A REFLECTION ON MY OWN CONSUMERISM

In 2017, a weight started to sit on my shoulders in regards to my own consumerism.

If you'd been with me for a while, you'd know that thrifting and secondhand shopping has been near and deer to my heart for a long time now. But, in recent years my values leaned more heavily in favor of things that I could obtain faster and easier. My workload was heavier, stress levels higher and overall mentality shifted to find quick satisfaction in things I could more quickly obtain.

Mind you, I've never been that big of a shopper. But what became more apparent to me were the sheer amount of things that I've accumulated in my newest living space that just didn't work. I moved into a new space that by far is my favorite apartment to-date, but I filled it with warped uncomfortable IKEA furniture, a faded cheap wardrobe and only a small handful of things that I actually truly loved.

Sure, at the time those things worked for me. I could afford to buy myself a new couch. I made it! But when that couch made its way to the dumpster after eighteen months of use, things became more clear for me about what I wanted. I knew that I didn't want feel like I was wasting again. Waisting my money, resources and adding to America's very own waste crisis we're living in today.

In effort to mediate my own purchases, I went through a practice where I'd do a mini series of "Shopping For" and "Review Of" on everything I purchased for my wardrobe. The effort was to rein back on impulse buys and truly identify what I wanted, needed and how I would purchase those things in a way that felt right to me.

Of those posts in 2017, The Everlane Brixton Boot, Shirtdress, Fjällräven Backpack and Levi's denim skirt— my success rate in actually loving the things I bought was still only sitting at 50%. I also struggled to keep up the writing I committed to in the first place.

So, I'm sitting here in 2018 in different space. I have more mental energy to put towards my own me time, and a home that I really enjoy. In that time, the conclusion I've drawn is to focus on that something that was part of my upbringing, that I fell in love with as a young adult and now am slowly returning back to.

I set a hefty goal for 2018: buy only secondhand/vintage/thrifted items for my closet and home.

I've already broke it.

That precious balance, eh? We'll talk about that in another post. What I can say is that the more realistic goal is to not forget intentions, always place care in purchases, and care for my own values in the process.