It's Day 7 of Goodful's 7-Day Guide to Creating Less Waste

Shopping Online and IRL

While I’d never expect you, me, or...anyone to give up shopping completely, after six days of this challenge I’ll assume you’re beginning to be a little more thoughtful about the things you buy and how you buy them. Every year, five-billion pounds of retail returns head straight into landfill, while the returns process uses an estimated 1.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel. Keeping those figures in mind, it makes that “Oh, I’ll just return it if it isn’t right” line we all mutter to ourselves regularly feel pretty damn concerning.

If we want to cut down on waste and start saving this poor planet of ours, our shopping habits need to change. Here are a few easy ways to start making your purchases a little cleaner:

1. When shopping on Amazon, see if frustration-free packaging is available. This packaging was originally designed to limit the annoying extra packaging that makes things hard to open — think excess plastic and wire ties — and while it means opening your new stuff is easier, it also means less unnecessary packaging is ending up in landfill. Basically, it's the true definition of a win-win situation.

2. Get into the habit of taking a reusable bag, not just to the grocery store, but to all stores. Take your own bag to Sephora! Take it to Madewell! Take it to Target! Challenge yourself to see how many bags you can refuse in the next month.

3. Refuse a paper receipt whenever you can. This is such a tiny tip, but considering how many things we all buy, all the time, it’s one worth doing for the trees.

4. Buy high quality items that will last, if they’re within your budget. Spending money is a deeply personal experience, so only you — or your financial advisor! — can decide what to, or what not to, buy. That said, buying good quality stuff (that’s often more expensive than fast fashion or other mass produced items) often lasts longer, meaning it won’t need replacing, or trashing, for a long while. For inspiration, check out this list of household things that have lasted people an outrageously long time.

5. Unsubscribe from emails and alerts that make you want to buy things you don’t actually need. The same goes for Instagram accounts that fill your feed with products you can’t help but be enticed by. To make shopping a slightly more mindful experience, free yourself from advertising (as much as you can in this economy, anyway!) and only browse when you actively need or want something.

6. Instead of placing one online order at a time, let things sit in your cart and place one big order every few weeks — or whenever it is you truly need the goods. Buying things online is literally TOO easy. Websites and apps are designed to make shopping effortless, often with literally just one click. Stay woke and give yourself a 10 minute break from your screen before buying something new — get up, take a walk, and ask yourself if you need the thing right now, or if you can wait a little longer.

7. Buy second-hand clothes and furniture. Living in this world that we do — where you can barely walk outside, unlock your phone, or listen to a podcast without being bombarded by new product recommendations — it’s easy to forget how great it can be to shop second-hand. Thrift stores are flea markets are the best places to buy things that not everyone has (*side-eyes my Ikea bed frame and pile of Uniqlo sweaters*), and are the most eco-friendly stores you’ll ever find.

8. Visit the library next time you need a new book to read, or ask a friend to do a book swap. Buying books is an excellent thing to do and I would never actually discourage it, but if you find your home filling up with novels, take a leaf out of the minimalist bible and borrow instead of buy. If you really want to shop, try buying a second-hand copy when you can.

See? It’s not about not shopping, it’s more about finding practical little ways to make your shopping habits a little more thoughtful — with the added perk that you might save some money along the way, and buy some stuff that you won’t see anyone else on the street wearing. Now, I’ll leave you with these two posts that might just inspire you to skip an online order and makeover something you already own:

This Woman's Upcycled Wardrobe Is So Dang Inspiring

Here's How To Turn Your Avocado Trash Into Millennial Pink Fabric Dye

I know this is the final day of this (hopefully!) helpful guide, but I’ll be in touch again tomorrow with some last words of advice, and a few more posts I really think you’ll like.

Until then, as always, I’d love to see what changes you’ve made this week! Please feel free to tag me (@gyanyankovich) and Goodful (@goodful) on Instagram if you have something you want to show off — or just have a question you want to ask.

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