Top 10 Ways to be a Terrible Consumer

It has recently come to my attention that I am a TERRIBLE consumer! Seriously... sometimes I go to the store to buy something and actually talk myself out of it, decide I can do without, and walk away with nothing. 

I'm afraid I'm not doing my part to keep our economy going. I'm not contributing much to Jeff Bezos' billion dollar retirement fund. I hardly ever get packages. 

But on the flip side, my credit card bills keep going down and my bank account is growing, even though I'm traveling more, working less, and enjoying life to the fullest. I produce very little trash, and my life feels simple, sweet, and inspired. 

So I decided to put together my top tips for how to be a terrible consumer so you can see how bad you can become too!

1. Grow a garden. Absolutely my favorite. There are so many benefits, but one of them happens to be that I don't need to go out and buy food as much! We all have to eat, and it's so helpful and delicious to have my own fruit, berries, veggies, herbs, tea, eggs, and more. But be careful that this doesn't become one more activity where you have to buy a bunch of stuff! Most of it is totally unnecessary. 
2. Forage. Did you know that there is tons of free food out there in nature if you just look for it? Availability is seasonal, but if you spend some time freezing berries and fish, making preserves, digging roots, and drying tea, nature provides. Remember to use the honorable harvest and don't take more than you need. 
3. Stay home more. Besides saving money on gas, there is less temptation to stop in and get things from the grocery store, stop for coffee, or other impulse buys. You have more time to sink into projects at home, like gardening, cooking, or crafting. 
4. Make things with your hands. Instead of buying things, what can you make with your hands? Knitting, carving, crafting, sewing, cooking... these activities make you a producer instead of a consumer. The rewards of producing something out of your own creativity are so great!! These also make great gifts!!
5. Repair what you have. If something breaks, take the time to figure out if it can be repaired before throwing it out and buying a new one. This is such a lost art! When you do buy new things, try to buy quality things that can be repaired. 
6. Trade. I love to barter, when I can trade one service or goods with someone else and and no money changes hands. 
7. Gift. Give freely of yourself and you will receive wonderful gifts in return. This is called the gift economy. It's different from bartering because it is not one thing in exchange for another but a gift freely given without expectation. When you start giving gifts and open yourself energetically to receive, you will find unexpected gifts coming your way. It is the way of the universe. You can gift to friends, neighbors, or strangers. Try utilizing your local buy-nothing group or your neighborhood group!
8. Re-gift. When you have something you know another person would love, why not give it to them? Gifts do not have to be purchased at the store. Was your friend admiring a scarf of yours? Was a book you read perfect for another person? Pass on what you have and trust that you still have enough scarves, or that another perfect one will find its way to you. This is the magic of the universe. 
9. Minimize/ignore advertisements in your life. Turn off the TV, get off social media, stop the junk mail. Advertisements can lead us to believe we need things that we don't. That our lives are somehow lacking. Or that this one thing will take away our worries and stress. It's not true. 
10. Stop caring what other people think. This is a hard one but so much of what we buy is driven by what we think others are thinking about us. Most of the time, people don't even notice your old car or outdated clothes. They are too wrapped up in their own lives. And if they do notice, who cares? If they are judging you by what's on the outside, then you probably don't need them as a friend. 

This holiday season, when there is so much pressure to get out and buy lots of things, I encourage you to try some of these strategies. You may find that the less you consume, the more time you have to actually enjoy and be present with your loved ones. The more sweet memories you will make that don't involve spending money. And you will be less stressed about needing to earn money to pay for it all.

You will feel lighter and you will be living lighter on this earth! And that is something to celebrate!