Buy Nothing New Month

Vintage blue sandals I picked up from LaFemme Vintage on Etsy

It's October peeps! (Holy crap - I'd better start thinking about Christmas!) And did you know that October is officially Buy Nothing New Month?  I have pledged to buy nothing new for the whole month.  What's it all about?

It's about slowing down rabid consumerism.

It's about buying second-hand, so less stuff goes to landfill.

It's about saving money.

It's about rethinking the way we consume goods, the impact these goods have on the world, and the way we dispose of them.

The website explains that you can still buy new food, drink, medicine and hygiene items*, but my 'allowed' list will be food, drink, (hopefully no need for) medicine and train tickets.  But anything else will need to be sourced second hand, borrowed or home made.

"Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy crap we don't need" Tyler Durden

I love that the Buy Nothing New site quotes Fight Club, my most favourite movie ever.  And while we're talking Buy Nothing New, why not take a ticket from the thrift-fashion icon herself, Marla Singer?

Marla Singer in her $1 thrift-shop dress (image from here)

Honestly, I don't think Buy Nothing New Month will be that much of a challenge for me, because I rarely buy new stuff anyway.  Most of my clothes come from op-shops, or are homemade (and really, I have so much fabric I won't be needing to buy any new for a while).  I have Ebay alerts set up for items I'm particularly looking for, like books and kitchenware.  I used to frequent Freecycle, but now I only use it for giving stuff away.  In fact, whenever I think about buying something 'new' now (for example, we are planning to buy an air conditioner to survive the summer) I think about where I can source it second hand, rather than where to buy one new.  I also have the added advantage of being crafty, so if someone's birthday or another event springs up, I should be able to pull something together.

But we'll see!  Maybe there'll be unexpected challenges?  Maybe something will break and will need replacing?  I promise to keep you updated.

October reading: a book about the unsustainable nature of the fashion industry, lent to me by a colleague.

*If we're talking about women's hygiene/sanitary items, then I won't need to buy those because I use a Lunette Cup.  These are not well publicised in Australia (but you can buy them in health food stores and similar) and they are so much better than the supermarket options - for your body, for your wallet, and for the environment.  Ladies, I recommend trying them out!