One of the best things we can do for the planet and to fight the billionaire class is to quit buying stuff. Our economy is fueled by consumerism and overconsumption. So, let’s break up with it!

I grew up shopping a lot. I took my hard-earned money from my job scooping ice cream in high school right to the mall to buy stuff. While I was a bit stingier than other kids my age, I surely did not think about my purchases as I do now. So, what changed?

I would say that I rearranged my priorities. My number one priority in my early 20s was the planet (well, it still is, but now it’s just habit). That forced me to confront my spending. Is Amazon really a company I want to support? Do I really need the latest water bottle or purse or makeup item?

So, let’s walk through the importance of consuming only what we need and precisely how we can break up with consumerism.

If you want the expedited version, download my FREE guide to breaking up with consumerism here!

Voting With Your Dollar

We talked about dollar voting in full in this video, but here’s the short version:

Yes, I know, it is nowhere the same as casting a ballot at the voting booth. That is not what this phrase means. According to Wikipedia, “In some principles textbooks of the mid-20th century, the term "dollar voting" was used to describe the process by which consumers' choices influence firms' production decisions. Products that consumers buy will tend to be produced in the future.”

Yes, I know, my individual action alone is not going to change the actions of Amazon or Coca-Cola or P&G. It is naive to think that my one single purchase is going to save the world. But, that’s not what this means. It’s about collective action. If 100s or 1000s of us divert 100s or 1000s of our purchases away from these wasteful mega-corporations and back into small and eco-friendly businesses, that will start to make a dent. It does take a lot of us to do this for us to see action, but that does not make it impossible or unworthy of our time.

What is the goal?

The goal here is to spend money according to your conscience. For example, I don’t like what Amazon does for the planet or their employees so I refuse to give them my money. Again, my sole purchase is not going to make or break anything for Amazon, but why give them extra money? It’s my hard-earned money, I am going to spend it how I see fit, and for me, that is prioritizing small and sustainable businesses.

Whoever we are giving our money to, we are telling them we are okay with what they’re doing behind the scenes (and out in the open) as long as we get what we ordered from them. We are giving them OUR money to invest back into their company, good or bad.

We control supply and demand!

Corporations and governments don’t want you to know this…but we have so much power. Voting at the polls AND how we vote with our money matters. Our society is run on supply and demand. Corporations control the supply but we control the demand. If demand goes to 0, guess what, even if supply is through the roof, they won’t make any money. The more that we demand sustainable materials be used, recycling be implemented, carbon offsets be used, or other eco-initiatives be put in place, the more that it will come to fruition.

Take Amazon for example. Years ago, they were known for their waste: plastic bubble packs, bubble wrap, giant boxes for one tube of lip gloss, multiple packages instead of consolidating it, and so forth. Now, Amazon uses recycled materials, has opted out of plastic, uses paper now, and has shrunk the size of its boxes. This is far from perfect, I’m not trying to hype up Amazon, but they did that because of us. They did not do that out of the goodness of their hearts.

It is important to recognize the importance of voting with your dollar but also acknowledge that this action alone is not the only solution. We need many solutions to fight for climate justice and human justice and this is just one piece of the puzzle.

No company is perfect, so do your best here and don’t beat yourself up for buying necessary items.

That brings us to our first tip to breaking up with consumerism:

Tip 1: Think before you buy

Did you know that Americans throw away roughly 4 pounds of trash per person per day, on average? Much of what we throw away is food, but this also includes decor, clothing, office supplies, furniture, knickknacks, and so much more. Donating your items can be a good option when decluttering, but that’s a bandage solution. Our thrift systems are not quite as eco as you may originally think It’s important to avoid bringing stuff into our homes in the first place. We will talk about this more later, but everything we buy has an impact. It takes resources to obtain the initial product materials, more resources to turn that raw material into something usable, and then even MORE resources to ship it around the world and, finally, to your home. Instead of thinking about how we can deal with our excess at the end of its life, let’s look at it from the root- by limiting what is even created in the first place, based on demand.

Dyed my old comforter instead of buying a new one

So, here are some questions to ask yourself:

Did I intend to buy this before I saw it on the shelf or in an ad?

Do I have a place to store this in my house?

Will I forget that I own this item if I go too long without seeing it?

Is this item just a trend or fad that will be over soon?

Do I have something in my home that already serves this purpose (i.e. a blender that can be used to make ice cream instead of buying the Ninja Creami)?

Can I easily live without this item?

Is this item high quality that will last me a long time?

There is a full checklist in the downloadable guide that you can have on your phone every time you shop so you don’t have to recall these from memory!

Please, do not use this method for things you NEED. This list is to hopefully help you prevent overconsumption of wants and impulses that you may not actually use.

Nor should you neglect your wants 100%. It is okay to want things. I didn’t NEED to buy a secondhand set of The Hunger Games books, but I went through this checklist and determined that it is something I TRULY want and will use for a long time. There is a difference between wanting something and using it regularly and for a long time and something you want on a whim that you use once and throw away.

You should be mindful of wants vs needs to prevent overconsumption, yes, but don’t let it be the sole driving factor. It is okay to want something and not need it. It is okay to consume wants as an environmentalist and minimalist. However, that does not give us the excuse to overconsume our wants. I may wish to buy 100 books, but I know I do not have the space nor the time to read that much at this very moment. Instead, I’ll buy 1 or 2 and head back to my local bookstore once those have been read. Better yet, utilize your library.

Partaking in experiences instead of shopping

Tip 2: Think before you throw away

As I already mentioned, it is important to think before we buy to prevent the creation of new items, but it is just as important that we think before we throw away. Our items are valuable- they were made from the earth. We should respect that someone, somewhere took the time to make that item for you. And not only that, but landfills are running out of space! Let’s find other ways to dispose of our no-longer-needed items.

Of course, if your item is truly trash like a receipt or wrapper, throw it away. But we need to stop throwing out good items. Instead, let’s keep them in circulation so that others can boycott capitalism. These options include (but are not limited to):

Reusing
Upcycling
Mending
Repairing
Donating
Selling
Gifting or Trading
Recycling (though, recycling is also very flawed and should be looked as as a last resort before the landfill and you can learn more about that topic in this video here)

Who knows, you may already have something that you deemed trash that you could use instead of buying a new item! If you want jars for the bulk store or for storage, see if you can upcycle a pickle or peanut butter jar instead of buying a set of new ones, for example.

Tip 3: Unsubscribe and unfollow

Advertising is good...a little too good. We are constantly being advertised at from TV to social media to billboards to sales at the store. From influencers to athletes to politicians to even friends and family. We’re told to “buy more, buy this, and buy it as fast as you can before it runs out of stock!”

It what keeps us sucked into this consumerism loop. They make us feel less than others and that the only way to fit in is by buying the latest trending item. We will talk more about being content with what we have soon, but for now, let’s start with unsubscribing and unfollowing.

First, start with your inbox. Go through your emails and unsubscribe from brands. This will limit how many ads and deals you see and will also conserve some energy in the process.

Next, hop over to social media and unfollow brands that you just can’t pull away from. To be clear, I follow brands I admire like Plaine Products and Meow Meow Tweet for example. But, they don’t push products on people like other brands and I know that I can restrain myself from buying things from them I don’t need. It’s okay to keep following small brands you admire to show them support.

But, if a brand sucks you in to buying more and more, it’s probably time to let them go. I’m really thinking of fast fashion here as the main culprit but others may be Apple, Nike, The Kardashians, and more. Yes, this goes for influencers, too, who do nothing but push products.

Tip 4: Try a new hobby

Why DO we shop so much? One key reason is boredom. We use shopping as a past-time and a quick dopamine fix. Let's find a new hobby that doesn't involve buying stuff unnecessarily for fun!

Of course, if you get into a new hobby, you may have to buy some supplies. But not always! Some hobbies like reading you can start at the library. In fact, libraries also offer other things to borrow like board games, movies, sewing machines, and more which give you the option to try a new hobby completely for free.

You can also dive back into an old hobby you may have forgotten about. Have some old crochet supplies? Maybe your old hobby was felting or music. Get back into it to do it on a budget and to stay away from consumerism.

But, if you want some new supplies, head to the thrift store first. Yes, it is still possible to overconsume secondhand goods, but it doesn’t have the same impact as new items.

There are plenty of hobbies you can start via the thrift store. I’ve seen sporting equipment, outdoor gear, craft supplies, books, movies, and so much more. But know this: it is possible to try a new hobby and do so in a sustainable way.

My best advice is to pick a hobby you will truly stick to... don’t just opt-in to trends and fads. Things may not end up working out for you, and that’s okay! If you end up not liking your activity, donate the supplies and try again. Don’t let a not-so-good attempt suck you back into buying for fun again. Keep trying to find what works for you!

Another piece of advice is to jump hobbies. My main 3 that I rotate are reading, crocheting (while also listening to audiobooks haha), and videogames with a few others sprinkled in. When I get bored of playing Tears of the Kingdom on my secondhand switch, I’ll pick up a book. When the book isn’t intriguing me, I’ll crochet instead. Don’t let boredom from a hobby lead you back into consumerism either!

Want to learn more about eco hobbies? There is plenty more advice in this video.

Tip 5: learning to be content with less

Let’s end this guide with a quote from one of my favorite books, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (which we read in February for my Eco Book Club):

“In a consumer society, contentment is a radical proposition.”

The goal of consumerism is for us to want more and more and more. The goal is for us to use all of our money on their junk, to use all of our energy browsing and shopping, to use all of our brainpower thinking about things and stuff.

Learning to be content with what we have means we have more time for community, for organizing, for creating instead of consuming, and more. I also find that my home is less cluttered and leaves me with more free time that I have thanks to not having to clean as much or declutter as much.

How did I get here?

Well, first, I was forced to become content with what I had. We moved into an RV in Spring 2023 and lived in it for just shy of 2 years. It was less than 200 sq ft and we had a weight limit for towing. We had no choice but to be content with what we had!

And, it’s carried over into apartment life! We still don’t own a toaster because we learned to just pan-toast bread. It’s weird, but it works. We really wanted an air fryer, but we’ve gotten along just fine for the last 4 months without one, so do we really NEED one?

Here’s a real-life example: I recently started going back to school and I really wanted a new iPad. But, my old one functions just fine. Yes, it’s cracked, it’s old, and it’s huge, but it works. I decided to be content and make it work!

How can you achieve that?

It takes practice. Like my iPad example above, I am still confronted with this on a regular basis. I suggest sitting with the purchase for a while. If an item you see on Amazon or on the shelf at Target or on TikTok, make note of it but don’t buy it yet. See if something in your house already serves that purpose. See if you continually think about that item over the next few days or if you forget about it. Consult our checklist from page 9.

I thought I needed an iPad to succeed in school. But, I gave it a go with what I already had and I’m doing well and the tech is serving my needs just fine!

Try decluttering

A rule I see plenty of people implement is if you bring something into your home, something else has to go. If you go on a shopping spree and buy 20 items, you have to now declutter 20 items. This can prevent clutter in your home but it also helps you confront what you’re buying. If you already love and cherish everything in your home, are you going to want to truly get rid of something? If not, maybe it’s not worth it to buy something new! Here are my tips for decluttering.

Take care of your items

I find that the more I take care of my items, the more I cherish them and the less I want to replace them. Memories start to attach to the items I’ve had the longest. We often treat our items as disposable and that’s partially not our fault; our items are not made to last, they are made to be thrown away. So, let’s change that narrative, too. Let’s make our items last as long as possible. Let’s cherish them, be thankful for them, and take care of them.

Tip 6: What to do when you need to buy something

When it comes time to buy something, you don’t have to immediately go to Amazon. This takes practice, too, when we’re so used to using services like that! Instead, shop small, shop secondhand, and even try places like your local Buy Nothing Group to see if you can find what you’re looking for from a neighbor for FREE.

It’s no secret that we need to buy stuff to survive, so, let’s buy things in more sustainable ways instead of immediately buying from the worst of the worst companies. It’s true that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism (learn more here), but that does not give us the excuse to be as wasteful as possible. It is important to make the best choice available to you while acknowledging that that choice is not perfect.

So, again, shop small and shop secondhand.

Why does this matter anyway?

From fast fashion to tech to shipping, it’s all extremely harmful to the planet. I’m sure that’s why many of you followed me in the first place: consumerism and climate change go hand in hand.

Our efforts to reduce waste by using reusables not only prevents waste, but it prevents us from buying stuff over and over again, therefore breaking free of consumerism and capitalism.

Americans consume so much that if the entire world lived like us, we would need around 5 earths to sustain the global population. Breaking news, we don’t have 5 planets’ worth of resources. We have one and we‘re running out of resources.

This is precisely why we have to be mindful. Every action we take can have a positive impact on the planet or a negative one. Am I going to singlehandedly save the planet because I refuse to buy a new gadget that I don’t need? No. But if we all shopped like this, we would start to see the impact. In the same way that if I use one plastic water bottle, I’m not killing the planet alone but if we all use abundant plastic, we really start to see the negative impacts.

So, spread the word. We need everyone to live an eco life, even if it’s just 1% eco. Our collective actions add up and can make a huge difference.

But, consumerism is necessary...

I’m not going to sit here and act like buying zero items is possible and what is best for us and our current economy. Unfortunately, we live under capitalism. That means we have to make money and buy stuff to survive. This guide is not to shame anyone for buying wants and needs. It’s okay to make a purchase that is not absolutely necessary (one of my recent ones was the new Hunger Games book, for example).

Rather, I want everyone to become conscious of where they’re spending their money and how. Your dollars matter. Who you give those dollars to matters.

If we all stop spending our money willy-nilly and spend money on brands that are doing good in the world, that can make a huge difference.

It is important to know that there is no ethical consumption under capitalism, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t make BETTER choices. We don’t have to pick the worst of the worst brands, we can pick better ones. Or, better yet, we can buy nothing at all. Remember, contentment with what you have is a radical action.

I hope this helps you understand how climate change and capitalism go hand in hand.

Thank you so much for reading along, I hope that you enjoyed it! Don’t forget to download my FREE guide to breaking up with overconsumption so that you can have this info, including the handy checklist, on you at all times. And, spread the word! The more of us who vote with our dollar and boycott the capitalist system, the better.

They need us more than we need them and it’s high time we show them what that means.

As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)

Emma

We NEED to Break Up With Consumerism. Here’s How We Can