![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Dec. 5th, 2019 11:17 am'Secondhand' author Adam Minter says the best thing you can do is not buy more stuff.
As it's now December, I'm approaching the end of my 2019 Minimalism project. Over the past year I've tried to downsize my material things while being aware of where they're going and trying to use the trash as a last-ditch option. I've also kept an eye on my acquisition of new things - I spotted the big trap here early on and was determined not to fall into it.
Often when Americans (and I guess other first-worlders, though I can't speak to a non-American experience) downsize and minimize, as we've been doing in the wake of the Kon-Mari craze here, there's a huge temptation to fill the gap with new things. You get rid of a bunch of old clothes you never wear and that no longer fit, then go out and buy new pieces. Obviously companies are ready to pounce on this by selling you "zero waste" products, reusables, and targeting people with ads for capsule wardrobes, which they'd like you to think you need three or four of. This was something I saw online when people would succeed at getting rid of a lot of excess things, only to fill the space back up with new "minimalist" things, and it was more about the aesthetics than anything else.
For a long time I've routinely purged my possessions and cleaned things out, only to of course have it fill right back up again. With First Husband I ended up needing two rent two storage lockers. Two storage lockers. Let that sink in - and the majority of that was stuff he acquired. After his mother died, his dad finally decided to move house and took a major downsize from a split-level house with four fully furnished bedrooms to an apartment. For whatever reason, First Husband took all sorts of shit from the house and kept it, and most of it we never used. Who the fuck needs a drink tray, a cheese server, or a ... Jesus, so many vases. I felt like he was close to being a hoarder. Anyway, having things sitting around that never get used is a major pet peeve of mine, so if it never gets used, we either put it into rotation and use it, or pass it on.
I was able to eBay a lot of things and make some extra cash. Not bad. I'm setting up a little "store" on Depop soon to start getting rid of some more clothes of mine that no longer fit but that I can't quite bear to donate because they're nice. If things didn't sell, they were donated, and the local hospice runs a thrift shop that was happy to take a load of old but working electronics, musical instruments, and jewelry. I went back one day to let them know I had another truckload for them, and they'd set up the lava lamp I'd given them next to the checkout, so that was cool.
Anyway, some stuff wasn't even suitable for giving away so to the dump it finally went. C'est la vie.
I was pretty well able to resist buying new things because I'd gotten rid of old things. I just donated a ton of sweaters and things that were too big, I should go buy some that fit me! Nah - I've still got some sweaters that mostly fit, it's fine. The only major clothing purchases I've made have been for running gear, which tends to wear out, and I'm okay with needing to do that.
So for 2020 I'm looking to continue this trend. I still have a few areas I haven't addressed yet but I feel like I did a good job with what I've tackled so far. A lot of things I just haven't gotten to because they're simply easy to overlook. I haven't used my desktop Mac in probably two years, so it's time to get Fox to copy the hard drive contents and ditch the hardware. I haven't even peeked at the holiday decorations Kitty stocked up. I have a few high-end items I'd like to try to sell and just haven't gotten around to pricing them and approaching buyers. I'd also like to, so far as I can, make my purchases secondhand. Running stuff is best bought new, but should I need jeans or something I can thrift them or hit the online resale sites.
As it's now December, I'm approaching the end of my 2019 Minimalism project. Over the past year I've tried to downsize my material things while being aware of where they're going and trying to use the trash as a last-ditch option. I've also kept an eye on my acquisition of new things - I spotted the big trap here early on and was determined not to fall into it.
Often when Americans (and I guess other first-worlders, though I can't speak to a non-American experience) downsize and minimize, as we've been doing in the wake of the Kon-Mari craze here, there's a huge temptation to fill the gap with new things. You get rid of a bunch of old clothes you never wear and that no longer fit, then go out and buy new pieces. Obviously companies are ready to pounce on this by selling you "zero waste" products, reusables, and targeting people with ads for capsule wardrobes, which they'd like you to think you need three or four of. This was something I saw online when people would succeed at getting rid of a lot of excess things, only to fill the space back up with new "minimalist" things, and it was more about the aesthetics than anything else.
For a long time I've routinely purged my possessions and cleaned things out, only to of course have it fill right back up again. With First Husband I ended up needing two rent two storage lockers. Two storage lockers. Let that sink in - and the majority of that was stuff he acquired. After his mother died, his dad finally decided to move house and took a major downsize from a split-level house with four fully furnished bedrooms to an apartment. For whatever reason, First Husband took all sorts of shit from the house and kept it, and most of it we never used. Who the fuck needs a drink tray, a cheese server, or a ... Jesus, so many vases. I felt like he was close to being a hoarder. Anyway, having things sitting around that never get used is a major pet peeve of mine, so if it never gets used, we either put it into rotation and use it, or pass it on.
I was able to eBay a lot of things and make some extra cash. Not bad. I'm setting up a little "store" on Depop soon to start getting rid of some more clothes of mine that no longer fit but that I can't quite bear to donate because they're nice. If things didn't sell, they were donated, and the local hospice runs a thrift shop that was happy to take a load of old but working electronics, musical instruments, and jewelry. I went back one day to let them know I had another truckload for them, and they'd set up the lava lamp I'd given them next to the checkout, so that was cool.
Anyway, some stuff wasn't even suitable for giving away so to the dump it finally went. C'est la vie.
I was pretty well able to resist buying new things because I'd gotten rid of old things. I just donated a ton of sweaters and things that were too big, I should go buy some that fit me! Nah - I've still got some sweaters that mostly fit, it's fine. The only major clothing purchases I've made have been for running gear, which tends to wear out, and I'm okay with needing to do that.
So for 2020 I'm looking to continue this trend. I still have a few areas I haven't addressed yet but I feel like I did a good job with what I've tackled so far. A lot of things I just haven't gotten to because they're simply easy to overlook. I haven't used my desktop Mac in probably two years, so it's time to get Fox to copy the hard drive contents and ditch the hardware. I haven't even peeked at the holiday decorations Kitty stocked up. I have a few high-end items I'd like to try to sell and just haven't gotten around to pricing them and approaching buyers. I'd also like to, so far as I can, make my purchases secondhand. Running stuff is best bought new, but should I need jeans or something I can thrift them or hit the online resale sites.
