Decades ago, when I was first married, magazines geared toward women had all sorts of projects that you could make for your home. There were directions on how to knit and crochet and sew, little projects for the home, all the way up to making furniture of various kinds. Over the years these same magazines turned into articles on all the things you needed to buy. I still have some of those old magazines, and the thing that strikes me is how much plainer the homes were. They didn't have objects on every wall and every horizontal surface. I miss the days when making something instead of buying it was something to be proud of.
Under consumption, decluttering, prepping for possibilities . . . our situations are different, we need to think these through for our own lives to determine a good, effective, balance point. Thoughtful common sense needs to be applied. "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water" is an old saying that could apply to over-enthusiasm in decluttering. I very much like the way you discuss these topics with common sense and enthusiasm.
The two is one principle is necessary because of the planned obsolescence that manufacturers have designed into their products. While items are much lighter weight now due to plastics, they also seem to wear out far faster. Case in point: just over a year ago we purchased two very expensive recliners manufactured by a well-known company here in the US. Three weeks after purchasing them my husband's chair wouldn't recline. We discovered it had been made with a plastic piece underneath instead of metal. The chair was under warranty, so they fixed it right away. Less than a year later it broke again (and no, he doesn't make a running leap and launch himself at the chair when he sits in it). Still under the extended warranty that we purchased, so it will be fixed this next week. I am very disappointed in this brand and won't buy another piece of furniture made by them without flipping it over and thoroughly examining it first. Had we not purchased the warranty we would be out $2,000 USD for an over stuffed piece of junk.
I feel that make do and mend is absolutely the way we are all going to have to go again eventually. Thankfully many of us older ones have already been doing that most of our lives!
I'm currently trying to declutter a house after losing my mother in March. I moved back in with my parents in 2011 after losing my job and cared for them during their final years. The problem is that I still have all my own stuff in the garage from the flat where I lived before. I finally realised the other day that I don't need three sets of cutlery (five if you include the posh silverware that's reserved for special visitors), so I ditched Mum's everyday set. Am having to make similar decisions about everything in the house - bedding, towels, kitchenware, ornaments and vases, etc, etc. It's so hard as I want to use my own things, but Mum's are generally better quality.
When my mother was young in the 40's and 50's things were better quality and made to last. Furniture and clothing was more expensive but you kept it until it wore out and repaired things yourself or got them fixed You didn't have fast fashion and cheapie appliances that broke The manufacturers of appliances today make them in such a way that they won't last Will people go back to the old ways? Unlikely unless offshore manufacturing comes back to your country and that won't be happening Too much profits to be made from mass produced junk from Asia We can stop buying unnecessary products though and multiple cleaning products is a good thing to stop.I wonder sometimes about the world my grandchildren will inherit and shudder
Two of necessities is good, two of luxuries, for people who didn't even pay off the first, is where it's bad. I know too many adults who can't stop spending on the latest flashy item.
I'd think if it means there's more people only having one of things, then it'll be good for the people who can only afford one of these things, because it will be more the norm, so less false shame attached to it.
Hi Karen. 3 thoughts you have provoked today, thank you! 1) Karen stop giving manufacturers bright ideas! There will now be someone out there designing bloomin' decluttering boxes for each room! 😂 2) you sometimes need 3 of things - if you are going to be frugal - for example 3 sets of bed linen per bed - one on the bed; one dry, clean and ready to put on ( in case of accidents or illness) ; and one in the washing process ( drying on line outside but it rains for 3 days solid) 3) All of these cheap/ free furniture places tend to be on the edge of town in industrial estates etc ( because rent is cheaper for the amount of space) but you need a car to go and get stuff from there (or pay for delivery) very poor folk don't have cars to go and get stuff from 'rescue' organisations - even if it is a load of yarn/ fabric/ craft stuff. No wonder they buy cheap and disposable/poor quality stuff on line with free delivery.
Industry already is ahead of our trying to cut back. I do a lot of buying on (the biggest website for mail order) for things I need. I don't buy things I don't really need, because I am over all that, a long time ago. But if you go there, you see that if you are simply looking for one item, you may find that in order to get it, you will either pay more for one, or you will buy two, three, four or five of it. Sometimes one is not even offered. And yes, figuring out how to multi-purpose what we already have is great. I do that all the time.
Thank you. Can I ask advice of the community please. I have recently lost weight,from a UK size 18 to a UK size 12. Clothes 😮. I have had to buy a new set of clothes and underwear. I have used charity shops and vinted but I am starting to ask myself,how much if an item doesn't I need? Eg how many cardis, winter jumpers and jeans. I've struggled with this. Had the same set of clothes for years so starting again has been daunting. Many thanks in advance
I read the article in the Guardian last night and couldn't believe what I was reading. To be honest my immediate and perhaps cynical thought was that these infliencers are now finding the zeitgist is changing and they are desperately looking for a new audience (because influencing is how they make their money - they don't necessarily believe a word they are saying).
“Special bags to declutter”? 😂😂😂😂😂I use Amazon boxes and fruit boxes I get from friends and fill them for donation. We keep a donation box going all the time. When it fills, we donate.
How on earth can mending and repairing be regarded as taking the mickey out of impoverished people? For goodness sake!! There's always someone who has to find a problem.
As it's just a trend it won't last and still just consists of people posting tiktoks and instagram pics of their stuff for likes only now they are not brand new things.
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I don't understand why people seem to think underconsumption is new. Seems like a lot of very old practices rehashed.
Decades ago, when I was first married, magazines geared toward women had all sorts of projects that you could make for your home. There were directions on how to knit and crochet and sew, little projects for the home, all the way up to making furniture of various kinds. Over the years these same magazines turned into articles on all the things you needed to buy. I still have some of those old magazines, and the thing that strikes me is how much plainer the homes were. They didn't have objects on every wall and every horizontal surface. I miss the days when making something instead of buying it was something to be proud of.
Under consumption, decluttering, prepping for possibilities . . . our situations are different, we need to think these through for our own lives to determine a good, effective, balance point. Thoughtful common sense needs to be applied. "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water" is an old saying that could apply to over-enthusiasm in decluttering. I very much like the way you discuss these topics with common sense and enthusiasm.
The two is one principle is necessary because of the planned obsolescence that manufacturers have designed into their products. While items are much lighter weight now due to plastics, they also seem to wear out far faster. Case in point: just over a year ago we purchased two very expensive recliners manufactured by a well-known company here in the US. Three weeks after purchasing them my husband's chair wouldn't recline. We discovered it had been made with a plastic piece underneath instead of metal. The chair was under warranty, so they fixed it right away. Less than a year later it broke again (and no, he doesn't make a running leap and launch himself at the chair when he sits in it). Still under the extended warranty that we purchased, so it will be fixed this next week. I am very disappointed in this brand and won't buy another piece of furniture made by them without flipping it over and thoroughly examining it first. Had we not purchased the warranty we would be out $2,000 USD for an over stuffed piece of junk.
As a gen x - it wasn’t called underconsumption, it was called ‘normal’ 🙈
I feel that make do and mend is absolutely the way we are all going to have to go again eventually. Thankfully many of us older ones have already been doing that most of our lives!
I'm currently trying to declutter a house after losing my mother in March. I moved back in with my parents in 2011 after losing my job and cared for them during their final years. The problem is that I still have all my own stuff in the garage from the flat where I lived before. I finally realised the other day that I don't need three sets of cutlery (five if you include the posh silverware that's reserved for special visitors), so I ditched Mum's everyday set. Am having to make similar decisions about everything in the house - bedding, towels, kitchenware, ornaments and vases, etc, etc. It's so hard as I want to use my own things, but Mum's are generally better quality.
When my mother was young in the 40's and 50's things were better quality and made to last. Furniture and clothing was more expensive but you kept it until it wore out and repaired things yourself or got them fixed
You didn't have fast fashion and cheapie appliances that broke
The manufacturers of appliances today make them in such a way that they won't last
Will people go back to the old ways?
Unlikely unless offshore manufacturing comes back to your country and that won't be happening
Too much profits to be made from mass produced junk from Asia
We can stop buying unnecessary products though and multiple cleaning products is a good thing to stop.I wonder sometimes about the world my grandchildren will inherit and shudder
Two of necessities is good, two of luxuries, for people who didn't even pay off the first, is where it's bad. I know too many adults who can't stop spending on the latest flashy item.
I'd think if it means there's more people only having one of things, then it'll be good for the people who can only afford one of these things, because it will be more the norm, so less false shame attached to it.
Hi Karen. 3 thoughts you have provoked today, thank you! 1) Karen stop giving manufacturers bright ideas! There will now be someone out there designing bloomin' decluttering boxes for each room! 😂
2) you sometimes need 3 of things - if you are going to be frugal - for example 3 sets of bed linen per bed - one on the bed; one dry, clean and ready to put on ( in case of accidents or illness) ; and one in the washing process ( drying on line outside but it rains for 3 days solid)
3) All of these cheap/ free furniture places tend to be on the edge of town in industrial estates etc ( because rent is cheaper for the amount of space) but you need a car to go and get stuff from there (or pay for delivery) very poor folk don't have cars to go and get stuff from 'rescue' organisations - even if it is a load of yarn/ fabric/ craft stuff. No wonder they buy cheap and disposable/poor quality stuff on line with free delivery.
agree❤
Industry already is ahead of our trying to cut back. I do a lot of buying on (the biggest website for mail order) for things I need. I don't buy things I don't really need, because I am over all that, a long time ago. But if you go there, you see that if you are simply looking for one item, you may find that in order to get it, you will either pay more for one, or you will buy two, three, four or five of it. Sometimes one is not even offered. And yes, figuring out how to multi-purpose what we already have is great. I do that all the time.
Thank you. Can I ask advice of the community please. I have recently lost weight,from a UK size 18 to a UK size 12. Clothes 😮. I have had to buy a new set of clothes and underwear. I have used charity shops and vinted but I am starting to ask myself,how much if an item doesn't I need? Eg how many cardis, winter jumpers and jeans. I've struggled with this. Had the same set of clothes for years so starting again has been daunting. Many thanks in advance
I read the article in the Guardian last night and couldn't believe what I was reading. To be honest my immediate and perhaps cynical thought was that these infliencers are now finding the zeitgist is changing and they are desperately looking for a new audience (because influencing is how they make their money - they don't necessarily believe a word they are saying).
Absolutely 👍🏻
“Special bags to declutter”? 😂😂😂😂😂I use Amazon boxes and fruit boxes I get from friends and fill them for donation. We keep a donation box going all the time. When it fills, we donate.
❤
👍👍
Luv it
Go to charity shops you get everything there
Cupboard cleaner? Is that a thing?
How on earth can mending and repairing be regarded as taking the mickey out of impoverished people? For goodness sake!! There's always someone who has to find a problem.
As it's just a trend it won't last and still just consists of people posting tiktoks and instagram pics of their stuff for likes only now they are not brand new things.
Good advise.
Hi karen
💯