We live in a disposable society where it is far easier to throw out an old item and replace it with the latest and greatest, than to fix the old or to simply keep using the old for fear of being out of vogue. The new item may be "improved" in speed, color, performance, size, or taste. However, many times there is nothing wrong with the existing/old item in the first place. It is simply the job of the marketers out there to have us buy the new and improved product. Consider this as you shop!I want to give a plug for part of my Living Large with Less motto, which is simply this: buy less. This could mean saying no to the improved versions of products we want even though we have one that works already (iPod anyone?). Or maybe the older item just needs a little TLC in order to be operational again. This is where my story comes in, the story of my hand mixer that came into the marriage via Brett. This little mixer is a workhorse and I have never found the need for a large Kitchenaid standing mixer. Recently one of the beaters on my 12 year old mixer broke leaving me with just one functional beater. I think it would be safe to say I could easily throw this old mixer away and not feel too bad as it had a useful life. However, I was challenged to see if I could extend its life by another year or so. During a recent trip to Goodwill I found a single beater for 99 cents. I bought it in the hopes that it would fit my mixer, and what do you know? It DID! I was ecstatic and now have my mixer back in business.
Is there some household item you could hang onto for a while longer before replacing it? Or could you revitalize something that needs some fixing instead of simply throwing it away? Consider the savings to both your wallet and the planet of buying less and with greater intention.
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1 comment:
Hey Anneke,
I really appreciate this entry. Especially the idea of buying less for both our wallets, our sanity and the planet!
Another thing I've noticed, often we want to buy something new to replace what we already have because we're just too lazy to clean it or paint it or reorganize it. This has been big in our house. I have systematically gone through Dave's cupboards, drawers, rooms and boxes and organized organized organized. I think even he is SHOCKED at home many keyboards and extenstion cords, pens and socks and tee shirts and camping gear we have. He wanted to buy a few new sleeping bags recently for a camping trip we were taking. I reorganized the laundry room only to discover TEN sleeping bags. I washed, dried and rolled them up neatly on the shelves. He was speechless. "Where did those come from?" I think he used to buy new ones every year rather than go look for the old ones in a over stuffed laundry room. Those days are over!
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