The links in the post below may be affiliate links that support our current homesteading wants checklist at no additional cost to you! Read the
full disclosure to learn more and find out what your purchases are supporting.
It's the gift-getting season...
Birthdays and gift giving/receiving are always a struggle for me. We have high standards as to what are acceptable gifts for our children and ourselves. No
plastic, not wasteful, generally high quality, no electronic noise making toys, no electronics for young children, preferably made in US, and...used if possible. Yes, you heard me right. "Pre-owned", if that seems more elegant for you. Why do we
prefer used? Read on, reader and see if you would rather be the man/woman wearing off the rack.
In no particular order:
Used often cost less than new. This is especially true for cars, clothing, jewelery, cloth diapers, furniture, and books.
Used products are usually more durable, which is why you were able to buy them after someone else had already used them. They most likely were cleaned several times, so they can be
less toxic than non-organic newer items, which usually aren't cleaned before shelving. I opt for buying used non-organic clothing and organic if I can find it, rather than new organic and pay the price.
Used items have also been on market longer, and so have been been tested for safety and have had the kinks worked out, think of the recent car recall fiascos. We just recently bought a used mini-van for commuting to investment properties. It is under 10 years old and had no recalls. Antique/vintage furniture is often better built, etc.
Depending on how you purchase, used items can be less heavily packaged. If you go to a thrift store, a yard sale, an estate sale, or answer a local classifieds ad, than you will be dealing with price stickers, price tags, and maybe a plastic bag for grouping like items. If you buy online from
Etsy,
Amazon, or
Ebay, you may be able to contact the seller to send your item in just a used manila envelope or box, but with mixed results. I've had my share of misadventures with asking for "less packaging". See
Plastic Free Vacuum Alternative post. I had some good results too with buying from
MamaBearBabyWear,
SimpleGiftsToys, and
Mama Made Them Etsy sellers, but Amazon sellers seem to ignore packaging requests.
If you buy used items from a thrift store, a yard sale, an estate sale, a local classifieds ad, or get it
free from your neighbor, than you are keeping the sale in your local economy (at least US based company), supporting local jobs, and promoting job training if you shop at a thrift store (most thrift stores offer job training for disadvantaged individuals).
- Think Sweatshop & Blood Diamonds
If you buy used items, you aren't contributing to demand for production that new items require. Most of the time,
working conditions for the workers that make these items are subpar, and don't offer a quality livelihood, or even
death from certain kinds of jobs.
- Shipping/Environmental impact
By buying used, your items are less likely to be shipped as far as new (internationally) and less likely to contribute to pollution. They also will not be manufactured again and contribute to all of the environmental
impact that manufacturing causes.
Vintage items and antique items are just more quirky, unique, and can bring you back to childhood memories. Just the other day I found some kids' books at the thrift store that I loved when I was young. Both UG1 and I were thrilled with the purchase. When you use something from a different era, you feel connected to the past. You can own a piece of history, like our house. How many people lived in it and were born in it in the last 100 years? That feeling rarely comes for me when I buy something new.
It may be the Gift Giving Season...
Spring may be one of our gift giving seasons, with 3 birthdays in a two month window, but with quality used gifts, it can be a little better. Now you know why we're the family off-the-rack.
Little Urban Greenie
Shared at:
Bouquet of Talent Party, Home Design Inspirations Party,
Inspiration Galore Party Project,
Nifty Thrifty Party,
Inspiration Monday,
Makers Make Party,
Mix It Up Monday,
Creative Corner,
Creative Gallery,
A Round Tuit,
Block Party,
The Scoop Link Party,
Clever Chicks Bloghop,
Lou Lou Girls' Fabulous Party,
Project Inspire,
Totally Terrific Tuesday Link Party
Home Away From Home Party,
Inspire Me Tuesday,
Share It Tuesday,
Creative Muster Party,
Urban Naturale Blog Hop,
Homestead Blog Hop, Wow Us Wednesdays,
Homesteader Blog Hop,
Wonderful Wednesday Blop Hop,
Wednesday AIM Link Party,
Wise Woman Linkup,
Wine'd Down Wednesdays,
Be Clean Be Green With Kids Linkup,
SkipTheBag,
Wow Us Wednesday,
Wildly Original Link Party,
Artsy Fartsy Link Party,
Think Tank Thursday Link Up,
This is How We Roll Thursday,
Simple Homestead Bloghop,
Foodie Friends Friday Link Up Party,What to Do Weekends Party,
Pretty Pintastic Party,
Pinworthy Projects Party,
Home Matters Party,
Friday Feature Linky Party,
Friendship Friday,
Dear Creatives Linkup,
Simple Saturdays Bloghop, Dare to Share Linkup, Saturday Sharefest,
Share One More Time Party,
Create Bake Make Party
No comments:
Post a Comment