mindful consumerism
As a part of trying to follow the 'slow living' principle, I also try to not be materialistic. That means that I have rules when buying new things.
One of the rules is to not buy things I don't really need. I know, a vague concept, because what do you REALLY need (except a roof over your head, water and food)? It means I try to be mindful about how many times I will use it, for example. Another rule is that I try to buy (some) things secondhand before going to a shop. I also sometimes try to buy local instead of ordering in big webshops. And I try to buy sustainable products, instead of something I have to throw away in 2 years.
Being mindful of the things I buy and bring into our house, is something that I've been working on for years. It's a gradual process that I know will eventually bring me where I want to be. And the last few months it's going fairly well.
In the last 3 years I completely got rid of the need to buy new clothes several times a year. I try to minimize my clothing shopping to 1 time a year and only when I really need something new, because something doesn't fit anymore or when a garment broke.
My whole mindset about buying and shopping changed. As an example... This month alone, I've filled online shopping baskets at least 4 times with different snowboots. And deleted them again too. I even slept on it first, before going further with my quest. Because I wasn't 100% sure of what I was really looking for. This means I'm having more thoughts about what function these boots should fulfill in my life. And if it really fits to what I want and am looking for. I still didn't buy any boots ;)
Before (in the years that my money flew over the counter a lot easier), I wouldn't have thought that much about a purchase. The process of wanting something to buying something was very short. You could even call it impulsive. And I'm so happy that I finally have the feeling that I'm doing good. That I've found tricks to make it work for me. It's so freeing to not have the urge to shop anymore.
Ps. I'm not judging anyone who has a different approach to shopping or a different lifestyle. This is just what I prefer and what I want for my life.