Motivation to buy less
Would any of these concerns motivate you to buy less?
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- Waste of time, money, energy
- Depletion of natural and global resources
- Pollution
- Work conditions around the world
- Human hardship
- Negative impact on environment
- Eventual impact of disposal
- Less to organize, maintain, and manage.
Please consider buying less.
Hi Janine,
A couple of years ago, I decided that I would no longer buy gifts. Radical, right?! What I realized is that gift-giving has taken on a crazy life of its own. While it is fun to buy gifts (and I am pretty good at pairing the right gift for the right person), I now have grown children who 1) don’t NEED anything and 2) likely make more money than I do! What I try to do instead is to create opportunities to connect and have experiences together – share a meal, visit a museum, gather with other family. And it’s enough. No- it’s better! There are no expectations, no obligations, no disappointments, no WASTED purchases of THINGS that no-one needs. I think this next generation “gets” that – they accumulate less than we did (at least that’s what I see in my 30-something kids’ cohort). And with my partner, we buy what we need when we need it and don’t tie those “things” into a special occasion. It keeps things simple!
Hi Debra,
Thanks for responding. It makes me so happy to see that you have the same outlook on the gift giving craze. Your gifts of experiences sound wonderful. I hope that others who read this will be motivated to implement your ideas. Happy holidays to you and your family.