Thursday’s Eco-Tip: Reduce (Our Two Year Rule)

One of the best things we can do to help the Environment is reduce the amount of “Stuff” we buy.  Of course, that is easier said than done!  So often, we buy things without even thinking about it.  Those things clutter up our lives, and really don’t make us any happier.  It’s something else to keep up with or take care of, and it takes up space.  If you’ve never watched the video “The Story of Stuff”, I encourage you to watch it! 

Fortunately for us, a few years ago my husband and I both ended up without jobs, so saving money became a priority to us.  During this time, we developed the “Two Year Rule”.  The rule worked so well, we decided to continue using it even after we got through our financial crunch.  It’s really saved us from buying things that we didn’t really need, or things that would no longer be used after a short period of time. 

So what is the Two Year Rule?  Every time we want to buy something, we ask ourselves, “Is this something I want to pack up and move two years from now?”  If not, then we probably don’t really need it or want it, so we don’t get it.  Not only is this good for the environment, but it’s good for your wallet as well! 

The other great thing about this rule is that it doesn’t limit “experience” type spending.  Once our finances were back in order and we weren’t spending so much money on “stuff”, we realized that we had a lot of money to spend on experiences – eating at local restaurants, visiting local attractions, and taking short trips.  These things have given us so much more joy than stuff would have! 

How do you reduce what you consume??