I had a pair of gym pants/leggings that had worn out at the inner thigh region and couldn't be worn anymore and I kept delaying throwing it out. Now that my knee pain has flared up, I was wondering how I could make a castor oil pack for it (it reduces the inflammation,really helped with my back pain) when i remembered the pants. I cut out the part of the pants that fit snugly over my knee and cut some more of the fabric above it to soak with some of the castor oil. Now I can just slip on the cut off knee part and put the castor oil soaked fabric under it and use it as a castor oil pack!
I thought I'd share this here because I felt kind of proud of it, and now I can reuse something that was going to be thrown away, while avoiding buying something to fulfill this purpose. Any other tips on how I can use the rest of the pants? I'm thinking of cutting the waist part to use it as a castor pack for my back pain

I’m having friends over this weekend and making vegan Chinese food.

My plates are flowered and kind of grannyish.

My consumer brain is telling me that the food and my plates don’t match and I need to buy different plates.

Every day I talk myself out of it.

My plates are fine. My friends will not notice or care about the plates.

I feel like my brain is broken because I can’t lose the intrusive thought that I need to buy new plates just for this dinner. That the table won’t look right. It’s pure insanity. I know that.

It’s even better if the thing is shown by some content creator as a “cool thing to print”, they print it several times and then they just obviously throw it out cause there is nothing left to do with it.

If your local library uses an app like Libby or Hoopla it’s really fun to add books to lists to read and stuff, it give me the same “I’m getting this” that specifically online shopping does. Plus as always, it supports your local library. I’ve seen tips about getting library books instead of shopping but as a chronically online shopper this helps way more.

This is one of the only subs on Reddit I find uplifting, helpful, inspirational and innovative.

For whatever reason you do it- thank you and keep pushing forward!!

Ps F capitalists 🙃

I set a goal for myself that if I have to consume but nothing new in 2025. I figure whatever I need has already been created and out there in the world. I’m not buying off a store shelf. Anyone else set a similar challenge for themselves? I canceled my prime, FB and IG and I’m using Craigslist or eBay. Any suggestions

I'm doing my dissertation on how Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis critique consumerism and identity construction, reinterpreting these themes in the context of the 21st-century digital age. Suggest some secondary critical book for literature review.

so i’ve been wanting to ditch luxury items (bags, wallets, sandals, etc.) because i feel like the urge to buy them only roots from wanting to fit in. i want to start supporting local artists and brands sourcing locally but i need more motivating advice whether this decision won’t be difficult for me to sustain since i still believe in quality over quantity and the quality im after can be provided by big brands known for their durability & are already tested by others (or that’s what im being fed) im from the philippines btw

I lost a lot of weight last year, and now my clothes are too big for me (but still wearable). I'm really close to buying a lot of new clothes, but I don't want to because my current clothes are still fine, and I don't want to alter them because I'm planning to regain some weight. Sometimes it's just hard to see myself in loose clothing.

I teach preschool, and I try not to buy/use glitter too often because of the environmental impact. However, I do receive it as a donation from parents every so often, usually when they’re cleaning out their own craft supplies.

I think if someone has already purchased it it makes sense to use it up, but I also don’t want to rinse a bunch of it down the sink into the water system. I feel like it’s better to get any remaining glitter into a landfill than the water system, but to do so I’d have to use something else disposable to catch it, like a paper plate or something. Is there a better way?

I do try to catch and re-bottle as much of the leftover glitter as possible. I’m kinda considering doing something insane like just letting them do their art on the table with no tarp or trays or anything, and just vacuuming it all up after. Or I guess I could vacuum the tarp.

Any suggestions?

I am recently trying to get into sewing and i have this sewing box from my grandma that i am going through! I have found some absolutely amazing supplies that i may have had to buy otherwise! My goal overall this year is to be more conscious about buying new when i have something that is good enough!! I am wondering if anyone has any tips on how to fix the clasp and crack in the plastic! I was thinking epoxy, but another thing I will have to purchase..

After living in different countries for a few years, I am settling down for good. I really want to get some good pots. I currently own an enamel small pot with lid, a rice cooker and a small hot pot (doubles as a small pan). My utensils are wood. I mostly cook soups, stews and one pan dishes. I have been looking at:

-aluminium or stainless steel big pot

-big roasting dish

-a big pan

I want good pieces to last me a good couple of years minimum

-what materials would you recommend?

-besides teflon, is there a material I should avoid for the environment or for short durability?

-which materials are good 2nd hand?

Thank you!

Solve all my problems?!? Take my money!

does anyone have good resources to find where companies are donating? i used to use the app goods unite us but it doesn’t always seem up to date. are there any good websites for this?

Hello, all!

I'm proud to say that I succeeded in No-Amazon January (pending no lapses in judgment tomorrow).

I'm looking to continue to not use Amazon, but add another anti-consumption goal for February. Any suggestions?

I should note that my personal relationship with goals and resolutions prioritizes actually succeeding. So something small and simple, but that will still require some minor lifestyle changes/considerations would be ideal.

EDIT: Thanks to all for the suggestions. I will be saving them for future months.

I've decided:

January: No Amazon

February: No Amazon + No food delivery

I'm going to try to add one thing every month this year. No food delivery seems just the right level of challenge for February, but still achievable. It also fits with some of my other goals re: health.

Thanks again for the suggestions! I'll be returning to this thread throughout the year.

Small steps I know, but I felt proud of slowly getting rid of companies who don’t share my values. Amazon is on my list, but I have books I need for school on my kindle so for now I will just not be making any purchases through them. Trying to find better grocery alternatives is going to be one of my biggest struggles I think

I bought my laptop (Lenovo T450) in 2015 and it works great for me: I'm dual-booting Windows 10/Linux and it serves all of my needs.

Windows 10 EOL is this October, and according to the Windows PC Health Check App I can't run Windows 11 because my processor (Intel Core i7-5600U CPU @ 2.60GHz) is no longer supported. I have no desire to switch to Windows 11, but because my company's VPN client is offered for solely Windows (or Mac), I'm fearful that after end of support in October, I'll be forced to switch in order to be able to continue accessing my work group's remote server (necessary for the analyses I run).

I guide much of my day-to-day life around limiting my consumption, but there's so much planned obsolescence baked into today's world that it often feels futile to resist. Not sure what I'm going to do, but hopefully some kind of solution that doesn't involve me scrapping a perfectly good computer can be found. If folks have suggestions, I'd really appreciate it.

Yep I'm gonna run out RIGHT NOW and spend $250 to save 6%....

Photo found online. I'm just curious because my friend is debating going for it and she wants some input how it pans out in reality. We're in Poland so there's tons of cheap hand me down/thrifted options available for ceramics and glass.

Are trying to be toxic free from further exposure to PFAS driving anyone else crazy?

I thought this is an interesting perspective for people interested in anticonsumption fashion, our disconnect from our closets, and why it's harder to have a style

https://open.substack.com/pub/longlive/p/you-bought-68-items-of-clothing-last?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=53w6v4