Having less

Shelby and Teagan over at My New Neighbour recently did a post exploring how to survive ethical fashion, with a lot of great tips on how to be an ethical consumer.  They included many methods I practice myself: 

• swap, borrow or re-purpose before buying new 
• buy less 
• invest in better quality items 
• educate yourself about ethical brands 

Of the above, buying less sounds the easiest but is actually the hardest for me to consistently adhere to.

Artwork by CMB Printworks

A few things that make it easier to buy less?  

• If I buy something new I have to give away an item I already own.  Most of the time I like what's already in my closet more than a potential new item so I don't buy it.  
• I sleep on it.  I might love an item when I first see it but that feeling usually fades over time.  
• I don't shop when I'm feeling bad.  I tend to want more when I've had a bad day and have a harder time resisting making a purchase.  Retail therapy can get expensive really quickly and doesn't make me feel better for long.  
• I remind myself that having less doesn't mean being less.  It's hard to avoid all the marketing that says if I buy more stuff I'll be more popular and/or important, but I refuse to let an advertising company dictate how I should be happy.    

Changing the way I shop can be challenging and I often feel like my decisions don't make that much of an impact.  But every small step counts if it means we can prevent this - or stop this - from occurring.