Want to save money? Want to help the planet? There's one answer to fix it all -- stop buying shit you don't need.
Seriously, the answer is that simple. Stop buying things you don't need.
Formal coming up? Ask around for a dress, or better yet use one you already have.
Feel like your dorm needs some sprucing up? Rearrange your decorations or make some art of your own.
We've been ingrained to want to buy more. More clothing, more decorations, more stuff we quite frankly don't need. The fashion industry in particular pushes us to want to buy more and more especially as college females. If you want to learn more about this I strongly recommend watching The True Cost on Netflix. The film talks about the evolving fashion industry that cycles through seasons faster than we can catch up and the terrible conditions that the fashion industry workers are put in.
Social media has helped to create a culture of the "more" mentality and marketers utilize this. Simply scrolling through social media has effectively drilled in the point of consumerism without us even thinking about it. We think that we need to take the perfect photo and that people will absolutely know if we wore the same outfit twice. The thing is, nobody will really know because nobody really pays that much attention. Don't believe me? My last two photos on my Instagram are the same black turtle neck that I just styled differently. Not one person has said anything.
So if you know that social media is trying to get you to buy more and more how do you stop the cycle? And no, I'm not telling you to get rid of all social media, even though a break every now and then can be good. Instead, one of the best things that I have done is to purge my Instagram feed of fast fashion bloggers. For example, Busybee Cary's is a fashion Youtuber. From her feed you can see that she is always posting new outfits and rarely posts something twice. There is absolutely no judgement for that because that is her lifestyle and her means of income. However, seeing her content on my feed just heightened the feelings I had of having to stay on trend and wear new fashionable things, so I stopped following her. Instead I switched to bloggers like Arden Rose who I LOVE. Arden is 23 years old and going through her own sustainability journey. Watching her go through her journey and buying sustainable brands has really affirmed my feelings of the sustainability movement and she motivates me to be better myself. Filling my feed with content that inspires me doesn't just make me happy but also inspires me to continue on my own journey.
So what about in real life? Recently, people have been working on purging their closets and homes through the new KonMari method. Haven't heard of it? Check out the Netflix series Tidying Up or watch the myriad of highly satisfying clean up videos on Youtube if you haven't discovered this cleaning up magic yet. It's great that people are getting rid of their unnecessary stuff and if you choose to too I highly recommend you read my blog post Giving your clothing a second life while making some cash. This issue with this is that ultimately people will just fill up their homes and closets again if they don't make a change. The clearing out is only half of the battle. So yes, the KonMari method is great for cleaning up but you need to make sure it doesn't get to the point again where you're holding up a sequined crop top questioning why you ever got it in the first place.
Using the KonMari method to purge your rooms makes you really think about what items bring you joy, and you can use it while purchasing items as well. I know that I get swept up a lot of times in sale prices and cute little things in the Dollar Spot at Target, but then I really question: will this bring me joy after five minutes? The answer almost every time is no. We need to start really thinking of what we are purchasing and what value it is bringing us.
Even when you implement a lifestyle of buying less, there are going to be times when you need to buy something. When you need to buy something you can follow the chart below to make the most sustainable choice. This can apply for clothing as well as other items.
I am by no means perfect with this, but this blog does help me to open my eyes and really make an effort to make real changes. I cannot tell you the last piece of clothing that I bought from an actual store. 90% of my wardrobe comes from Plato's Closet, Goodwill, or other thrift stores and that's something I really pride myself in. On the other hand though I spent nearly $300 on clothing last semester alone. I am currently working towards adding more lasting pieces into my wardrobe and putting more meaningful decorations around my dorm. Tiny changes will eventually add up to a big difference and your wallet and the earth will thank those efforts.
So really... stop buying shit you don't need!
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