Capitalism. We can't live without it, hate living with it. Products feed addiction--- online shopping, in-person shopping, name brands, off-brands--- money rules. Money rules, so corporations dominate. My list of these "five things" will be mostly aimed towards things of capitalism; things I want to no longer participate in. And they will be hard!! But I want to challenge myself and achieve my goals. Here we go.
No more fast fashion. Target, Wal-Mart, ROMWE, SHEIN, Forever 21, H&M- every single chain clothing store or online chain- produce thousands, if not millions, of articles of clothing each and every day. The more people consume, the more they make. The more they make, the more trees that are cut down for making large factories. The more consumption, the more polluted rivers and oceans. Consumption inevitably equals destruction. The solution? Thrift stores. Just shop secondhand. I have shopped at thrift stores my entire life and have found amazing things for less than $5. Secondhand shops like Goodwill are very expensive. Although they usually get nice furniture (we've gotten several furniture pieces for great deals) and great quality clothing, they have marked up the prices a little more every year. My favorite thrift stores are the local ones. The "PTA's". Shirts are $3, jeans are like $4, jackets are usually $4. Like, all clothing items are below $5. Need jeans? They have rows of them. Silverware? Buckets and buckets. School supplies, toys, kitchenware, home decor, etc. If it can be donated, they will accept it. Not only is it good for the environment, but it's a fantastic money-saver. Yes, there are some things I will need from corporations. Things I do not buy secondhand (ever) are underwear, bras, and swimsuits. That's self explanatory. Even washed, I don't feel comfortable wearing items that are so close to the, er, private areas. You just never know. Shirts and pants, however, feel safer to me. Kitchen items can be washed (but be careful with containers that could have held chemicals or something gross. For storage containers, I would recommend buying those new), as well as toys and home decor items. I love shopping for Halloween and Christmas stuff cause I love finding the vintage style stuff! But yeah, aside from the absolutely necessary items, I want to begin only buying clothes from secondhand stores. Again, this is going to be very difficult for me because I love pop culture and stores make the cutest graphic Tees. However, I can always go to RedBubble or Etsy and support a creator and their art.
No more impulse buying. I'm a collector. I like Funko and Schleich, CollectA and Rebor, and all other brands that make figurines and statues. I tend to buy whatever thing I see that I like and think nothing of it. But, obviously, money goes away quickly. I need to be better. Again, this will be hard. Very. Hard. If you are in the collector community, you know that when your brand or whatever releases something new; if you don't get it WHEN YOU SEE IT, it will be GONE. Either it will sell out to fans or the scalpers will buy them all and increase the price by 10k% on Ebay. So, with that mindset, it's hard to not immediately purchase something you want that you know will be nearly impossible to get in the future. I just need to prioritize my interests and focus on not collecting everything in the world. Which leads me into my third thing:
Browse the internet, constantly. The more internet time I have, the more likely it is I will buy something. So, I need to find different hobbies. I've always loved crafting. I need to get back into that. I have a plethora of unused craft supplies from over the years. I need to use it. I also thought about getting back into drawing. I know I want to start reading, again. I've made a reading log and everything to help me get started. I have tons of books that need reading, too. Number four smoothly comes next:
Not exercising. I need to start cardio or something. Exercise 100% helps you mentally and spiritually, and I need my brain to be clear. It has felt so foggy for a few months, now. I'm getting a new job- left my retail job. Leaving my retail job has already helped me tremendously. My newest job is working with dogs all day! Animals make me happy. So, I just want to feel good about myself and feel better, mentally. Exercise and eating better can and will help me achieve this.
Compare myself to others. Everyone's journey in this life is different. I am no exception. I don't need to be living in a 3 story paid house on 24 acres of land with 6 kids and a Cadillac by age 27. I don't need 5 college degrees. I don't need to be 6 foot 1, 110 pounds with a 25 inch waist, 38DD boobs, and 47 inch hips. (??? Are those even real numbers ???) I am just fine the way I am living. I have a husband who loves me dearly, my family; lifetime friends, a roof over my head, and a plan. I have goals, and none of them are comparable to anyone else. This is my journey, not anyone else's.
Some of these 5 things may seem easy to many people, but because I have not followed these 5 things my whole life, it's gonna be a challenge. However, I know I am fully capable of achieving my goals. I have a good group of people who I know will help me.
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