This will be short and sweet, but before I go on and tell you all about the things you need to go out and buy, I wanted to take a quick second to stop and talk about the term conscious consumerism.

Clearly, I’m a big advocate for buying products that are ethical and sustainable — voting with your wallet, as they say. If that were not the case, I would not have started on this little journey I like to call my blog. That being said, I have to address the fact that even though we may be buying healthier, more sustainable and ethical things — that’s still buying more things.

Which brings me to my point. The more we buy, the more waste we have. So before making that next purchase, I challenge you to think before you buy and consider some alternatives.

Buy Less:  Before you make that next purchase, ask yourself if you really need it?

Repurpose/Repair:  Okay, you do really need it. But can you repurpose or repair something you already have? To help you out a lot of companies — Patagonia, Eileen Fisher to name a few — offer repair programs to repair old garments. In addition, companies like IFIXIT have free repair guides for that show you how to fix almost anything — from electronics, to vehicles, to apparel.

Borrow/Rent:  Can you borrow what you need from a friend (or in my case, your husband or your mom) or rent it out somewhere? At this point there are more short-term car rental places than I can count on two hands, even more places to rent apparel, and if you’re buddy won’t let you borrow something, they’re probably not that cool anyway. With just a little bit of leg work, you might be able to find the perfect borrowing situation.

Thrift:  Can you find what you’re looking for second-hand or vintage (which, by the way, would be so hipster of you)?

D.I.Y.:  Can you make what you need? Granted, you’ll probably still be buying stuff, but at least you have control over your supply chain, right?

Buy Ethical:  Last resort — buy ethical. If you can’t do any of the above, that’s when you can start looking for products that are recycled/upcycled or made with eco-conscious material; fair trade; local; made in small quantities; profits go to a philanthropic cause; high-quality and well-made — meaning not disposable.

Okay, I think you get my point 🙂