MENY
I like clothes a lot. I think it’s fun to walk around in stores looking at stuff. I like combining outfits and dressing up. But these last year I totally changed my views on consumption and materialism.
When I was younger one of my biggest hobbies was shopping. I used to go to the mall and by matching outfits with my best friends. The clothes were cheap enough for me to buy and I bought a lot. I always wanted something new to wear to school the next week. I spontaneously bought cheap tops on sale and got bored of them a week later.
The clothing industry
The reason why these clothes can be so cheap is because they’re made out of bad quality materials produced in unsustainable ways. These clothes are sewn by people earning a really small amount of money while the company owners get rich from their work. These companies place their fabrics in third world countries where the workers have bad legal rights and cost way less to hire. These companies lives from our desire to consume and the clothes often have really bad quality just so we have to buy something new. The trends are shifting super fast and there’s always a new collection in store so that the things you just bought will be out of trend.
We have enough
We’ve lost our appreciation for the small things in life but these small things can make a really big difference. We should be grateful for what we have. We should be grateful for the food we eat and the water we drink. Gratefulness leads to a feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction. Focus on your loved ones and your passions in life. Sometimes you might need to consume to be able to practice your passion. Maybe color if you like to paint or some special equipment if you play a sport. That’s ok and it’s not the same thing as just buying stuff because you’re bored or need to fill an emptiness inside you.
Consumption won’t make you happier or help you in any way. Maybe you feel some satisfaction when you just bought that new outfit that will make you a whole new person or the expensive phone that will make your friends jealous. Because you will always want more and when you bought the stuff it just takes up space and eventually your home will be so cluttered that you can´t find anything.
Buying less
When I moved to Berlin I got rid of a lot of clothes and other belongings. I gave it away to friends and second hand stores. It felt good but I still have a lot of things in my basement in Sweden. I’m not super minimalistic but I’m trying to be conscious about my consumption. I’m holding on to books, clothes and decorations that means something to me. I have a lot of clothes that I worn for years and decorations in my home I’ve brought with me from Sweden.
Shopping can really be an addiction and the less I consume the less of a need to buy stuff I feel. To be honest I’ve actually been hanging out a lot at the mall lately because I’ve been bored but I rarely buy stuff. A few years ago I would have bought stuff just because I felt the need to buy something but now I think it’s fun just looking around and maybe get inspiration to how I can combine the clothes I already have.
Saving money
A big reason why I have enough saved money to survive without a job at the moment is because I don’t do so much unnecessary consuming. I don’t smoke or do drugs which can be really expensive. I almost never buy clothes and if I do it’s often second hand. I would love to only buy organic food and products but my economy doesn’t feel stable enough for that. Buying only what you need is a good way to think in your everyday life. Once in a while it can be great to buy something extra nice but if you think that way all the time things will end up expensive. I won’t hide that my mother pays some of my costs. She pays for my medicine and my contact lenses and I also use her Netflix. I’m really blessed to have a mother who’s able to support me but I’m striving for being independent and I actually was for a while but now when I don’t have a job it’s not that easy.
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