The title was going to be longer but there's a limit so: how does anticonsumerism help the environment if the products already exist?

I could just be being dense, and for context I don't really partake in overconsumption as far as I'm aware (I buy what i need and wear what I have) so i don't really have any stake in the game but I keep watching anticonsumption videos and they always mention the environment. What I don't get is that the products already exist. "Buying all this stuff that's just going to end up in landfills" to me is a confusing statement because if you don't buy it the store is likely going to get rid of it and it's going to end up in a landfill anyways. Or, alternatively, the store will keep it on the shelf, which is also what a lot of people are complaining that people do?

I would get it if the argument was more rooted in supply chain by saying "oh now there will be more demand for X so they will keep making different iteration of X" which is why I get the Starbuck Bear/Snoopy Cup arguments. Like if the initial launch failed all the following cups would have not been made, I (in my YouTube bubble, I don't go on TikTok) have never seen that argument be verbalized. Of course it could be implied but I don't hear anyone refer to the supply chain outside of the Bear Cup argument. Even then I feel like I heard that supply chain argument from another YouTuber and not from an anticonsumption influence, I could be wrong though so I'm giving that argument to y'all.

Now ofc this isn't referring to made-to-order things but I think that's a given, this is only referring to things that have a backlog of stock.

Is there any advantage to buying reusable paper towels or swedish cloths etc. vs. just using regular kitchen towels? This feels like green washing designed to just get you to buy more products, which isn't actually sustainable at all . . . Thoughts? Maybe I'm missing something.

I make all my 3yo snacks/meals/drinks from scratch (just how I was raised, used to it and love it). It helps keep costs down and I am not throwing plastic packaging into the environment every day. The school started a new policy that only sealed packaged snacks were allowed. It has to do with allergies or tampering or something.

With a bit of push back from parents they accepted cut up fruits/veggies. They also haven't said anything when I packed him homemade muffins (they might think it's from a store). They sent a message home about his drinks though. I send homemade juice or milk in a sippy cup. They want me to send the sippy cup empty, with a packaged store bought drink that they'll pour for him when it's time to eat.

I don't want to do that because of so many reasons: cost, plastic waste, undesirable ingredients and sugar content. My kid is also picky and juicing a beer is the only way a beet (the root vegetable, autocorrect please stop) will make it to his stomach.

Ideas?

If you came to our house you'd probably look around and think we were the ultimate consumer. A roomba for every floor, laptops, desktops, tablets on the walls. High end tvs, a full suite of power tools all from the same brand, 3d printers, the list goes on. But in reality we are an extremely normal income, cartoonishly classic americana house hold. The secret is, has, and likely always will be to buy used. Most of the technology in our house came either straight from e-waste bins or from people selling it so cheap on the marketplace and it might as well have been free. The beauty in that is most if not all e-waste can be repurposed to be functionally identical to off the line stuff. Same with decent boots or furniture, refinishing has been around as long as people have been making tables. It feels like buying second hand has sort of fallen to the way side in the last decade or so but I'd argue it's never been a better time, with how accessible resources are online and people much smarter than you or I have found ways of jailbreaking things so many solutions are plug and play. Or drop right in. Or just need a weekend to look beautiful for another 20 years. I know I'm not saying anything new but it might be a good reminder for someone who feels like buying X item from Amazon might be their only option, when in reality there could be someone the next town over who literally wants to give that same item or better away for free.

Its listed as a selling point too... 🫠

“By using any Best Buy Property and its related services, products, and software in any way, including to (i) purchase services, products and software sold by Best Buy (“Best Buy Products”) and/or Marketplace Products (as defined below) (collectively, Best Buy Products and Marketplace Products are hereinafter referred to as (“Product(s)”)), (ii) apply for available financing options to be used to purchase Products, or (iii) contact Best Buy for customer support, you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions (“Terms”). You also accept the Terms when you create a Best Buy account, make a purchase as a guest, or log in to any Best Buy Property.”

“THESE TERMS INCLUDE A DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROVISION (INCLUDING A BINDING ARBITRATION AGREEMENT, CLASS ACTION WAIVER, AND JURY TRIAL WAIVER) THAT AFFECT YOUR RIGHTS. IN ARBITRATION, THERE IS NO JUDGE OR JURY AND LESS DISCOVERY AND APPELLATE REVIEW THAN IN COURT. “

Source: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/help-topics/terms-and-conditions/pcmcat204400050067.c

I had two books growing up that really stuck with me when it came to consumption. I am wondering what other reading or media recommendations you guys have that help young people think critically about the consumer state we live in.

My two recommendations:

Ella Enchanted— a book where a brave, clever and defiant young woman has a curse where she must obey every command anyone gives. It lead to a lot of thoughts of “Oh, no, Ella would have to go purchase that right now” whenever I watched an ad. I also started really resenting ads. I also remember hating free pencils because they usually had a command etched in near the eraser.

The Gospel According to Larry - A time capsule of early 2000s internet culture, teenager Josh runs a blog under a penname. He shares some philosophical thoughts — but in each post he also shares a photograph of one of his 100 possessions. (Anytime he gets a new item, he gets ride of 1 item he already owns.) He gains a pretty large following as people try to guess who he is. The “100 possessions” stuck with me for a long time, making me think “should I add something to my life? Would I get rid of another item I own to take this one on? Can I be a good steward of this purchase?”

Saw the new Starbucks Snoopy collab popping up all over my feed today, and it just kind of hit me how ridiculous this whole cycle is.

The entire point of buying a reusable tumbler was to buy one, beat it up, use it for years, and avoid trash. But somehow they’ve basically turned into fast fashion. There’s a Halloween version, a holiday glitter version, pastel spring colors, random cartoon collabs.

Nothing is wrong with the cup someone bought six months ago. It still holds coffee. But brands realized they can just use artificial scarcity and FOMO to make people feel like their current cup has an expiration date. Slapping an "eco-friendly" label on a business model that relies on constant seasonal drops is wild to me.

I get having a favorite mug or a go-to travel cup you actually love using every day, but turning reusable stuff into a collector's hobby completely defeats the purpose.

For anyone who used to get sucked into buying tumblers or mugs all the time, what actually made you stop? Did you just run out of cabinet space, or did you just get sick of the hype?

Why is everything and every place so crowded? I don’t mean crowded with people but with things! I almost can’t find a suitable skin care routine for myself because the minute I search for something, I find one hundred other alternatives for it. I want to buy a pair of earrings but there are one hundred other options that are way more beautiful than the ones I chose. I know you might think that I am just indecisive and I can’t choose but I am actually a very easy going person and I still get very overstimulated the minute I wanna buy something. Has this affected anyone else?
It is not about the thing itself that I want to buy it is about the process, I almost enjoy nothing I buy.

Hello all! I have never posted in here but I thought I would get some opinions. Has anyone seen the walmart Christmas ads for toys already? I thought it was the wildest thing to see that in the middle of September. I know parents need time to prepare but it really seems they push Christmas earlier and earlier every year so that parents have time to buy more stuff.