**Note — In light of this current pandemic and extended period of physical isolation (and, well, being furloughed from work), I decided to push out some of my previously-unfinished and not-bothering-to-finish drafts in my WordPress. Most of this doesn’t make sense and makes perfect sense at once given the climate, but… meh, one less draft on my dashboard. The initial draft of this post was saved on December 14, 2019. I added the “lol” to the title of this post in its current review.**
I’m not buying into that “IT’S THE END OF THE DECADE DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR LIFE!” world-ending bullshit. But I am considering the ways in which my habits make an impact on the world.
I’m looking at you, Amazon.
Yes, this has a LOT to do with my purchasing habits. It may sound like a lot of RULES but I have been really conscious of late (particularly with downsizing to our new house) about the number of items that I own in regard to the amount of space that I have.
Starting fresh for 2020, I do not plan to purchase a book from Amazon unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY (see: school or professional book requirements). My Des Moines Library card is ready for duty. While I am disappointed at the lack of small bookstores in the Des Moines area (search IndieBound for yours!), there is the cutest Beaverdale Books nearby and a Half-Priced Books in Clive. One caveat, I really do adore my Book of the Month membership [affiliate link!] and its recommendations, so I will probably keep that going. Any other “new” books that I receive will be direct from the publisher and the like because of ARCs or contest giveaways.
Search etsy before making Amazon purchases (or AllModern, or Wayfair). This, for when I’m in my online buy-binge modes (it happens, I am a human with faults). I know that etsy is not without its problems, but I will actively seek out small store owners/makers for what I want in home decor. Tbh though I am Not a Fan of in-store shopping much. In concert with that decision, I will seek out home decorating items with the fun local vintage shops in town (like CKD Vintage or Funky Finds) before buying online (window shopping online for ideas is fine, obvs).
One of the difficult decisions for me is my wardrobe. I’ve tried selling new/used clothing on Poshmark and it just sits there in my laundry room waiting for sale. I have had close to zero success there. Dropping off my no-longer-worn items at Goodwill is super convenient, but I was really horrified to learn that only a small percentage of their donated items go to the sales floor. THE REST GOES TO THE LANDFILL. I can do better. For one, to not purchase what I don’t need (learning the difference between “want” and “need” is super hard and I effectively interchanged and edited those instances even in this post). For two, return what I haven’t worn. And finally, find organizations that will actually use/need the items to be donated. A strategy for shopping that has worked to help me curb my impulse behaviors is to put items in my cart… and then close the page. Or save to Pinterest to contemplate the purchase further.