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- I buy as little as I can (less purchase means less waste and less energy used) and will DIY as much as I’m able to. Including cooking whereas my spouse and I used to go to restaurant at least 3 times a week, if not daily, when we were younger. All of that is true for both my spouse and I, btw
- I borrow/rent, when it’s an option
- I buy used, when it’s an option (reuse/recycle).
- I buy local and will always support local business, when it’s an option. Even if that means a tad more efforts on my part. I just came back this morning from one of the remaining local book shops (it was a 1h walk, which is good for the health) to get two books I obviously could have ordered in two clicks from Amazon and have delivered to my door at the exact same price (here in France, book prices are fixed by law and even a Behemoth like Amazon can’t sell at a lower price than your local book shop).
Just buying less is a big one for me. My parents always had this rule whenever i wanted something. They said "if you still want it when [birthday/christmas/easter] comes then we will consider it. Usually my interest faded and we avoided a wasteful purchase that i wouldnt have used for very long anyways. As an adult this totally still works. Just wait a while and sleep about it, research well about the thing you want and if you really still want it and feel like it will give you long term use/enjoyment then go for it. Too many people are impulse buyers and it seriously pisses me off when i see people throw away stuff they never really used.
My parents always had this rule whenever i wanted something. They said “if you still want it when [birthday/christmas/easter] comes then we will consider it. Usually my interest faded and we avoided a wasteful purchase that i wouldnt have used for very long anyways.
100%. Younger, my spouse and I we were not doing that at all… We had both decent salary and money was not an issue. Nowadays (a few years ago, we both decided to slim down our lives including earning a lot less money) we seldom impulse buy anything. We keep a list of potential purchase and we wait. Quite regularly the ‘need’ will fade away and when it doesn’t, well, it’s a good sign it’s time to look in it more closely.
I do that for books as well as any other purchase, btw. There is almost never a need to impulse buy a book: we probably all have already many waiting to be read at home. Plus, there are public libraries <3
Too many people are impulse buyers and it seriously pisses me off when i see people throw away stuff they never really used.
They are, but I avoid getting angry at people around me. First, because I remember being like that. Then, because me getting angry won’t change a thing beside making me feel bad which I would rather not. Last, because that certainly will not encourage them to change their behavior much either ;)
I buy from small businesses whenever I can. It’s more expensive, but the products and services are WAY better so I much prefer it
Buying local is the easiest way to get started.
I avoid using known bad actors like Walmart and Amazon unless it cannot be avoided, and try to buy within the country, if not within my city/neighborhood whenever possible. Or at least buy from companies that do have a good track record.
I will happily buy the sad-looking fruit from the grandma down the street before buying te perfect fruit from the chain grocer.
Any tips for avoiding amazon?
Step 1: Don’t go to the website. :P
I order stuff from independent sellers and it still gets handled by Amazon Shipping from time to time. I don’t know if it’s possible to completely avoid them anymore.
Delete the app and avoid the website. It’s still tough.
Simple i like it
I don’t. If for a specific product the only reasonable option is Amazon and I need the product at all cost, then I get it, because such a scenario is extremely rare. Maybe in some countries or maybe for some niches it might be the default option. But I think for most people it’s just their own personal illusion.
I try to buy food produced locally
It wasn’t an underlying reason for me to buy a 3D printer, as I realized after the fact that whenever I need something cheap made out of plastic, I know that it is reasonably ethically sourced, and it didn’t cause slave labor or a huge coal burning cargo ship to go halfway around the world.
Farm-to-table trinkets and widgets.
Stopped buying from Amazon. I buy from smaller or local (as in “headquartered in this country”, instead of the US) shops more often and I’ve also been buying more secondhand.
I buy solid bars of soap and shampoo so that I don’t have a bunch of plastic bottles in the shower. The shampoo bars from Lush are amazing! I have a little magnetic grabber that attaches to a suction cup to keep the bars easily usable and up and out of the way of the falling shower water.
Shop locally, buying local products from local stores. Especially since January, I don’t buy American - they don’t have respectable labour laws; why should I put them ahead of other developing nations?
I also try to buy in bulk to reduce packaging and shipping, etc. I prioritize concentrated products or dry products for things like laundry and dishwasher, so that I don’t pay for water. I try to find things with less glossy and less plastic packaging. But I won’t buy something that is ineffective simply because it’s marketed as eco.
One of the challenges I have with buying ethically is that small local businesses are also a good bet for mistreating their employees. Yes, big companies can screw people at scale, but their payroll is pretty reliable. So I look out for stores that don’t have high employee turnover and stores where the owners actually show up on a regular basis.
Haven’t had Amazon for almost 2 years. Buying from other smaller sites and stores. Buying local. Second hand and thrift stores. Gardening more.
By detaching from the commercial economy as much as possible and instead engage with the local gift economy.
If I must buy, eg. fresh produce, I buy from urban farms and farmers’ markets.
If there’s something I need at a large store, I try to purchase from someplace that has a commitment to ecological efficiency and reduced packaging (such as Aldi) or is enployee-owned (such as Hy-Vee).
And if there’s something I can only get at a big-box store with evil and predatory practices, I do my level best to shoplift a greater value than I purchase, to limit their profit from the interaction.
And of course, by getting there and back on a bicycle rather than in a car.
I don’t order online which firstly makes me think twice about every purchase and is one less station for and underpaid and overworked delivery person in their resource guzzling transporter.
I know Facebook sucks, but the free stuff local pages are really good for getting/getting rid of things.
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