Five Postconsumer New Year Resolutions

It’s that time of year again! The time when everybody makes lists of the things that they want to accomplish for the upcoming year. If you’re reading the Postconsumers blog, then chances are that you’re hoping to learn to spend less, reduce your addiction to consumer culture and find the satisfaction of enough in 2011. But how exactly do you do that? Well, the steps will be based on your personal goals and desires, but we think that we have a pretty good starter list for you below! Read on for our favorite five New Year’s resolutions for fledgling (or even maturing) postconsumers!

This is where many people struggle with starting to control their purchases. How many times at the end of the month do you not remember what you bought and how much you spent on it? Even if you just keep it jotted in a notebook, write down everything you purchase in a month and what you’ve spent on it. You’ll be surprised how much just looking at that in the face at the end of the month can help alter your habits.

We’re exposed to so much consumer media every day that we all just tend to tune it out. Don’t do that! Pay close attention to the overt and covert messages about “stuff” and consumerism that you see every day in all areas of the media. Thinking critically about how the advertising culture compels us to buy more and more and more is the first step to being able to say “no” to it!

You may not even know what it is that makes you happy when you’re not shopping, but 2011 is the year to find out. There’s great advice on the process for finding passions that make you happy in our holiday guide, A Very Postconsumer Holiday. Just take those techniques and apply them to your general life instead of the holidays.

Everything is easier when a group begins to do it! And, in the end, we’ll need to reach a critical mass of people who want to find the satisfaction of enough in order for it to impact the planet. Educate your friends and family about postconsumerism and the changes we can make in our lives to help find real satisfaction without needing a shopping bag to do it every time.

Practice the twenty-four hour rule if you’re not already! When you feel like making a purchase, wait twenty-four hours before you do. You’ll see that much of the time you’ll find yourself deciding not to make the purchase after the initial thrill wears off and you take some time to think about it.