Call me stupid but I just realized that a sustainable lifestyle is not just only good for the environment but also so economical and so good for my broke ass — be it saving energy, reusing rainwater, recycling waste, having my own kitchen garden or buying secondhand. All of it saves tons of money. And I somehow always thought it’s more expensive to switch to one. Well played, corporates! Well played!
However, coming back to the topic, buying secondhand products can absolutely change your life. It’s not only cost effective and helps save the environment but also brings significant changes to your lifestyle (obviously, in a good way). We are all “team secondhand” and here is why you should be too!
1. Reduces the waste that ends up in landfill
I mean, of course, it will probably end up in a landfill someday but number one, it reduces the time the product will stay in a landfill. Two, everytime someone passes on the anything to another person, it would reduce the actual quantity of that product that ends up in the landfill eventually. And it doesn’t matter if the product can be recycled only twice, less waste is always good!
If you buy something secondhand, pass it on later to someone else if it is still in a useable condition instead of throwing it away. If not, there are a lot of things that can also be broken down into smaller pieces and put to use in other ways. It’ll be super nice if you can find ways to do it.
2. Reduces the demand for new
When you can already get what you want, it reduces the demand for the production of more. Less production would mean lesser trash ends up in landfills eventually. Simple, isn’t it?
3. Supports a circular economy
From personal experience, there couldn’t be a better way to live honestly. I spent two years in Berlin while doing my masters. There were so many of these “giveaway” groups where you could simply post about the things you wanted to giveaway. You could, of course, then also look for a product you wanted to have but don’t want to buy. Since the city has a constantly moving population, it’s super nice because you get to have the things you want without monetarily investing in them. Saves tons of money, you don’t have to move everything around everytime you shift places. Super economical and super cool for the environment. I wish every city in the world could do this.
4. A unique story to share
When we start becoming conscious towards what we consume, we value our things even more. Every product has a unique story behind it and you get to know all of it when you buy secondhand. When you’re buying that old table, it might belong to someone’s grandparents who bought it for their first house, that t-shirt might have been that little girl’s favorite until she stopped fitting into it, that bag might have travelled to several countries with that travelholic before she decided to give it away. Stories bring even non-living objects to life!
5. Affordability
You know it already, secondhand products are always cheaper to buy and so super good for the pocket. However, buying vintage products could be a little expensive since they have preserved for so many years and are one of a kind. But again, they have a story to share, are unique in true sense and will make you standout!
6. Supports the community
Apart from direct buying in selling, there are many secondhand stores that are often small businesses or non-profits. Buying from them supports them directly and is a way of giving back to the community. Even when you’re buying or selling online, you are promoting a circular economy which is excellent for your community. Moreover, events like garage sale are a super cool for getting to know the people around you and building a community.
7. Better quality and long-lasting
It is generally been observed that older items have a better built quality since they belong to an era where quality was more important than quantity and mass production was not making everyone appear the same. This is particularly true for clothes and furniture.
I remember watching this one documentary on Netflix about a furniture business and how it is eventually shutting down because of big mass production brands like IKEA after fighting for so many years to stay in business. The point being, when buying new becomes super cheap — it’s easy to forget the real costs.
8. Super fun to shop and upcycle
Looking through old stuff and hunting through secondhand stores and fleamarkets can be a really fun process. And if you really dig deep, you can find some absolute treasures! Upcycling old products can be a great DIY project to undertake — you can make the products match your aesthetics and find yourself a new favorite.
For instance, we found this really cool upcycled furniture by The Greenish Affair on Instagram —
Don’t know where to start? There are multiple options — you can look for secondhand stores near you, use Facebook marketplace to list your product or search for one, or it might be possible that someone you already know has what you’re looking for. It’s also always nice to donate your things if you can’t find someone to buy them instead of throwing them away in the trash.
In end, we would just like to add that buying secondhand can really change your perspective about life maybe in a way similar to minimalism. When you buy secondhand or sell what you own or simply give it away, you sort of appreciate it’s value much more than before and think about its journey — how it got passed on from one to another, what it meant for its different owners — something that you might not have done before. Like those scratches or scribblings on a secondhand table, like those messages on a book, the folded pages or the underlined words — makes you think what the lines meant for its previous reader. It somehow doesn’t remain just a product that would someday be discarded off.
PS: We would love to hear the story about any secondhand product you bought. Share with us and we’ll share it everyone around! 🙂
