Welcome Back to this winter’s sustainability series! Each post details aspects of my life where I’m trying to make small changes to lower my ecological footprint. Though my impact is beyond minimal on the grand scheme of our planet, I am just doing my duty as hummingbird – the background of which you can read here.
This week’s aspect of change is to rethink the necessity of NEW. New clothes, kitchen equipment, books, furniture, etc. All of these items and so many more can be sourced second hand. Not only is it better for the environment, but it’s typically less expensive and can even be more fun!
Why shop secondhand?
When you buy a previously used product, you are prolonging the lifespan of that product. Let’s say for example that you are looking to buy a birdfeeder, and let’s say that someone in the next town over is downsizing, so they are getting rid of their birdfeeder. The most convenient thing for you to do is to pull up amazon and order a brand new item, and for your neighbor to plop their item in the trash to be collected and now that birdfeeder ends up in the landfill. Then in 5 years you’re moving into an apartment, and are done with your birdfeeder, so you toss it in the trash, meanwhile a couple of blocks away someone else goes out to the hardware store and buys a brand new birdfeeder. The cycle continues and thousands and thousands of birdfeeders are sitting in landfills, their plastic taking hundreds of years to break down.
Obviously our landfills aren’t just packed with birdfeeders. But this idea can expand to all other items in your home. The plates you eat dinner off of, the lamp on your bedside table, the picture frames hanging on your walls, the mirror in your bathroom. It’s hard to conceptualize how much good and usable stuff gets thrown in the trash each day. Buying second hand items, or third or fourth hand is a small but great way to prolong the lifespan of goods and keep things out of landfills.
Tips for shopping secondhand
- Let go of “I need it now” mentality
It’s become SO easy to click a button and order things online. The convenience factor is a hard one to get past. Purchasing second hand items can require a bit more intentionality.
- Use all the platforms
There are a number of thrift stores near where I live that I go to pretty often, and it’s fun to check back in to see what kind of new stuff they’ve gotten each time. But other platforms can be better for getting right to what you need. Facebook marketplace is so useful it singlehandedly furnished our apartment. “Buy nothing” groups for your neighborhood are another awesome resource that you can find on facebook. Craigslist is of course tried and true. There are also great apps for clothing thrift shopping, like depop or poshmark.
- Keep a list
This is probably the best thing I’ve implemented with thrifting. I keep a list in the notes section of my phone of the things I’m looking for. That way when I find myself wandering through goodwill I can remember what I actually need.
If you have any tips for good thrifting I’d love to see them in the comments! Also – number one on my thrift list is in fact a bird feeder, so if you’re looking to get rid of one it has a home with me!!
ReDuce, ReUse, ReCycle, RePair, ReSell, and RePurpose like our planet depends upon it – because it does! And Treasure hunting is fun.
Hannah , I also like to buy my eggs at a local farm and Especially enjoy that they are ungraded ranging in size from jumbo to tiny. In The past i used to do yard sales every Saturday morning with my daughters But now I prefer thrift shops. My favorite purchase was a new pair of Allbirds sneakers for $14,instead of $100.
Enjoying your blog
Nama