As we have been in quarantine for over half of this year now, we have all found different ways to cope with the weird mix of confusion and strange emotions. Typically these aren’t sustainable practices. For example, eating unsustainable, animal-based, packaged food. Or even worse buying random items no one needs. I have been able to resist the urge for buying useless, unnecessary items. But that hasn’t come without some struggle. Today, I am going to share some items that were totally tempting to buy, but now am grateful I didn’t get sucked into throwing away my money.
Unicycle: We totally have all experienced some boredom in quarantine. During the past summer months, I spent as much time as I could learning new things. I eventually came up with an idea to learn how to unicycle. When I look back at it, not only would that unicycle now be sitting in my shed or garage along with my skateboard during these current colder, fall/winter months, but I also probably would have encountered a lot of frustration. Whether or not I succeeded at learning to ride the unicycle, I can tell it would not be a long-lasting passion. As an essentialist, that is not a focus I can devote that much time to. Instead, I decided to learn how to actually ride my skateboard. Something I could learn with what I already have. (But riding a unicycle is still on my bucket list, so if anyone wants to lend me one… go dm my Instagram @ourfutureismars.)
New Phone: It is hard to resist a new phone as generations continue to improve and become more and more common. When my family decided they wanted new phones, I knew mine was still working just fine. I also met a friend who still had the iPhone five right there in her pocket- her only phone. I was so amazed to see that I am no longer wanting to impress people with a new phone, but instead impress them with an old one. The same way I was.
Camera: I have started this channel by using just my phone. That is literally the only thing I use. I film, edit, and upload from my phone. Until I am certain that I want to pursue YouTube and fully improve the quality of m videos, it does not feel necessary to get a new phone,
Instant Pot: Back at the beginning of the year. My mom and I learned how to make yogurt in an effort to reduce waste. Note this was before either of us went vegan. That is exactly why I am bringing this item up. So many recipes told us to get a yogurt maker and we saw so many people live with that convenience. Although we never expected ourselves to go vegan, we did. And because of that we no longer bother with yogurt. Because I waited to click “buy” (and yes, we did get to the point where we were on eBay) I learned it was not necessary to have, and at this point would be useless and probably end up in a landfill.
Electric Guitar: For many years I wanted a guitar. And now, I am ever grateful I never bought it. Not only do I prefer an acoustic sound way more than the electric I thought would be cool, but I also don’t need four guitars. That is something that took a while to grasp. I own three second-hand guitars and money is the only thing that held me back, but I needed that reality check. I have learned I don’t like electric guitars personally because they have a longer setup process and use energy. Save the planet, go acoustic.
Roomba: I have always thought robot vacuums were cool. However, when you have a completely fully functional vacuum, it’s not worth the energy, money, and resources. This is not to say I won’t ever get a vacuum that does the hard work for you, but I know I don’t need one today. Especially because I’m not the one who cleans the house.
Backpack: This past school year I started high school and was kinda done with my bright purple, stained, ripped, broken backpack from second grade. I repaired the bag to the best of my ability so it can still be used to store items and travel, but instead of buying a new replacement, I use my dad’s old bag that has been sitting around with no purpose. It feels great to know I didn’t waste more resources.
And that is really what it comes down to. Not using unnecessary resources, energy, or money. I have to admit, most of these products I didn’t buy for financial reasons. However, after putting thought into every purchase (or every non-purchase), I never regret not buying things because I know that always has a positive impact.
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