Buy Nothing New - Week 1

Just over a week ago, I took the pledge to Buy Nothing New.  This initiative is not forever, just for the month of October, so we can assess where the things we are buying actually come from, and more importantly, where they end up.  

Well so far so good!  I have of course been assisted by the fact that I have had back to back clients all week with no spare time to be tempted, however I am seeing it as a triumph none the less.

I have a girls weekend coming up, which I am a little nervous about as we generally do nothing but eat and shop.  I have researched the area where we are headed and discovered there are Op shops-a-plenty.  I have also managed to convince my friends that this trip is all about vintage and second hand.  They don't suspect a thing!  (Well, that is until they read this). 







Have you taken the pledge?  Are you blogging about it?  If so, I'd love to hear from you.


I'll leave you with the TOP TIPS for how to buy nothing new taken from the Buy Noting New website.


Ask yourself do you really need it? If so, can you borrow it or find one secondhand? 


Salvos Stores, Brotherhood of St Laurence and Gumtree all offer a great range of secondhand goods from clothing, books, furniture and homewares. 


It's cheaper and you lower your footprint by renting/borrowing rather than buying. 


Hold your own ‘swap shop'. Invite your friends around, challenging them to bring five things each they don't need. It may be a jumper, a vase, a cookbook, a bedspread. Watch one man's trash get reborn into another man's treasure! 


Get into the old economy. Remember how Grandma found a use for everything? Reuse, recycle, make stuff, alter stuff, buy used, donate quality old stuff, get free stuff, borrow, barter and trade. Have fun with it. 


Holes in your favourite jumper, dress anything? Patch them with an interesting fabric for your own one-off designer duds with a difference. If you're not a sewer, support your local seamstress. 


Don't shop to alleviate boredom. Get a hobby and get out of the shopping strip. 


save time and money online. Check out www.gumtree.com.au for its great range of second hand stuff near you. Setup alerts on eBay for your favourite brands. Then when something's listed, you'll be alerted automatically. Saving you time in surfing and cashing in buying it new! 


By the way, once Buy Nothing New Month is over, just because something is new, doesn't mean it's not sustainable or you cant have it. Many new items have been made responsibly, thoughtfully and with sustainability in mind. After Buy Nothing New Month, we're hoping you'll consider your purchases more carefully than before and seek out goods that have been made responsibly. 

Before handing over your hard earned cash, ask yourself: 

Do I really need this? 
What is its lifecycle? What went into making it (time, labour, resources) 
What are the alternatives? 
Where did it come from? How did it get here? 
What is its environmental and social impact? 
Who benefits from the purchase? What will it do for me? 
What's in it? Who made it?