At the beginning...
Like every journey it has to start somewhere.
We are a small family of 3. I, like many others, was raised as a consumer. Get a job, buy a house, fill the house with beautiful (on trend things) have a family, purchase a car, go on holiday and then redecorate my home on a regular basis. Buy beautiful clothes and accessories. New technology. There is no end to the things we can spend money on.
More recently I’ve become aware of how much our little family consumes and how little these things impact our happiness or togetherness. having recently read 'a life less throwaway' by Tara button, I was struck by the statistics she presented. I will quote one:
It made me think about my own circumstances. I buy stuff because I think it makes me happy, but then a newer version comes out! It’s difficult to keep up today with all the new inventions and upgrades and this leads to frustration and thriving for the newer version, even though the one I have is more than adequate.
I have worked in a demanding corporate world, dreaming of climbing the ladder to buy all these things, the big posh house, the flash car. The hours were long, the stress levels high, the impact on my mental health were immense! I just crave a little more simplicity in my life, a little less stress, less stuff and more 'moments' to cherish. We are taking the leap of creating a more nourishing environment for both us and the environment!
"A study of 2500 consumers over six years concluded that no matter how much money you had to spend, materialism was linked to an increase in loneliness and loneliness in turn linked to materialism"
Tara Button
It made me think about my own circumstances. I buy stuff because I think it makes me happy, but then a newer version comes out! It’s difficult to keep up today with all the new inventions and upgrades and this leads to frustration and thriving for the newer version, even though the one I have is more than adequate.
I have worked in a demanding corporate world, dreaming of climbing the ladder to buy all these things, the big posh house, the flash car. The hours were long, the stress levels high, the impact on my mental health were immense! I just crave a little more simplicity in my life, a little less stress, less stuff and more 'moments' to cherish. We are taking the leap of creating a more nourishing environment for both us and the environment!
2 years ago I decided not to eat meat to reduce my impact on the environment, more recently I’ve mostly eaten a vegan diet.
I want to share our little family’s journey with you and hope that I can inspire you to come along with us.
My goals are to:
- Reduce my impact on the environment around me
- Buy less stuff - more thoughtful purchases and where I can 2nd hand
- Find happiness in what I already have, repair where required
- Make more things at home (food, clothes, products)
- Use my garden to grow some of our own food
- Aim to reduce single use plastics/packaging
- A less cluttered home
Disclaimer - I own a lot of things that are not vegan, I do not intend to get rid of these items, I bought them because I loved them or they was gifted to me and it is wasteful in my eyes to get rid of things I’ve already invested in. so, I will keep them until they can no longer be repaired.
Are you coming along for the ride?
Comments
Post a Comment