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3 Steps to Becoming an Anti-Consumer

3 Steps to Becoming an Anti-Consumer

Have you found yourself looking critically at consumerist culture for the first time? Although anti-consumerism is countercultural, it isn’t uncommon. Proponents argue that breaking free from the purchasing hamster wheel ushers in financial freedom; it provides clarity around what’s *actually* important, too. On this episode of The Sustainable Minimalists podcast, tangible ways to navigate holidays and birthdays without gifts, what to say to less-than-supportive friends and family, and why it's important to be loud and proud when advocating for your life choices. 


COVID-19 has forced many of us to look critically at consumerist culture for perhaps the first time. If you don’t like what you see, you aren’t alone.

Although anti-consumerism is countercultural, it isn’t uncommon. Proponents argue that breaking free from the purchasing hamster wheel ushers in financial freedom; it provides clarity around what’s *actually* important, too.

My guest this week is Aleah Mohammed. Aleah had an ‘a-ha’ moment as she took out the trash; she committed herself to a no-new-purchases year shortly after.

Aleah has been documenting her successes and struggles and is on the show to divulge what it’s really like to be an anti-consumer.

 

Here’s a preview of today’s episode:

[16:30] How to navigate holidays and birthdays without gifts

[19:45] What to say to less-than-supportive friends and family (and how to say it)

[23:30] Why it’s important to be loud and proud when advocating for your life choices

 

Happy listening!

 

* Want more episodes like this one? Check out #049: The Why and How of a No-Spend Challenge.

* This week’s eco-tip: Tinted mineral sunscreen brands include Elta MD, Coola, and Juice Beauty.

* Join our (free!) community here.

* Find your tribe. Sustainable Minimalists are on Facebook, Instagram + Pinterest.

 

Have you found yourself looking critically at consumerist culture for the first time? Although anti-consumerism is countercultural, it isn’t uncommon. Proponents argue that breaking free from the purchasing hamster wheel ushers in financial freedom; it provides clarity around what’s *actually* important, too. On this episode of The Sustainable Minimalists podcast, tangible ways to navigate holidays and birthdays without gifts, what to say to less-than-supportive friends and family, and why it's important to be loud and proud when advocating for your life choices. 

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The Cost of Constant Connection

In this era of relentless connectivity, taking an exit ramp from our digital lives has never looked more inviting. In fact, merging science is now confirming what many of us feel: Smartphones are draining our cognitive reserves, shattering our focus, and keeping us in a state of low-level chronic anxiety.

To see if there’s a better way, reporter Courtney Lindwall shelved her iPhone for a $45 Nokia flip phone. Courtney is on the show today to discuss  the "dumb phone" movement, the logistical friction of navigating an app-dependent world, and why research says our brains are so desperate for a break.

Here's a preview:

[7:00] Continuous partial attention, instinctual muscle memory, and other ways in which our smartphones are working against us

[9:00] Gray scale? screen limits? Here's why the tools and tricks don't work for the vast majority of us

[14:00] Thoughts on our emotional attachments to our phones—and the emotional experiences they provide

[22:00] The psychological benefits of embracing a bit more "friction"

[33:00] Our brains are malleable, and we get used to a new normal quite quickly. Lean into that!

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Hello there, I’m Stephanie. I live a crazy, beautiful life as a full-time wife, blogger + mother to two spirited daughters. I’m on a mission to simplify eco-friendly living so as to greater enjoy life’s sweeter moments.

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