While you might like to get outdoors and challenge yourself, we were intrigued by a challenge of a different sort recently – the idea of having a ‘buy nothing’ day. We’re all so tuned into realising we ‘need’ something and then getting it straight away – whether it’s additional ingredients for dinner or a new book which you can download instantly, or a subscription to online music platforms or a new TV series. The internet, the long opening hours of shops etc all make it far too easy to spend, spend, spend.
Fortunately, you can use Xpedition2 for free! There’s lots included, and if you like what you see, you can always upgrade to unlock additional features!
The official Buy Nothing Day takes place on Friday 24th November, the day after Thanksgiving in the US – conventionally a big spending day. Of course, a buy nothing day could take place more than once a year, but perhaps think about marking this day on your calendar and giving it a try, we’re certainly going to.
What is a buy nothing day?
A buy nothing day is about deciding to hold back from purchasing any goods or services for a full 24-hour period. It’s a way of helping us all to be more aware of the choices we make about our purchases. The idea is that this awareness will help us all to spend more wisely, and think about our impact on the planet every time we buy something.
How did it come about?
The Buy Nothing Day idea arose in the 1990s in the US to coincide with Black Friday (the traditional start of Christmas shopping) and is now an international event celebrated in more than 50 countries. The UK campaign and website were launched in 2000, check it out here.
The Buy Nothing Day UK website says:
“There are serious issues linked to shopping, which expose the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. The rich Western countries, only 20% of the world population, are consuming over 80% of the earth’s natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage and unfair distribution of wealth.
As consumers, we need to question our culture of shopping. We all have different needs and, ultimately, we are all consumers and will never be able to escape culture altogether. But this shouldn’t stop us from questioning the products we buy or challenging the companies who produce them. After all, what are the true risks consumerism poses to the environment and developing countries? The arguments are infinite – but there is no reason why we shouldn’t be looking for simple solutions now because one day we may be forced to change.”
- Simple things such as reducing the amount of single-use plastic and food packaging we use
- Choosing products which do not include excessive packaging, especially with food and gift items in the lead-up to Christmas
- Avoiding fast fashion and increasing upcycling, selling or donating clothes.
We hope you enjoy giving Buy Nothing Day a try, and whilst you’re avoiding the high street and online shopping, perhaps get out and about in the outdoors instead. Do head over to our Facebook profile and let us know how you get on!
PS – did you know you can use Xpedition2 for free? There’s lots included, and if you like what you see, you can always upgrade to unlock additional features
