
Not the pollution.
What about you?
“The world is changed by your example. Not by your opinion” – Paulo Coelho
The Buy Nothing New Month Crew
Rethink. Question Everything:
Why am I shopping?
How do I feel?
Do I need this?
How will I pay for it?
Where will I put it?
Who made it?
What were their working conditions?
What do I have that can fill this purpose?
Can I borrow it, swap to get it, or get it second hand?
What will I have to get rid of to make room for this?
What will happen if I don’t buy this?
What else could I do with this money?
Did I remember to wear deodorant today?
“The most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy.” – Joshua Becker
The Buy Nothing New Month Crew
What do you buy the person who has everything this Christmas?
NOTHING
Science tells us giving an experience instead of a ‘thing’ gives more lasting joy.
And if they have everything. Do they really need anything more?
Simples!
Why not take the next step and ask your family how they feel about a Buy Nothing New Christmas?
You can give anything second hand, any experiences, anything you’ve made, but aim to cut out the crap, the LIN (landfill in transit) and all the crappy plastic wrapping that goes with it.
“When we throw something ‘away’, where is ‘away’?”
The Buy Nothing New Month Crew
‘Do I need this?’ is one of the biggest questions we ask ourselves.
Pretty much every dust gatherer or closet-clutterer we own, took finite resources, fossil fuels, water and in some cases, slave-labour to find its way into our homes. Not to mention, our hard earned money. Impulse shopping has little to do with actual needs.
It’s often to fill an emotional void or boredom.
Ever notice that dress that was going to CHANGE YOUR LIFE, didn’t?
This month is a time to pursue healthier ways to fill a need or your time.
Read a book, catch up with a mate, take a walk, (or take a nap for goodness sake!) make something…
Take this month to identify the difference between ‘needs’ and ‘wants’.
There is a big difference.
“If you really think that the environment is less important than the economy, try holding your breath while you count your money.” – Guy McPherson
The Buy Nothing New Month Crew
The good news is, the alternative to wasteful consuming is better for us, our mental health and the health of our planet.
This month is a chance to cut the clutter.
To refuse, reduce, reuse, rethink (recycle being the last option, after all other avenues are exhausted). Easiest way? Keep out of shops and avoid advertising, magazines and stuff that exists to convince you that you need more stuff.
Go Marie Kondo. Clear out stuff, get it back into circulation. Be part of the circular economy. Donate it to charity, gift it to a friend.
Clear out the stuff you don’t need to make space for the stuff you do need.“An estimated £30bn of unused clothing hangs in UK wardrobes, and yet still we shop for more.”
“Twenty-five years ago people could be excused for not knowing much, or doing much, about climate change. Today we have no excuse.” – Desmond Tutu
The Buy Nothing New Month Crew
