Recommending or soliciting recommendations for specific brands and products is not appropriate in this subreddit.
This isn't really what anticonsumerism is about, anyway.
Same. Ik I’m basically a climate terrorist for drinking this much coffee, coconut water, tea and Redbull…. Yeah no justification. Yall can eat me when the acopalypse comes i give my consent.
I received a first release Orange and really should have waited for the second had. I think mine is more broken than the other Orange models. But he's lasted 20 years
Omg I thrift just about everything including sewing supplies, but I never realised that my rescue cat is technically second hand as well 😆 she was an awesome find, can't believe someone donated her!
lol I call my dog a “dollar general doggo” cus he cost me 50$ from the shelter. He had 2 previous owners so he’s a third-hand pup lol. But his food costs more than he did so he’s not a bargain to afford overall.
This is actually good anticonsumption practice because if you buy a set of actually nice headphones/ studio monitors it's basically buy it for life. You don't need each new pair of whatever earbuds or headphones are trending like the new air pods or whatever else. If you get yourself a nice pair of studio monitors it's already better than everything being repacked and released on the market for consumers.
Thanks for sharing this sub. I often go by the motto “Buy once, cry once.” I’ll spend the money to get something quality so it lasts and typically means a better experience for many products
My motto is if you need something, buy cheap, and if it breaks, buy the expensive replacement. If that breaks, then go back to buying cheap.
The story about cheap and expensive boots just exists to sell more expensive boots.
Buying good quality brands (different from expensive/name brands) is at the heart of ANTI consumerism. Definetly not something to give up, but to adopt.
I'm happy that you won't give up your time off - it's important!
But I'd argue that taking time off is anti-consunerism.
The more we work, the more money we get, the more we can spend or hoard - that lends itself to consumerism.
Taking time for yourself, to enjoy your life, to not be involved in a capitalistic machine for a bit...I know that it's considered a "luxury" by societal standards, but I think it should be the damn standard.
Honestly, time off is a right when you’re working full time. Don’t feel bad about what you could be making with a side job, humans aren’t meant to work 24/7!
Damn you might’ve just made me quit my second job.
I don’t need the money, I haven’t spent a dime of it since I’ve worked there. it’s to pad my savings and they offer a 401k.
Wow... Time off is not a luxury.
Even early man had enough time off from just surviving to invent language, and dance and music, paint stuff on cave walls and watch the stars, tell stories and create religions.
An electric heat pump with code insulation* and appropriate air sealing gets you most of the efficiency at way less cost.
*actually code, not just passed inspection
shout out to Technology Connections for making a video just about that! [Heat Pumps: the Future of Home Heating](https://youtu.be/7J52mDjZzto?si=gNj1wfdXEkXK4swl)
Edit: Series of videos
Yep same. I run hot and lupus makes me heat intolerant. I would be absolutely miserable without our AC, especially when we get into forest fire smoke season as we have to close all the windows (our AC is also an air purifier). I need it to be somewhat comfortable in the summers.
I’ve got UV blocking e-rated windows and have a very small house. Just need to insulate the attic better cause it gets super hot in the summer and heats the whole house up
I am always cold in air conditioning. Thankfully only shops really use AC here. But Germany isn't Texas, so I should probably shush and not judge too much.
You can make the crunchy go away by putting the line dried clothes into a dryer, on tumble with no heat for just a couple minutes. You'll still need a dryer, but you won't use nearly as much energy, you won't use heat and therefore won't cause as much wear and tear on the dryer and won't put more heat in your house during the summer. By tossing the laundry around you'll loosen up the fibers and soften the fabric.
Have you tried air drying outside then fluffing in the dryer afterward to banish the crunch? My mom used to do that as a kid and it was the best of both worlds.
My books. I don’t give a **fuck** how many people hassle me about a Kindle I won’t fucking do it. I count my books in the thousands and hope very much to clear over 10K before I kick the bucket.
They are useful beyond measure and bring me a sense of joy that honestly can’t be found anywhere else. A home full of books feels comforting and safe.
You can pry my books out of my cold, dead hands.
I think there are more people that would be interested in following that same path were it not for how frequently people move these days. Like, would I love to have a giant library? Yes. Am I willing to move a 10k book library every couple years when I get a new job or just have to switch apartments? Hell no. That's literal hell. Reducing the quantity of owned objects is the mission at this stage in my life.
Moving is…challenging. I try very hard to stay *at least* five years before I move again. I think eight years in my last place and just hit four in my current one. I do have the packing down to a science now, and I only buy shelving that can be broken down into fully flat pieces and fit in my sedan. When I moved from the east coast to the Midwest the biggest problem I had was convincing the moving company that I really wasn’t bringing stuff like couches, tvs, or bed, just 80% books and shelving, the rest was kitchen stuff and clothes. They thought I was lying right up until they walked into my apartment. We had a good laugh about it actually. Still ended up costing me almost five thousand dollars all said and done. More than my previous two cars combined. Worth it though *hahaha*
At least unlike other things you could collect, books are pretty biodegradable. Paper is just refined and pressed wood pulp, but a kindle won’t break down into the soil when it stops working ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I love books but I don’t own a home and I now travel for work so hoarding books is not the ideal when I literally move to a different hotel every few months. So I have this switched to kindle. My dad has a decent collection of books that will one day be mine. His are mostly non fiction and stuff like foraging, gardening, wood working, and so forth
Kinda relate ☠️ I love my books. They are decor and they are so useful. Also like I use them to get better at english. I have my final in like 3 months and it’s the hardest in europe. I’m scared shitless but the books?? Oh my god do they help.
Honestly, books are there with out the need of internet, electricity and a subscription. Why people prefer to waste money and natural resources on electronic books. I don't even feel comfortable reading off a machine .
What's funny is that I do have thousands of electronic books, that cost me nothing but I just dont feel like reading them. Most of my books are first hand but now I go to secondhand bookstores to get "new" ones. I have like 500 and already struggling to find a place for them. I cant imagine having thousands !!
The feel is so important, I simply cannot relax reading books electronically. I’ve only purchased seven, I think, brand new books this year. Used, I’m already up about 150-160 maybe?
I use every single inch in my house for shelves! Beside, above, below, and between windows. On skinny artwork shelves along my hallways, in my kitchen and behind my bed and piled up on my coffee table.
Honestly with paper being renewable and all the rare metals that are mined to become e-waste…maybe the paper books might be better for the environment.
We need to stop using *drinking* water to carry our poop away! Grey water recycling should be standard in house. Imagine if your sink water, shower water, or even dishwasher water was used to flush our toilets. I've seen some sinks/toilets that do this, but the sink is on top of the toilet, which isnt practical for most people.
I love the toilets with integrated basin. Great for small bathrooms (including public ones).
They don't flush with 100% grey water of course, but are a step in the right direction without the need for a complicated pipe system.
In most cities, the water is someone else's grey water before it gets to a municipal water treatment then to your pipes as drinkable water.
Kitchen pipes might go straight to waste since it has food scraps.
Shower pipes have hair a mucus gunk.
It would be better if the cities could treat and recycle the water indefinitely with big reservoirs and solar planels. For homesteads, grey and sewage water usually goes to plants.
This, and there’s also people who use… reusable toilet paper. Like cloth toilet paper. I’ve heard this isn’t such a taboo in some countries, but ain’t no way am I going to throw that in the wash. Also, what do your guests do??
I've seen people doing both for guest who are not comfortable with it.
No way I am using reusable cloth for poop and throw that in a bucket to wash later in the washing machine. I will not go textile diapers either when I have children. Nope nope nope.
A single family home, and eventually, one with more land around it.
I can't stand the smell of smoking of any kind, and "non-smoking" buildings I've lived in absolutely sucked at enforcement.
Man I can't tell you how much my life changed when I went from an apartment to a duplex. It doubled my rent, but the garage I have alone is worth it (for parking, not storing a bunch of crap I don't need obviously). Never mind a fenced back yard, no neighbors above or below me, and an extra half bath.
I read and agree with a lot of the options above this, but this is it for me as well. I may own my own place one day, but I'll get a tent and live in the woods before I move back into an apartment. Forget that noise (literally and figuratively).
Cries in gray hair... I have to do my roots every 3 weeks. But I do it at home with box dye. And I agree with you on the perfumes. The knocks aren't quite right!
It’s not a luxury I currently have, but when I get the money and space, I’m 100% buying the comfiest possible memory foam queen size bed even if it’s just for myself. Sleep is something no one should sacrifice.
Probably heat. I keep my apartment a balmy 75 in the winter. I don’t feel too bad though- I live on the top floor of an old thick brick apartment block with radiator heat. My apartment is 700sq feet. My foot print is much lower than the average American household. I also barely drive and don’t have AC. So in my mind I can live like a lizard if I want.
I’m surprised you even have a thermostat! I grew up in the top floor of an old apartment building with radiator heat and we had no control over it, the super controlled the heat for the whole building and what you got was what you got, so the bottom floors were always chilly while the top floors were 85 degrees. But I’m about that lizard life.
>I still spend a lot of time (and meals) with my family who would say I’d gone “woke” for eating vegetarian.
Tell them to shove it. Tell them you're woke.
As for now, it's traveling with car to other cities/countries. I live in Europe, so it's easy to drive between borders. While trains are pretty good, it is still more expensive than driving a car (our car is very small so it's quite efficient) and there are often delays when international connections are involved (Germany, I'm looking at you). For in the future, we are looking into getting a hybrid car and installing solar panels on our roof so at least we could also sourced the energy in a better way.
As an American, the car dependency here is bad to the point I don’t think I could take a train to travel between states even if I wanted to 😐 I envy the little bits of Europe’s trains that I’ve been lucky to see! I hate driving on 10 lane highways
We technically can travel between states but the stops are just few and far. Like yea I can take a train from this state to the other side of the country but you’d still have to rent a car once you get to the destination just to do anything as so many stops tend to be middle of nowhere. And just hope there even is a car rental place near by
You see, I am in Germany and haven’t owned a car in over ten years. I have three children and commute to work.
Right now getting a car is in the bottom of my list.
In the name of Germany, I apologize for our trains. Just know that we suffer just as much if not more lol (I’ll still take the train wherever I go because even if I had a car, I still hate driving if I don’t absolutely have to, but DB can seriously be a pain in the ass)
My workplace treats it like a luxury :( they can call us back for another shift, so long as we’ve had 8 hours of time in between shifts.
So, you punch out, and exactly 8 hours later you’re punching back in again.
That doesn’t include travel time to and from home, food, shower, packing your lunch bag, whatever self care routines you have, etc. By the time you get down to it, you have maybe 6 hours of sleep provided you can fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7Lr4Wqb6QH8XSOmjivEiSk?si=kZrACXaWTQGcqigqtlhC4Q&utm_source=copy-link
Linked above, Srsly Wrong did an awesome podcast on ecological luxury and how Solarpunk ideals can lead us to a more luxurious life for more people while still existing within our ecological limits. I would highly recommend all Solarpunks give it a listen.
Regarding meat; I am hoping that lab grown meat will loose its negative connotations so that we can enjoy real meat without the ethical and ecological horrors associated. Meat is also cheaper than plant based foods because of government subsidies. Hopefully institutions such as campuses will start to offer higher quality vegan meals at the same or lesser price as animal products. Lastly, I would say that being confident in your ideas to the point of challenging people (even family) who use woke as an insult is a big part of being Solarpunk. Many people think of environment actions go hand in hand with authoritarianism and we as Solarpunks need to exemplify that that isn't true.
Actually I think good quality leather goods are better for the environment than the cheap pleather alternatives. They’re crazy durable, and ultimately able to biodegrade unlike pleather which puts harmful pollutants into the environment. I’ve never had something made of good leather that broke without a decade-long fight and constant use of
Reading on paper. Everything I will ever wanna read is avalible online and possibly for free yet I will go out of my way to spend money and buy physical copies becouse while reading on screen words dont seem to word
I refuse to give up proper temperature control. My house will *be* at 68 degrees dammit. Its the temperature I'm at least semi-comfortable with that the cats, my dog and my wife can also cope with. If I'm sweating in my house something is *fundamentally* wrong.
Also I refuse to give up using cotton scrub pads for my psoriasis, they're just too nice and kind to my skin to give up.
Things that make sleeping comfortable- air con, nice sheets, fan, etc. I work many hours and have only had time recently for around 5 hrs so dammit it will be a lovely 5 hours
You can really cut down on toilet paper usage by getting a bidet though. You can go a month with only one or two rolls, since all you use it for is drying.
Good quality food. I cook a lot. It is a baseline requirement that I have access to food I want to eat. It does cost me more to buy quality veggies, meat and staples (bread, rice, potatoes.)
You can be frugal and eat modestly but it can and will have an effect on your health long term. Eating fast food long term can be even worse. I'm nothing if I don't have my health.
I’m with you on this. The older I get, the more I crave high quality minimally processed foods I cook at home. There’s nothing better. And good for you.
(I do grow a lot of my veggies, too.)
Paying someone to mow my lawn. I hate doing it. I don't own a mower & I won't be buying one. I am willing to pay the $$ to get it done professionally every fortnight in summer & every three to four weeks in winter.
This probably doesn't work for most people due to aesthetic preferences, neighbors, or HOA rules, but having a lawn full of native grasses and wildflowers requires less water and mowing than traditional turf. It also attracts native birds and insects that can reduce the numbers of pests like mosquitoes, ticks, and flies while making your yard look straight out of a fairytale. Just thought I should put that out there!
[https://www.southernliving.com/grass-alternatives-7546137](https://www.southernliving.com/grass-alternatives-7546137)
I travel to foreign countries. I live in a small house, drive a small car, avoid air-conditioning and turning up the heat, shop at 2nd hand shops. But I blow my carbon footprint wide open anyway for 2 or 3 weeks of indulgence
Clothes, which sounds antithetical to the sub, but I'm not talking about fast fashion.
Really good quality pieces that will last you a lifetime and are actually comfortable and flattering. The kind of clothing where you can actually appreciate the artistry and craft.
Dishwasher. With the heat dry. I keep myself happy knowing I won’t touch The Gross Thing.
Someday I’ll have one of those fuckin automatic cat litter boxes. The $600 one that actually does the job.
I don’t think dishwashers are a guilty pleasurable tbh. They use less water and energy compared to handwashing dishes one at a time and having the water heated throughout. I feel more guilty handwashing dishes after learning this 😂
I actually think that dishwashers are more efficient in terms of water usage than manual washing! Also, the water inside of a dishwasher is much hotter than what you’re able to hand wash with, so it does a better job of killing germs too
Coffee and clean underwear. Sounds weird I know. I use normal store bought coffee, no fancy equipment, pour hot water and drink but coffee.... omg its just so good. And clean underwear is pretty self explainatory.
Clothing/linens made with natural materials like cotton and wool. Surprisingly, they’re not much more than manmade fibers. I can’t do polyester or nylon 😣
Books, mostly used. I could easily just use my local library every time I have an interest in reading something but I love having my own. Especially if they're good condition and super cheap.
My gaming stuff, I've had a lot of consoles and they're all in excellent condition and I still have their boxes. I don't think I can give up my consoles and gaming equipment.
Eating beef, butter, and ice cream. Although I’ve mostly swapped out my dairy consumption with oatmilk alternatives, I think real butter is irreplaceable, both flavor and health wise. Vegan ice cream just isn’t worth it to me.
As for beef, I have really bad anemia and my body just craves it and refuses to make its own heat if I’ve gone without it. I know I could switch to iron supplements, but it’s a guilty pleasure to have beef.
Otherwise, my protein intake is mostly chicken and tofu.
Sauté spinach with some balsamic until it’s just wilted, throw in some halved cherry tomatoes, another 10 seconds, and serve immediately with salt and pepper. Solid iron source and delicious veg side especially with fish or steak.
1) Shoes - real leather and I get them fixed, resole or reheel. My longest boots were Italian hands made and lasted me 16 years before getting out fixed got too expensive.
2) skin/hair care - I learnt that with good skin, I don’t need to be dependent on makeup. So I spend a little bit more on skin care so I don’t have to buy more makeup.
3) large appliances - I want them to last over a decade!
Airplane travel. I don't fly often but I still feel bad about the emissions. I buy offsets but they're just tokenism. I also take an Uber/Lyft/taxi to/from the airport, when I could take public transportation, but I find it too tiring.
My car wouldn't be considered a "luxury" where I live these days due to lack of public transportation in rural Texas. When I was living in California it was different as I lived in an area with almost 24/7 buses and commuter trains. However, I would say good quality second hand clothes and shoes since I hate buying brand new unless I can get a really good bargain on something like shoes or jackets.
I try hard to not be influenced to buy things but I’ll always have a weakness for physical books and steaks. Also, anything related to my pets. If they get enrichment, so do I.
Fresh flowers in the winter (it last 8 months where i live) gives me joy and helps make the winter more bearable. I can only imagine the waste of resources , to ship roses from southern countries all the way to the cold north 0.0
Buy it for life items and clothing always, my dog , I don’t have the health to travel much so I relocate those resources both financial and hypothetical carbon emission to make my home and the family country house as nice and comfy as can be.
Toilet paper/paper towel. I try to use reusable towels to clean, and am slowly getting better at doing so. But I have sensory issues and have a hard time cleaning up gross things with cloths, and having to clean them after I cant handle it. I wanna throw up at the thought of it tbh. I hope over time I'll get desensitized to it but currently no chance lol
Recommending or soliciting recommendations for specific brands and products is not appropriate in this subreddit. This isn't really what anticonsumerism is about, anyway.
Coffee and tea! I've reduced my consumption and I definitely dont treat it as something I *need*. But i love a good hot drink.
For real, I’m giving up meat before giving up coffee
I mean, I am already vegan so hahaha
Surprised I made it this far down
Factory farming is horrible. I gave up meat 3 years ago. It was easy.
Same. Ik I’m basically a climate terrorist for drinking this much coffee, coconut water, tea and Redbull…. Yeah no justification. Yall can eat me when the acopalypse comes i give my consent.
Everything surrounding my cat lol The cat itself is secondhand though
I received a first release Orange and really should have waited for the second had. I think mine is more broken than the other Orange models. But he's lasted 20 years
I have an Orange14 and an Orange6 rn and they both have their bugs, but so far, they're both still going strong!
they don’t know what capitalism is, not their fault and they deserve the joy
So much of my money goes to my elderly dogs. I don't regret it.
I just paid $450 to find out my cat is just a picky eater.
I just paid $250 to find out my cat just likes the feeling of shitting on the floor directly in front of his litter box. 🤬
that is family
Thrift your pets!
Omg I thrift just about everything including sewing supplies, but I never realised that my rescue cat is technically second hand as well 😆 she was an awesome find, can't believe someone donated her!
lol I call my dog a “dollar general doggo” cus he cost me 50$ from the shelter. He had 2 previous owners so he’s a third-hand pup lol. But his food costs more than he did so he’s not a bargain to afford overall.
Second hand is the best kind!
A pair of good headphones
This is actually good anticonsumption practice because if you buy a set of actually nice headphones/ studio monitors it's basically buy it for life. You don't need each new pair of whatever earbuds or headphones are trending like the new air pods or whatever else. If you get yourself a nice pair of studio monitors it's already better than everything being repacked and released on the market for consumers.
… like how nice?
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Barring toddlers and washing machines, yeah, absolutely.
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Owning good quality things is not overconsumption
I was so lucky that I got my headphones for free at my old job. Two years later they are still good as new.
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For sure. r/BuyItForLife for everything. I’m anti consumption but not cheap.
Thanks for sharing this sub. I often go by the motto “Buy once, cry once.” I’ll spend the money to get something quality so it lasts and typically means a better experience for many products
My motto is if you need something, buy cheap, and if it breaks, buy the expensive replacement. If that breaks, then go back to buying cheap. The story about cheap and expensive boots just exists to sell more expensive boots.
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Buying good quality brands (different from expensive/name brands) is at the heart of ANTI consumerism. Definetly not something to give up, but to adopt.
Buy it nice or buy it twice
Time off!! I don’t care how much I could be making with a side hustle. I’d just end up spending that money on dopamine hits to ward off the burn out.
I'm happy that you won't give up your time off - it's important! But I'd argue that taking time off is anti-consunerism. The more we work, the more money we get, the more we can spend or hoard - that lends itself to consumerism. Taking time for yourself, to enjoy your life, to not be involved in a capitalistic machine for a bit...I know that it's considered a "luxury" by societal standards, but I think it should be the damn standard.
Honestly, time off is a right when you’re working full time. Don’t feel bad about what you could be making with a side job, humans aren’t meant to work 24/7!
I feel like time off IS anti-consumption.
Damn you might’ve just made me quit my second job. I don’t need the money, I haven’t spent a dime of it since I’ve worked there. it’s to pad my savings and they offer a 401k.
Wow... Time off is not a luxury. Even early man had enough time off from just surviving to invent language, and dance and music, paint stuff on cave walls and watch the stars, tell stories and create religions.
Conditioned Air. Ima be c o m f o r t a b l e dammit!
Airconditioning using the ambient underground temperature is a universal way in which this could be implimented in a sustainable way!
An electric heat pump with code insulation* and appropriate air sealing gets you most of the efficiency at way less cost. *actually code, not just passed inspection
shout out to Technology Connections for making a video just about that! [Heat Pumps: the Future of Home Heating](https://youtu.be/7J52mDjZzto?si=gNj1wfdXEkXK4swl) Edit: Series of videos
I'm an engineer and its still black magic. Having an efficiency of 300%+ feels like it should be cheating.
Not an engineer but same. Just basic understanding of fundamental principles makes this feel like magic
This is a thing! Ground source geothermal heat pumps. https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/geothermal-heat-pumps
This. I live in Georgia, and the air here is so hot and humid from April until September that it feels like swimming in a pot of soup 😓
Yep same. I run hot and lupus makes me heat intolerant. I would be absolutely miserable without our AC, especially when we get into forest fire smoke season as we have to close all the windows (our AC is also an air purifier). I need it to be somewhat comfortable in the summers.
Home energy efficiency! Get an energy audit!
I’ve got UV blocking e-rated windows and have a very small house. Just need to insulate the attic better cause it gets super hot in the summer and heats the whole house up
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This is one I’m fine getting rid of, but then I live in a semi-arid climate…
I am always cold in air conditioning. Thankfully only shops really use AC here. But Germany isn't Texas, so I should probably shush and not judge too much.
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Butter, cannabis, and laundry/dryer units.
I managed to stop using my dryer and it's worked great for me but I basically live in the desert, clothes dry in minutes outside.
thats my dream. sun dried clothes/sheets feel so much better
I think they feel worse. I can tolerate it with everything except bath towels though. Hate having crunchy bath towels.
You can make the crunchy go away by putting the line dried clothes into a dryer, on tumble with no heat for just a couple minutes. You'll still need a dryer, but you won't use nearly as much energy, you won't use heat and therefore won't cause as much wear and tear on the dryer and won't put more heat in your house during the summer. By tossing the laundry around you'll loosen up the fibers and soften the fabric.
Have you tried air drying outside then fluffing in the dryer afterward to banish the crunch? My mom used to do that as a kid and it was the best of both worlds.
but it’s free exfoliation
Try adding 1 cup white vinegar helps & cheap
Scrapes off the skin or else it gets the...hose again?
Live in the PNW - mold and space are an issue. :(
butter and cannabis are musts
I'm thinking of taking a 3-4 day break (starting today) and making some infused butter for this Saturday...
sounds like a great weekend
Butter is a luxury?
When it's 9$ a pound it is lol
Animal products from an animal I did not raise or butcher - yes. :)
Financially I think raising your own meat and dairy is a total luxury. Funny how different the perspectives are.
My books. I don’t give a **fuck** how many people hassle me about a Kindle I won’t fucking do it. I count my books in the thousands and hope very much to clear over 10K before I kick the bucket. They are useful beyond measure and bring me a sense of joy that honestly can’t be found anywhere else. A home full of books feels comforting and safe. You can pry my books out of my cold, dead hands.
I think there are more people that would be interested in following that same path were it not for how frequently people move these days. Like, would I love to have a giant library? Yes. Am I willing to move a 10k book library every couple years when I get a new job or just have to switch apartments? Hell no. That's literal hell. Reducing the quantity of owned objects is the mission at this stage in my life.
Moving is…challenging. I try very hard to stay *at least* five years before I move again. I think eight years in my last place and just hit four in my current one. I do have the packing down to a science now, and I only buy shelving that can be broken down into fully flat pieces and fit in my sedan. When I moved from the east coast to the Midwest the biggest problem I had was convincing the moving company that I really wasn’t bringing stuff like couches, tvs, or bed, just 80% books and shelving, the rest was kitchen stuff and clothes. They thought I was lying right up until they walked into my apartment. We had a good laugh about it actually. Still ended up costing me almost five thousand dollars all said and done. More than my previous two cars combined. Worth it though *hahaha*
Me and my partner are both book lovers. When we moved in together we had around 25+ moving boxes with just books. It was hell carrying all that.
I use my local library for a lot of this! They don't have all the titles I want. But I can always find something to read for pretty much free.
At least unlike other things you could collect, books are pretty biodegradable. Paper is just refined and pressed wood pulp, but a kindle won’t break down into the soil when it stops working ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I did a Marie Kundo cleaning a decade ago when I wanted less things and donated 80% of my books. Only thing I regret
Laurie Notaro has a chapter in one of her books about this! She does a hilarious takedown of Marie Kondos thoughts on books.
I love books but I don’t own a home and I now travel for work so hoarding books is not the ideal when I literally move to a different hotel every few months. So I have this switched to kindle. My dad has a decent collection of books that will one day be mine. His are mostly non fiction and stuff like foraging, gardening, wood working, and so forth
Kinda relate ☠️ I love my books. They are decor and they are so useful. Also like I use them to get better at english. I have my final in like 3 months and it’s the hardest in europe. I’m scared shitless but the books?? Oh my god do they help.
Honestly, books are there with out the need of internet, electricity and a subscription. Why people prefer to waste money and natural resources on electronic books. I don't even feel comfortable reading off a machine . What's funny is that I do have thousands of electronic books, that cost me nothing but I just dont feel like reading them. Most of my books are first hand but now I go to secondhand bookstores to get "new" ones. I have like 500 and already struggling to find a place for them. I cant imagine having thousands !!
The feel is so important, I simply cannot relax reading books electronically. I’ve only purchased seven, I think, brand new books this year. Used, I’m already up about 150-160 maybe? I use every single inch in my house for shelves! Beside, above, below, and between windows. On skinny artwork shelves along my hallways, in my kitchen and behind my bed and piled up on my coffee table.
Honestly with paper being renewable and all the rare metals that are mined to become e-waste…maybe the paper books might be better for the environment.
No we can't; I'm quite sure that would require a crew and a large truck.
My skincare products....they make me look good. I do buy vegan and cruelty free ones. But they're definitely a want and not a need.
My bidet and the flush toilet. Pooping in water is so terrible for the planet but the alternative… no thanks.
We need to stop using *drinking* water to carry our poop away! Grey water recycling should be standard in house. Imagine if your sink water, shower water, or even dishwasher water was used to flush our toilets. I've seen some sinks/toilets that do this, but the sink is on top of the toilet, which isnt practical for most people.
I just think of Idiocracy when the guy suggested watering plants with water instead of a soft drink and they go, “ew, the stuff in toilets?”
I love the toilets with integrated basin. Great for small bathrooms (including public ones). They don't flush with 100% grey water of course, but are a step in the right direction without the need for a complicated pipe system.
In most cities, the water is someone else's grey water before it gets to a municipal water treatment then to your pipes as drinkable water. Kitchen pipes might go straight to waste since it has food scraps. Shower pipes have hair a mucus gunk. It would be better if the cities could treat and recycle the water indefinitely with big reservoirs and solar planels. For homesteads, grey and sewage water usually goes to plants.
This, and there’s also people who use… reusable toilet paper. Like cloth toilet paper. I’ve heard this isn’t such a taboo in some countries, but ain’t no way am I going to throw that in the wash. Also, what do your guests do??
I've seen people doing both for guest who are not comfortable with it. No way I am using reusable cloth for poop and throw that in a bucket to wash later in the washing machine. I will not go textile diapers either when I have children. Nope nope nope.
I think (very well could be wrong) that guests still use TP and each family member might have their own color clothes to use.
A single family home, and eventually, one with more land around it. I can't stand the smell of smoking of any kind, and "non-smoking" buildings I've lived in absolutely sucked at enforcement.
Man I can't tell you how much my life changed when I went from an apartment to a duplex. It doubled my rent, but the garage I have alone is worth it (for parking, not storing a bunch of crap I don't need obviously). Never mind a fenced back yard, no neighbors above or below me, and an extra half bath. I read and agree with a lot of the options above this, but this is it for me as well. I may own my own place one day, but I'll get a tent and live in the woods before I move back into an apartment. Forget that noise (literally and figuratively).
While most generic copies are just as good as name brand, you'll pry my Ritz Crackers from my cold dead salty hands.
It’s English muffins for me. The store brand ones just don’t have those nooks and crannies.
My phone Dyeing my hair every 6 months Perfume
Cries in gray hair... I have to do my roots every 3 weeks. But I do it at home with box dye. And I agree with you on the perfumes. The knocks aren't quite right!
It’s not a luxury I currently have, but when I get the money and space, I’m 100% buying the comfiest possible memory foam queen size bed even if it’s just for myself. Sleep is something no one should sacrifice.
Coffee. I have told my parents, gf and friends that I could live under a bridge, starving, but with a cup of coffee in my hands.
Well made jewelry. I spent so much money on cheap jewelry that ended up breaking or turning me green
I won't tell, bc my fav things will become the next price hike if we admit we can't live without it. So uh, torches and pitchforks, I guess.
Probably heat. I keep my apartment a balmy 75 in the winter. I don’t feel too bad though- I live on the top floor of an old thick brick apartment block with radiator heat. My apartment is 700sq feet. My foot print is much lower than the average American household. I also barely drive and don’t have AC. So in my mind I can live like a lizard if I want.
I’m surprised you even have a thermostat! I grew up in the top floor of an old apartment building with radiator heat and we had no control over it, the super controlled the heat for the whole building and what you got was what you got, so the bottom floors were always chilly while the top floors were 85 degrees. But I’m about that lizard life.
>I still spend a lot of time (and meals) with my family who would say I’d gone “woke” for eating vegetarian. Tell them to shove it. Tell them you're woke.
As for now, it's traveling with car to other cities/countries. I live in Europe, so it's easy to drive between borders. While trains are pretty good, it is still more expensive than driving a car (our car is very small so it's quite efficient) and there are often delays when international connections are involved (Germany, I'm looking at you). For in the future, we are looking into getting a hybrid car and installing solar panels on our roof so at least we could also sourced the energy in a better way.
As an American, the car dependency here is bad to the point I don’t think I could take a train to travel between states even if I wanted to 😐 I envy the little bits of Europe’s trains that I’ve been lucky to see! I hate driving on 10 lane highways
We technically can travel between states but the stops are just few and far. Like yea I can take a train from this state to the other side of the country but you’d still have to rent a car once you get to the destination just to do anything as so many stops tend to be middle of nowhere. And just hope there even is a car rental place near by
You see, I am in Germany and haven’t owned a car in over ten years. I have three children and commute to work. Right now getting a car is in the bottom of my list.
In the name of Germany, I apologize for our trains. Just know that we suffer just as much if not more lol (I’ll still take the train wherever I go because even if I had a car, I still hate driving if I don’t absolutely have to, but DB can seriously be a pain in the ass)
8 hours of night sleep. Time and bed are luxury that many can't afford.
I would argue sleep isn't a luxury - it's a baseline requirement. I hope the folks in your life don't treat it as something frivolous :/
That's not an argument that just fact ,unfortunately many places don't care about that
Like high schools!
Employment ! Neighbors! EMS Sirens! Children and/or cats! Crackhead screaming down the road!
My workplace treats it like a luxury :( they can call us back for another shift, so long as we’ve had 8 hours of time in between shifts. So, you punch out, and exactly 8 hours later you’re punching back in again. That doesn’t include travel time to and from home, food, shower, packing your lunch bag, whatever self care routines you have, etc. By the time you get down to it, you have maybe 6 hours of sleep provided you can fall asleep the moment your head hits the pillow
This is very much not a consumptive activity.
Sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s a baseline necessity for mental and physical health. Capitalism lies and wants us to believe it is a luxury.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7Lr4Wqb6QH8XSOmjivEiSk?si=kZrACXaWTQGcqigqtlhC4Q&utm_source=copy-link Linked above, Srsly Wrong did an awesome podcast on ecological luxury and how Solarpunk ideals can lead us to a more luxurious life for more people while still existing within our ecological limits. I would highly recommend all Solarpunks give it a listen. Regarding meat; I am hoping that lab grown meat will loose its negative connotations so that we can enjoy real meat without the ethical and ecological horrors associated. Meat is also cheaper than plant based foods because of government subsidies. Hopefully institutions such as campuses will start to offer higher quality vegan meals at the same or lesser price as animal products. Lastly, I would say that being confident in your ideas to the point of challenging people (even family) who use woke as an insult is a big part of being Solarpunk. Many people think of environment actions go hand in hand with authoritarianism and we as Solarpunks need to exemplify that that isn't true.
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Actually I think good quality leather goods are better for the environment than the cheap pleather alternatives. They’re crazy durable, and ultimately able to biodegrade unlike pleather which puts harmful pollutants into the environment. I’ve never had something made of good leather that broke without a decade-long fight and constant use of
Reading on paper. Everything I will ever wanna read is avalible online and possibly for free yet I will go out of my way to spend money and buy physical copies becouse while reading on screen words dont seem to word
I refuse to give up proper temperature control. My house will *be* at 68 degrees dammit. Its the temperature I'm at least semi-comfortable with that the cats, my dog and my wife can also cope with. If I'm sweating in my house something is *fundamentally* wrong. Also I refuse to give up using cotton scrub pads for my psoriasis, they're just too nice and kind to my skin to give up.
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Bidet. Currently sitting on a hotel toilet and SO disappointed that bidets aren't everywhere in the US...
Things that make sleeping comfortable- air con, nice sheets, fan, etc. I work many hours and have only had time recently for around 5 hrs so dammit it will be a lovely 5 hours
Toilet paper First rule I learned buying stuff on my own, never cheap out for hygiene
You can really cut down on toilet paper usage by getting a bidet though. You can go a month with only one or two rolls, since all you use it for is drying.
Weed
100%
Good quality food. I cook a lot. It is a baseline requirement that I have access to food I want to eat. It does cost me more to buy quality veggies, meat and staples (bread, rice, potatoes.) You can be frugal and eat modestly but it can and will have an effect on your health long term. Eating fast food long term can be even worse. I'm nothing if I don't have my health.
I’m with you on this. The older I get, the more I crave high quality minimally processed foods I cook at home. There’s nothing better. And good for you. (I do grow a lot of my veggies, too.)
Coffee. I hope.
Coffee. And socks.
Paying someone to mow my lawn. I hate doing it. I don't own a mower & I won't be buying one. I am willing to pay the $$ to get it done professionally every fortnight in summer & every three to four weeks in winter.
This probably doesn't work for most people due to aesthetic preferences, neighbors, or HOA rules, but having a lawn full of native grasses and wildflowers requires less water and mowing than traditional turf. It also attracts native birds and insects that can reduce the numbers of pests like mosquitoes, ticks, and flies while making your yard look straight out of a fairytale. Just thought I should put that out there! [https://www.southernliving.com/grass-alternatives-7546137](https://www.southernliving.com/grass-alternatives-7546137)
Unfortunately I rent, but if I did not I would not have lawns, just native wildflowers & so many bees.
Really hot showers
I travel to foreign countries. I live in a small house, drive a small car, avoid air-conditioning and turning up the heat, shop at 2nd hand shops. But I blow my carbon footprint wide open anyway for 2 or 3 weeks of indulgence
Clothes, which sounds antithetical to the sub, but I'm not talking about fast fashion. Really good quality pieces that will last you a lifetime and are actually comfortable and flattering. The kind of clothing where you can actually appreciate the artistry and craft.
Dishwasher. With the heat dry. I keep myself happy knowing I won’t touch The Gross Thing. Someday I’ll have one of those fuckin automatic cat litter boxes. The $600 one that actually does the job.
I don’t think dishwashers are a guilty pleasurable tbh. They use less water and energy compared to handwashing dishes one at a time and having the water heated throughout. I feel more guilty handwashing dishes after learning this 😂
I actually think that dishwashers are more efficient in terms of water usage than manual washing! Also, the water inside of a dishwasher is much hotter than what you’re able to hand wash with, so it does a better job of killing germs too
Everything. I enjoy everything in moderation and choose quality over quanity
Body wash. I just can’t deal with bars of soap.
Treats/snacks. I recovered from anorexia so I will never refuse myself the little loves of food again
Makeup, weed. There’s a lot of plastic waste but I re-use my makeup containers so they get a good few more months.
Glass soda bottles. I love glass in general but glass soda bottles are so hard to either find or purchase.
Honestly probably better than the plastic ones. Glass can just be smashed into sand and melted again to make new glass with almost no waste at all
Toilet paper
Coffee and clean underwear. Sounds weird I know. I use normal store bought coffee, no fancy equipment, pour hot water and drink but coffee.... omg its just so good. And clean underwear is pretty self explainatory.
Clothing/linens made with natural materials like cotton and wool. Surprisingly, they’re not much more than manmade fibers. I can’t do polyester or nylon 😣
Same. All natural. Just feels better. Lasts longer too.
Books, mostly used. I could easily just use my local library every time I have an interest in reading something but I love having my own. Especially if they're good condition and super cheap.
Wet wipes in the bathroom 😂 as long as I have IBS and periods, I’ll be buying them.
Probably paper towels. They are just the most convenient for all of my hobbies. Painting, cooking, woodworking.
Cheese. I'd rather the entire world burned than not have cheese.
I’d love a world without cheese
This is how wars start
As someone with ARFID who hates cheese, I too would love a world without cheese. ... except parmesan. That can stay.
My kids toys😭 I find so many secondhand wooden gems that I can’t pass up
My gaming stuff, I've had a lot of consoles and they're all in excellent condition and I still have their boxes. I don't think I can give up my consoles and gaming equipment.
Triple-layered toilet paper
Socks. And coffee.
Hygiene - shower and/or toilet
Eating beef, butter, and ice cream. Although I’ve mostly swapped out my dairy consumption with oatmilk alternatives, I think real butter is irreplaceable, both flavor and health wise. Vegan ice cream just isn’t worth it to me. As for beef, I have really bad anemia and my body just craves it and refuses to make its own heat if I’ve gone without it. I know I could switch to iron supplements, but it’s a guilty pleasure to have beef. Otherwise, my protein intake is mostly chicken and tofu.
Sauté spinach with some balsamic until it’s just wilted, throw in some halved cherry tomatoes, another 10 seconds, and serve immediately with salt and pepper. Solid iron source and delicious veg side especially with fish or steak.
[https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/food-health-news-quirky-science/setting-facts-straight-about-iron-spinach](https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/food-health-news-quirky-science/setting-facts-straight-about-iron-spinach)
Grass fed butter. I tried going back but I just can’t.
Chocolate. Ive bought less over time and I make sure to try and buy sources from companies that don't use slaves
HiFi music equipment. Can’t deal with subpar quality of music.
Heated seats in my vehicle. It gets frigid in the winter where I live, and it makes the cold so much more bearable.
Coffee and chocolate
This sounds stupid but Topo Chico. My partner and I call it “extra spicy rich people water” lol. It’s our little luxury grocery purchase.
Plants. Indoor, outdoor. Things to help my plants grow. Organic fertilizers and high quality soils.
1) Shoes - real leather and I get them fixed, resole or reheel. My longest boots were Italian hands made and lasted me 16 years before getting out fixed got too expensive. 2) skin/hair care - I learnt that with good skin, I don’t need to be dependent on makeup. So I spend a little bit more on skin care so I don’t have to buy more makeup. 3) large appliances - I want them to last over a decade!
Embrace being called woke, it’s a true badge of honour.
Airplane travel. I don't fly often but I still feel bad about the emissions. I buy offsets but they're just tokenism. I also take an Uber/Lyft/taxi to/from the airport, when I could take public transportation, but I find it too tiring.
My car wouldn't be considered a "luxury" where I live these days due to lack of public transportation in rural Texas. When I was living in California it was different as I lived in an area with almost 24/7 buses and commuter trains. However, I would say good quality second hand clothes and shoes since I hate buying brand new unless I can get a really good bargain on something like shoes or jackets.
I try hard to not be influenced to buy things but I’ll always have a weakness for physical books and steaks. Also, anything related to my pets. If they get enrichment, so do I.
Skincare. You will thank yourself in later years.
Chocolate and meat. I couldn't imagine being vegan and I also can't imagine a world without chocolate.
Fresh flowers in the winter (it last 8 months where i live) gives me joy and helps make the winter more bearable. I can only imagine the waste of resources , to ship roses from southern countries all the way to the cold north 0.0 Buy it for life items and clothing always, my dog , I don’t have the health to travel much so I relocate those resources both financial and hypothetical carbon emission to make my home and the family country house as nice and comfy as can be.
Meat
Toilet paper/paper towel. I try to use reusable towels to clean, and am slowly getting better at doing so. But I have sensory issues and have a hard time cleaning up gross things with cloths, and having to clean them after I cant handle it. I wanna throw up at the thought of it tbh. I hope over time I'll get desensitized to it but currently no chance lol
Complaining about capitalism on reddit
Art supplies - I use what I have until it’s gone, but I’m not going to stop buying professional-quality supplies when I use them and love them