Across several platforms, the process of thrifting has become a trend. While in many ways this is amazing and only bolsters the size of the community, it has had some adverse effects. One of them being overconsumption! Luckily, there are several ways to combat this issue.
1. Be Mindful When You Thrift
Often, when one thrifts it is easy to go on autopilot. Leading people to fill their baskets up to the brim. Yet, they are not thinking about what in the basket they truly need.
While every item might be cute, it may not be adding any utility to your life.
Thus, to combat overconsumption, we have to be mindful of what we buy and leave behind. I have had to learn that, “just because I like it, does not mean I have to have it.” Little acts like this go a long way!
2. Shop With a Plan
More often than not, we go into thrift and secondhand spaces to release stress. Yet, by doing so, we are shopping on a whim. Shopping on a whim is okay sometimes, but not all of the time. Thus, I suggest going in with a plan of attack when you thrift.
- How much do you want to spend?
- What are you looking for?
- When will you wear this item?
- How would you wear this item?
Questions like these help us understand the thrifting process more because it forces us to be critical. This criticality will help you not over-consume and only add pieces you have a purpose for to your wardrobe.
3. Donate Before You Thrift
This seems like a no-brainer. Nonetheless, this is one of the hardest things for us to be actively intentional about.
Before you go into a thrift space, think, “what can I remove from my own space before shopping?”
While this cannot happen always, it allows us to understand thrifting as a cycle! It makes us remember the sustainability factor that is key to thrifting and secondhand shopping. Overconsumption is easy to do when you continuously keep items and are not intentional about why the items are in your closet. Before you thrift think how can I not over-consume today?
Overconsumption is a byproduct of us getting comfortable in thrifting spaces. Yet, we can combat this by thinking critically about the ways we can avoid overconsuming. Let’s be more sustainable together!
About our fabulous guest blogger:
