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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 Sustainable Minimalists Podcast
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Saying No To New

New things are everywhere—and they’re causing us to disconnect from what we value most.

In a world that constantly tells us that new is better, our relentless pursuit of material wealth is costing us money, time and happiness. Worse, when we define ourselves by what we own rather than who we are, we reduce our lives to a single, superficial dimension.

On today’s show, New York Times journalist Eric Athas offers advice for stepping away from the cycle of constant buying, saying no to shallowness, and discovering the right kind of “new” in our lives.

Here's a preview:

[8:00] We're wired to become bored the familiar, and other truths to newness

[16:00] Consumption has costs! (In fact, it robs us of our finite attention, dilutes our capacity for genuine enjoyment, and misaligns our pursuit of happiness.)

[26:00] Musings on the ways in which overconsumption leads to superficiality

[37:00] Put down the trinket! Redefining what it means to experience novelty, growth, and freshness without relying on a transaction

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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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