maybe a girl should dress like a bloke

I hold the fashion industry accountable for a lot of this crazy consuming in this crazy consumeristic world. The fashion churn is huge, and it is easy to fall prey to the constant demand for change.

I was going through my wardrobe the other day, throwing things out (for recycling). And I realised what an enormous number of clothes I seem to own. Compared to the very small volume of clothing that the Object of my Affections owns, the difference is exponential.

It is just as well that he has hardly any, because otherwise mine would not fit in the wardrobe ... but it did make me think that if women dressed more like men (well, the sort that don't buy a lot of clothes) then consumption globally would drop dramatically.

Mind you, the world might not be so interesting to look at ...

the joy of shopping

I have rediscovered the joy of shopping - and it is all about serendipity - the great satisfaction of finding something when you least expect it. The small amount of shopping that I have been doing is usually at op shops or second hand shops. As it is coming up to Xmas party season and I am in fact going to a work 'do', I was a bit perturbed about what to wear. It is a frock affair and the only frock I have that still fits is about 10 years old and not exactly at the cutting edge of fashion. Was thinking that I might perhaps have concede defeat and buy something new.

BUT, went shopping with my friend on Sunday and ended up buying this most fantastic dress from a second hand clothes shop. A fancy designer number, which though not especially cheap was about 30% of what it would have cost normally (and I would never have bought it new because I just wouldn't have been looking at high end clothes). So am very happy and will be better dressed than I would have otherwise. Ha!

the working spending thing

I think that part of the reason we buy things is to make ourselves feel better about working - a sort of reward for all the hard yards put in day in day out ...

This seems to be part of my desire to buy stuff - 'I deserve it' seems to be part of the rationale - and a desire to have some fun with money rather than just saving it and paying the mortgage, which really is not that much fun really. (Or have I missed something?)

There is a distinct lack of logic about all of this, but there you go.

some things you just need

I recently bought (through necessity) some new glasses. Some things you just don't want to do second hand - and glasses is one of them.

There is something very personal about glasses - sort of like toothbrushes and underwear on the 'no share', no second hand stakes. Is it because we wear them every day and are by their nature not communal?

doing less and doing it less often

I was doing some housework the other day and I was wondering do we need to do all this stuff so often? Do we need to clean the shower/toilets etc as often as we do? Do we need to vac the floor as often?

Do we really need to shower every day - wash our hair as often as we do - all of that stuff. If we did it less often, we would use less water, less energy, less resources and save ourselves a lot of hassle into the bargain.

I am not advocating a rapid descent into squalor and a great lowering of personal hygiene standards - but do we really need to do all this stuff so frequently? Who says?

I used to wash all my work clothes (shirts etc) after one wear - and then it dawned on me that all I do is sit in an air conditioned office all day - don't exactly work up a sweat - so maybe I can wear them twice! Not sure if I am game to try for three times, but gee the old sniff test is still pretty reliable. So much of our behaviour seems to do with conditioning rather than common sense.

I now wash my hair once a week rather than twice, and guess what? It looks fine, doesn't hang in lanky strings and that is all it needs. All it takes is to question your habits and give it a try. Pretty low risk really.

And I can think of way better things to do with my time rather than washing and drying my hair every day and incessant cleaning and clothes washing.

alignment

A few weeks ago I was reading a 'women's magazine' in a cafe which had an article on how to reduce your consumption and do your best for the planet. It had a few pieces of vaguely worthwhile advice e.g. 'fly less' and was about as shallow as you would expect in a publication of that sort.

The irony of an article on how we can help save the planet featuring in a magazine dedicated to consumerism - mainly via the fashion industry - and bulging full of ads exhorting us all to buy more stuff was not lost on me.

I concede that a fluffy fashion magazine is not where you are likely to find either intellectual fodder or a strong political message, but still ... The actions sure did not match the words.

Guess it is the same with all of us - no point wringing our hands about climate change and all the rest of it without changing our behaviours. It's the cause and effect thing.

the book issue

I thought when I began this exercise that the biggest challenge I would face was on the book front. I am an inveterate book buyer and reader - always have been, always will be. To the point that I have run out of places to put the darned things.

So - several things have happened.

1. I have rediscovered the joy of the library. I was going before I started this Compact gig, but now I am a library consumer big time. Tend to get a bit carried away with the number of books I can actually read at any one time, but hey - life's a challenge! And I can take them back and they don't hang around my house forever and a day. (Yes, I know the logical response here is - why don't you give some of your books away? I am trying - and succeeding on a minor scale - but find it a bit like cutting off a limb... Some things are a work in progress).

2. And I now buy my books from Op Shops. Does this lead to a completely different reading experience or what! Books I would never have bought, books I read years ago, books no longer in fashion ... It's great! And somehow I find it easier to part with the Op Shop books, so I am quite living on the verandah yet.

A win all round. It's working for me.