How to Avoid Buying Stuff

My generation are so used to owning stuff that even the idea of streaming music and not owning a CD was a bit of a wrench for us. The younger generation don’t seem to have the same attachment and are quite happy to keep their money for experiences instead. I think we could learn a thing or two from them. Here are some useful resources to help you avoid buying stuff so you can put your money to better use.

Nothing mentioned in this post has been sponsored. It’s all just my own personal opinion. If you like your bloggers to remain independent then please share this post or support me with a small montly donation via Patreon or with a once off donation via Paypal.

Avoid buying a Car by

• using public transport
• cycling or walking
• using joining a car share scheme like Go Car or Yuko or the peer-to-peer one  Jointhefleet.com
• using lift share service like Carpool or Liftshare

Avoid buying a Bike by

• renting one from Dublin Bike Scheme or Bleeper Bikes (Dublin and Sligo)

Avoid buying a Boat (yes really!) by

• renting one from Tubber or GetMyBoat

Avoid buying Clothes by

• using clothes rental sites like Sustain Sister, The Nu Wardrobe, Designer Room and Borrower Boutique in Ireland or Mud Jeans and Compare Ethics in the UK
• swapping your old clothes for new ones at swap shops like Swapsies, Sustainable Fashion Dublin and OMF Events Killarney,
• getting free ones in Freecycle groups like Zero Waste Freecycle Ireland
• repairing / upcycling what you already have. For classes and workshops check out Sustainable Fashion Dublin or The City Seamstress in Dublin, sewirish.ie in Clare, Sew Last Season in Galway, and Offset Warehouse in England.

Avoid buying Toys by

• getting free ones in Freecycle groups like Zero Waste Freecycle Ireland
• renting toys from Whirli (if you’re in the UK)

Avoid buying Holiday Accommodation by

• Couchsurfing
• swapping your house with someone else on Love Home Swap, Home Exchange or Guest To Guest 
• Pet sitting with Trusted Housesitters

Avoid buying Books by

• using the local library
• sharing with friends and family
• using little libraries
• sourcing a book from the Facebook group Book Swap Ireland
• checking out if your local cafe or hostel has a ‘take one, leave one’ book shelf
• visiting your local recycling centre. Some centres, like the one in Bray, Co Wicklow, collect books and offer them to citizens for free
• downloading free audio books from websites like those listed here or from from your library via Borrow box

Avoiding buying DVD’s by

• subscribing to Netflix
• renting movies off SKY

Avoid buying Spare Parts by

• printing spare parts at your local library using templates from sites like Thingverse

Avoid buying Homeware by

• asking friends and family for duplicate (every house has them)
• reusing plastic takeaway containers as tupperware
• reusing jars as take-away coffee cups, or vases or to store food
• picking up things from Freecycle pages & groups and the free section on adverts.ie

Avoid buying Garden Equipment by

• making your own compost and if you don’t have enough compostable waste get more on Sharewaste
• joining your local GIY group and swap seeds and seedlings
• collecting seeds from parks and gardens (remembering to ask permission first)
• picking up things from Freecycle pages & groups and the free section on adverts.ie
• dumpster diving. I have a beautiful orchid that I rescued from skip!

Avoid buying Food by

• joining Olio and connecting with people looking to rehome extra food

Avoid buying Training by

• joining Skillshare and swapping skills

E

PS – You might also be interested in my posts Six Weeks towards Zero Waste and Savvy Sustainability