Buying nothing
On my minimalist journey, there have been so many months when I bought nothing. And yet, it is somehow only this month when I felt it so acutely. I felt immense joy. I was not doing a no buy challenge. I was not actively preventing myself from shopping. I was not talking myself out of buying stuff. I simply lived my life. I was not thinking about consumption at all. A small disclaimer: not buying doesn't apply to food and compulsory outgoings.
I generally avoid overconsumption for ecological, spiritual, aesthetic, health-related and financial reasons.
Ecological: everything that is produced requires resources and energy to come into being. Some of these so-called resources are in fact fellow beings such as trees, animals, or their habitats.
Spiritual: I want to step away from accumulation of stuff, status signalling and so on, and focus on what truly matters to me (being the best human being I can be, doing something good in the world). In his book Why Things Matter To People, Andrew Sayer says that people can flourish or suffer. It's so simple. Why would I want to contribute to suffering? Why should I invest my time and energy into anything other than my and others' flourishing?
Aesthetic: Having too many things in my space is not my aesthetic. What I personally find beautiful are empty spaces and neutral colours. Recently, I wanted to invite more colours into my life. I borrowed my partner's clothes and wore those items for a couple of days.
Health: Living with a lot less than what is the norm in our society has been incredibly good for my mental health. Using less skin, body and hair "care" products and wearing only natural fabrics has been good for my autoimmune condition.
Financial: Inviting fewer objects into my life, living in an small space, not owning a car, and not using many services allowed me to step away from a toxic work situation that I was in. Ideally, there should be policies that allow humans to step away from toxic workplaces, prioritise other things in life (volunteering, organising, learning and unlearning, parenthood), take years out of work. In the absence of such policies, the best thing to do is to consume much less.
In my everyday life, I do not remind myself of these reasons to convince myself not to buy something. Not buying has become an integral part of my being in the world. It feels so liberating.
I'm not waiting for things to wear out so I can replace them. They wear out at their own pace. I do not have a wish list or a consumption plan.
It is so interesting to observe the feelings that were never discussed when I was growing up and stepping into my adulthood. The immense joy of missing out, the immense joy of intentionally slow living, the immense joy of striving for and living with less.
I remember some instances from my childhood when I was given more expensive earrings or a more expensive bag made from real leather because I was older. What nonsense! Now, in my mid-30s, I have no jewellery apart from my engagement ring. My bags are made from cotton (or cotton blend) and are shared. I live with less than 50 personal possessions. But I feel that I'm on a path of growth and deepening my connection with myself, human and non-human others and nature.