Shopping – don’t we all just love it?

If we take inventory of the clothing that we have or the products in our homes, we will see items we can’t live without, products that served us for a period, and lastly items we can’t figure out why we bought them. Consumerism is trending these days, which makes impulse buys as easy as clicking a button.

I bet you love Amazon and Amazon loves you for loving them. I know this is true for me. Technology has evolved to the point where you are shown advertised items that you feel like you absolutely need due to advanced algorithms and recommendations.  

Despite all of the joys of consumerism, it can be harmful to other aspects of society. According to The World Counts Consumerism is depleting the world’s Natural Resources.

The organization also highlighted we would need about 5 planets full of resources to satisfy our consumption needs in America. The global population of the world is expected to reach 3.2 billion by 2020 and 4.9 billion by 2030. At this rate we need to truly consider where our natural resources are going before it is too late. We are creating such a high demand for products that we are stripping the world of what we need for a day-to-day life.

Consumerism, to define, is often used as a way of satisfaction and a means to what we perceive to be a happier life. We are looking for the latest and the greatest, and if these aren’t enough,we want the biggest and the fastest. Shopping is becoming less about our need and more about our desire to own.

I’m not saying don’t buy anything, but consider whether what you are purchasing is really worth it. Control! We are often using our Earth and intellectual resources to produce consumer goods that we will ignore soon but place a lesser value on items that can really change the world.

I’m not pointing the finger at anyone because I am a huge consumer myself. I can’t say I feel guilty at the time of Purchase but later on I think about the money I could’ve saved. I know if we showed the same interest for sustainability as we do for consumer products our overall carbon footprint would be much lower.

An emerging trend that is increasing in popularity is anti-consumerism. According Wikipedia,  anti-consumerism is a sociopolitical ideology that is opposed to consumerism, the continual buying and consuming of material possessions.

While this idea is a noble one and something to strive for I kind of feel like this can be intimidating. So something to consider is that you don’t have to go cold turkey on Shopping, all you have to do is make a few changes here and there. You can also think about embracing a minimalist lifestyle.

According to Joshua Becker, a thought leader on minimalism says “it is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it.” He also highlights that minimalism helps us stop seeking value and happiness in our possessions but rather seek value and happiness in our relationships and experiences.

If you want to make a change, here are a few ways how to cut back:

1. Take Inventory – Identify what you actually use and what you can afford to do without. Once you have taken care of the necessities, you can donate the things that you don’t need to friends or to support worthy causes.
2. Wait Before You Purchase – Impulse purchases get us in a lot trouble. If we wait 3 weeks or so and still want the item maybe we should get it, otherwise we may forget about it and breathe a sigh of relief.
3. List Things That You Need – Before going for a shopping trip, make a list of what you really need and only buy those items.
4. Limit Technology – Pick only one day every month or two weeks to look at sales emails or your favorite websites.
5. Translate Price to Hours Worked – Think about how many hours you have to work to afford an item and then you will know if it’s worth it or not.
6. Buy Nothing – If you are a radical lifestyle-changer, you can try joining the movements of Buy Nothing Project or Buy Nothing Christmas.

All in all, we aren’t bad people because we like to shop and buy things. We just need to consider the impact it has on our natural resources. The increase in production can increase our Carbon Footprint and waste causing climate changes.

On a more personal level you could be wasting money that could be going towards items that you really need. It’s time for all of us to think about our purchases and make sure we need and will use the products we desire.

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