Consider 50%
Instead of 10 cheap tops in the year, could it be 5 you hold dear?
Instead of 4 glasses of house wine, could it be 2 glasses of a rarer drop that you savour every sip of?
Instead of the all you can eat buffet, could it be a main and a glass of wine in a great restaurant that values you and produce dearly?
Instead of 2 for 1 non fair trade non organic chocolate at the store, could it be one precious block where every square makes a difference – to your mood AND the planet?
Instead of making mention of every little annoyance, could it be just a couple that really matter?
Instead of cake and a serving of seconds, could it be a slower, deeper appreciation of how delicious that one serve is?
Instead of cheap toys that tire in a day, could it be half that amount that are held dear for the next generation too?
Instead of loads of factory farmed bacon, could it be two rashers of organic, free range heaven.
Instead of a lots of supermarket cakes and biscuits, could it be one or two home baked or artisan treats ?
Half as much, twice the quality.
Mindful appreciation.
Telling yourself ‘I don’t need it. I have and am enough’.
Rediscover quality.
Rediscover slowing down to savour.
Rediscover the notion of investing in items that your children will also get to enjoy when they grow up.
What might be something you could consider 50% of?
You win, farmers win, factory workers win, the planet wins… so many wins in considering 50%.
Conscious living is so interesting, isn’t it? Our culture tends to frown on people that might choose ‘the best’ in a ‘who do you think you are’ type of way often. If it means greater enjoyment, less landfill, and greater appreciation overall, then surely it’s time to change the conversation?
Comments 6
I was just thinking about this today! I had some delicious Fairtrade Organic chocolate and enjoyed it so much more than the usually rubbish. I am using every last piece of organic produce I buy and stretch out the meals to make it more affordable. I have been living make-up free all week and have been using a minimal beauty routine until I can replace with better quality (low tox) products. 50% right there 🙂 Love your work Alexx, I hope for a world filled with people like you xx
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Beautiful Michelle. Thanks for sharing x
50% less stress is one that I have been focusing more on in 2014- looking inwards rather than externally for happiness. Less focus on what other people are saying and doing, less focus on the ego and more on love. Imagine if we all focused on 50% less stress- how much better would the world be? Maybe fewer mental health issues? Something to think about! Great post 🙂
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Me too Natalie! I love your 50% less stress focus, that’s brilliant! For me it was clothes last year. I used to feel so guilty buying an “expensive” pair of jeans, but not 3 pairs of jeans on special from somewhere cheap, which add up to the price of one special pair. “Cheap” has a price elsewhere, whether it’s on the unfair conditions of factory workers, the chemicals, the ensuing illness those chemicals provoke on us and the planet…
Alex – where to begin? This has become a constant theme in my mind this year. To that end, I have started (finally) taking on some of my husband’s advice about quality vs quantity. My mother in law (and I love her to pieces and she has the amazing skill of never paying full price for anything. Ever.) loves a sale and a bargain. But her clothes take up 3/4 of her and my FIL’s walk in wardrobe, plus she has another wall length wardrobe in one of their spare rooms just full of clothes. If a shirt is on sale (and we’re in the US, so there is a LOT of cheap clothing) she will buy two or three in different colors. When I first moved here I had the same attitude because things were SO cheap vs home. Now, I can’t stand the idea of spending the afternoon in a mall. But I digress. My husband’s grandmother always said, “Buy the best and you will never be disappointed”. I try to put that into practical terms (because the best doesn’t always have to be $$$$). This year I have shopped for clothing at this great second hand/consignment chain in our city and found some awesome items that I know I will be able to wear for a long time, that are good quality, and that I didn’t buy at a throwaway chain. My husband and I are going to go through our clothes this weekend (we have separate wardrobes at the moment, but need to combine to free up our spare room wardrobe) and hope to be able to get rid of a lot of things we don’t wear anymore, either through donation or consignment. Basically simplifying things. Have also tried the food approach. I realized that when we shop, I don’t need to buy as much as I have been buying, otherwise we just don’t use it up. 85% dark chocolate is more $$, but lasts longer (well .. most of the time :)). Buying full fat organic or grass fed milk is more expensive, but I have found it has a longer fridge life. There is a brand here that is made up of small organic farms in Maine (MOO Milk) and when I mentioned to my dad that I was reluctant to spend more on it b/c of the price, he pointed out that it was only 20-50c more and it wasn’t that much to help support a group that if we don’t pitch in, will end up being pushed out by bigger conglomerates. Another interesting point – growing up, my mum was always adamant that we only shopped at the supermarket once a week. Now she’s an advocate for a few smaller trips to get things fresh and in smaller amounts. Places like Costco (I think there is one in Sydney and Melbourne now?) work in the sense that bigger families can buy in bulk, but I wonder at the environmental impact (and maybe social impact?) that that has, because everything is so cheap to the point that producers must have to cut corners somewhere to be able to price them like that (??). I don’t know – a lot of good talking points with this post!! You might also be interested in this post on NPR and some of the comments about consumerism: http://www.npr.org/2014/10/22/357838026/halloween-thanksgiving-hanukkah-christmas-new-year-buying-begins
Great post, Alex!!
What a deliciously beautiful philosophy to embrace Alexx. I’m so with you x