Conscious Consumerism for Real People
Conscious Consumerism for Real People
Conscious consumerism is so much more than reading online reviews.
Intentional buyers do not have their credit card information saved on Amazon. They’re not swayed by “deals” or “sales”, either.
They don’t walk the shopping mall for fun + they certainly don’t follow marketplace trends.
You’ve heard the term but – still! – its definition remains ambiguous. What’s conscious consumerism, exactly?
There’s a major misconception about people who shop with purpose + it’s this: Mindful consumers are often stereotyped as “cheap”.
It’s almost as though shopping with intention is a subtype of frugalness + being frugal (a.k.a. being cheap) is the absolute opposite of cool.
The truth is, being a conscious consumer is super cool. It’s super smart, too. Here’s why:
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You naturally buy less + save more. Saving money results in less financial stress. Perhaps you have a small cushion in your bank account for that inevitable time when a big price tag item or experience comes around. And if something expensive breaks or needs maintenance, this cushion buffers you from unnecessary financial panic.
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You’re not harming the planet unnecessarily. Buying stuff you don’t need wastes Earth’s valuable resources. In many cases the resources it takes to manufacture the item you’ve been eyeing – water, for instance – is huge. Overbuying creates packaging waste. It contributes to global warming in the form of carbon emissions when shipping, too.
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You aren’t swayed by marketing gimmicks. You easily distinguish between wants and needs. When it comes to food and beauty product purchases, you know what’s safe (+ what isn’t).
The best part? You don’t rely on advertisers to answer any of these questions for you.
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You have more free time. When you own fewer items, you have fewer items to maintain, clean, organize + worry about. This means you have more time for the people + experiences that matter.
So what is a conscious consumer, exactly?
Conscious consumers make deliberate, informed choices instead of mindlessly buying items they think they need.
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They demand transparency from companies. They aren’t afraid to pass on items that aren’t aligned with their values.
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Conscious consumers know that buying is always a last resort.
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They understand their purchasing power; as such, conscious consumers aspire to improve the world with their dollars.
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4 ways to practice conscious consumerism in real life
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1. Give yourself a buffer zone.
Don’t wait until the last minute. When we’re down to the wire, we tend to recklessly abandon any + all attempts at intentional purchasing.
Here’s an example. I signed my oldest daughter up for T-Ball + knew she would need sneakers + a glove. I decided the sneakers she already had were adequate enough for preschool T-Ball + I patted myself on the back for choosing to not buy a new pair.
The glove, however, was another story. I had assumed that with a little searching I could borrow once from a fellow mom friend. I didn’t want to buy one, especially if it turned out my daughter hated T-Ball.
Fast forward one week: No glove. I suddenly found myself down to the wire with just two days until practice.
I had no choice but to purchase a glove on Amazon.
The saddest part of my T-Ball mistake is that it could have been easily avoided. If I had started working on borrowing one from the second after I signed her up, I could have borrowed a glove or acquired by other means. Instead, I waited until the last minute.
In those last minutes, I had no choice but to buy new.
Give yourself the time you need to do your research. Don’t be afraid to reach out to companies if necessary. Use the About Us + Contact Us sections on a company’s website or use social media to reach out.
By giving yourself a healthy buffer zone, you get to decide when or if you buy + only when you’ve exhausted all other options.
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2. Support conscious companies.
Choose one (or more!) values that matter to you, then support your values with your dollars. Perhaps you:
Pay attention to packaging.
Buy from companies that give back.
Purchase from brands with lifetime or long-term guarantees + replaceable parts.
Support local, small businesses.
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But how, exactly, do you flex your purchasing power? Easy. You harness the great knowledge of the internet + use it to do your research.
I frequent these 2 websites before purchasing anything:
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1. The Environmental Working Group
Compare similar products + determine which one is most aligned with your values. Use the search function by typing in an item for its overall score, which is broken down into different sub-categories.
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2. Buy Me Once
Buymeonce.com researches, seeks out + promotes products that are ethical, sustainable + created ways that are meant to last.
Use the site’s search feature + purchase directly through the website. My favorite part? The Gifts section. It’s all too often I need to purchase a gift for a loved one + desire to buy something aligned with my values. Buymeonce.com makes doing so as easy as pie.
3. Trust certifications from reputable agencies over blanket marketing statements.
Forget “all-natural” + “fat-free”. It’s slowly becoming more profitable for companies to become certified by trusted organizations. That’s why, if a product you’ve been eyeing is indeed certified by a reputable agency, it will be labeled as such.
Certified products offer confidence that they have met strict guidelines for safety, environmental or social concerns.
Examples of trustworthy certifications include the following:
- USDA Organic Certified for food
- Made Safe for personal care + home products
- Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) for textiles
- Fair Trade Certified for food + clothing.
4. Shift your spending mindset.
Our consumerist society has conditioned us to shop ’til we drop as we seek out the cheapest price. It has taught us, too, to fill our homes with stuff we may or may not need.
Rethink these assumptions with these friendly reminders:
Don’t underestimate the importance (or the impact!) of what’s Tried-and-True.
The R’s of sustainability are touted so often that the power behind them easily gets lost. Reuse, rent, borrow, buy secondhand or go without whenever possible. It’s that simple.
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Know that the cheapest price is almost always NOT the fair price. Workers who made your item may not have been paid fair living wages, or they toil in unhealthy conditions. Waste disposal, water pollution + other environmental concerns are corners that may have been cut when bringing you the cheapest possible price.
When you really, truly need something, consider spending more money on an ethical, sustainable option that’s designed to last.
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Retrain your brain. Ask yourself, “Do I really, truly need this?” before purchasing. Over time, you’ll teach yourself how to buy less + still be satisfied. (If the answer is, “Yes! I really, truly need this!” use the websites listed above to find a safer, more ethical + eco-friendly alternative.)
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Consider cost-per-use. Cheap price tags often result in disposable items. Instead of shopping for the cheapest price, ask yourself how many times you expect to use the item. What is the item’s cost per use? Adopt the cost-per-use strategy as a realistic way of mitigating sticker shock for ethical + eco-friendly products.
