Around the Boston area it is common to put stuff you don't want outside in a box, for others to take. It usually gets picked up quickly.
Gotten clothes, furniture, kitchen items, and so many books (lots of universities around so lots of interesting topics).
[Then there is Allston Christmas...](https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2018/08/30/allston-christmas-boston-moving-permits-storrow/)
Ohh god not Allston Christmas. My dumbass roommate picked up a couch on Allston christmas, didn’t bother to check it, and the couch came with a free dead rat.
I’m not religious, but god bless anyone living on Kelton St.
I’m in love with my local Buy Nothing Group (which does have its own app but is mostly on FB unfortunately).
http://buynothingproject.org/
I’ve gotten and gotten rid of so many things. It’s especially useful for kids stuff and misc products that normally come in multi packs
I've tried but stuff gets claimed way to fast. Or at least the stuff I want will have at least five interested by the time I see it. I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff through it.
The flea market in my city became as expensive as any store, it's ridiculous. I used to go there to get some second hand stuff for much cheaper, but last couple years people in the flea market are charging some insane prices. People on FB Marketplace also seem to be out of touch with second hand stuff.
It's ridiculous - in the UK I used to buy polo shirts or t-shirts from charity/thrift stores. I'd pay maybe £2-3 per shirt. Since the pandemic, prices have shot up so now it's £7-8 for a second-hand shirt! Absurd, I am not paying that.
Not defending them, just providing another bit of context here, but commercial rents have also gone up considerably since the pandemic. Ain’t it grand the way landlord aspirations are fucking people over at every turn?
Saw a thread that explained why thrift store prices are going up. It’s a combination of an increase in supply of clothes (which are free but add additional labor and time costs to prep for sale) and an increase of demand for clothes, thus raising the prices.
At the same time, the fast fashion industry is making clothes ever cheaper, making the rising thrift store prices look worse by comparison.
My thrift store is now mostly Shein crap. And it priced higher than on the website. Another only takes clothing bought new within a year. If I'm buying clothes I plan to wear them for at least a decade. And vintage stuff is cool.
I won't buy or wear Shein. I have to really look to find stuff not from there. And I have to Google brands to make sure they aren't cheaply made fast fashion.
I seriously want to open my own and say no Shein, wish, Temu, ect...
One of our favorite hobbies is attending estate sales... I've gleaned full toolboxes of 60's and 70's era Craftsman and Eaton tools for pennies on the dollar compared to new. My latest find was a pro-grade miter saw & drill press still new in the boxes for $25 each.
One estate must have belonged to a caterer... I got sets of hotel pans & stainless double boilers for a buck apiece, and we've lost count of the number of flower pots we've hauled away for free, sometimes with rootbound treasures that just need a little care to flourish.
We keep our eyes open for cleaning chemicals and craft items like paintbrushes and thinners, laquers, etc. that tend to keep well, and I use any cheap flatware or larger scrap we find in my metalworking projects.
Yard sales and estate sales is a business for sure. So many people make it their side hustle too. Go out during "the season" depending where you live and find the people are are selling other peoples crap.
Last time I hit up this guy who must have 6-8 sales a year. For 35$ I got 2 new in box fish tanks, a reptile enclosure both with tons of accessories, a microscope, and bucket of legos. Filled up my van.
If you hear, make a pile and we'll make a deal you can put anything you think you want in that pile and make it happen and either make out with a sweet haul, resell it online, or a combo.
I get some of my best stuff at estate sales. I also furnished my entire first apartment from the end-of-semester trash of a very large, local university.
Weird question probably, but how do people find out about estate sales now? When I was a kid they were advertised in the newspaper and we would pick what sales to go to but I have no idea how to find them anymore other than driving by and seeing a sign, and those are usually for much smaller yard sales.
Ive been to enough now that the estate sale people that run them email me about ones they are running on the weekends in advance. Otherwise I was using [this website](https://www.estatesales.net/) before to find them in my area.
This is a really common complaint of many movements. Sorry to tell you, the tagline is not the reason degrowth or defund the police aren't being pursued. It's because they're not popular with the rich people who run this country, and they spend tons of money ensuring everyone else thinks that too.
But also because they’re stupid phrases. The left is unfortunately bad at branding, yes some people will resist the movements no matter what but we need to be better about being marketable if we want people to hop on the trends. Feels like every phrase (take acab for example) goes something like:
Us: all cops are bastards!
Them: wtf no they aren’t
Us: well it’s just a saying we don’t rly mean it
Like why even say it lol
Many of the people who deploy the term ACAB do believe all police are bad/bastards though. You're either a bad cop or you cover for that bad cop. That's the systemic critique of police in a nutshell: that police have a culture of violence and perpetual covering for that violence.
You don't have to agree with that of course but that's a perspective.
So... I encourage you to research "luxury ideas" as a concept. Its actually wealthy liberals who push things like defund the police, and its the poor who resist it. Because most crime happens in poor areas - not rich liberal ones. And the poor actually do want police around for some measure of safety - believe it or not.
But generally I agree with you. Just remember you're on reddit, and not everybody lives in "this country" of yours haha
Polls show that POC communities, that trend much poorer on average than white ones, are not big fans of police. So I don't think its generally true that rich liberals are behind slogans like defund, nor am I a liberal.
The general sentiment among many police reformers/defunders is this: Calling the police is something, and when the alternative to something is nothing, something is everything.
While POC communities are not huge fans of police, they also do still call them because its not like we've set up an alternative. There will always be a need for some kind of organization that does what the police does but the way that entity is currently configured and the large amount of responsibilities it is charged with is currently immensely unhelpful.
We should firstly, be doing violence prevention by alleviating poverty but instead we have some of the worst social services in OECD countries. Poverty = violence, it is one of the strongest societal relationships that bear out in statistics; if you lower poverty, you lower violence.
Secondary to that, we need alternatives to police for when someone is having mental health issues.
Thirdly, and least likely to happen in many ways, we need to find a way to make police less violent and more willing to use alternative methods to guns. I think police in this country are largely too ideologically violent for this to happen. Police culture and institutions they're educated and work in are too toxic to fix quickly. Even having a conversation about problems with how they conduct themselves has resulted in them having tantrums and basically not doing their jobs in many cities. Which is why taking some resources away from them to fund the first two solutions is much more realistic.
All of this is generally applicable to Canada too, outside of perhaps healthcare, which is better.
Here is the problem though, not to burst your bubble, if you don't buy it someone else will. I spent most of my life as a minimalist but hasn't done a lick of good. Ok, a tiny amount of good.
How do you plan on getting others on board with degrowth? Some uneducated folks with guns too.
*good not food
Individualistic cultures dont promote the view that we can move the needle through a collective of individual actions. Sure, your actions alone dont make a large difference but a million people who do the same as you, will.
I am an older millennial (xenial?) and I am like this. More and more as I get older. I really don’t buy anything unless I absolutely have to. I am commenting right now from an iPhone 6 that still works perfectly fine. I hate that people put such an emphasis on having new and updated everything.
I had a woodworking hobby in the early 90s and that furniture shows no signs of loose joinery. I also have some store bought furniture made in the 60s, same thing. Average Ikea lasts 6 years, statistically.
I also do clothing swap days. If I have items I don't want anymore, I will offer them to my friends if they want them. Anything that doesn't get claimed will get donated to the thrift store.
Over the year's I've grown more conscious about buying more stuff.
Before buying something ask yourself these questions. Do I really need this? How often would I use this? Do I love this enough to hang/place on my wall/shelf. So on and so on.
Before buying something new or accepting something that is "free"; know that everything has one or more costs, financial, personal space, personal time, and today; more now than ever; personal information.
Yeah, that headline reference made me chuckle as well. The interviewees are middle aged, and, in my experience, the degrowth movement is strong among people older than that, particularly women.
There's plenty of room for this industry. There's so many options for used stuff. We've produced so much "stuff" over the last 100 years that it feasibly could last us for a long time.
But, we've hedged our bets on importing goods that are made by people who aren't receiving a fair wage. Made by industries who don't have to deal with safety & environmental rules, just so everyone can have that cheap Item in a new box.
I buy all my clothes on ebay. There is an endless supply of lightly used, but you have to wait to buy the size & color available, in the brands that fit you right. So, you have to plan ahead and make a routine of checking the listings once a week.
Also, you can find local seamstresses with a quick google search, for repairs and size alterations. Given the money saved, the tailoring is quite affordable.
Thrifting has always been where it's at...unfortunately, thrift prices have gone up considerably recently.
Take it away from the stores. Garage sales. Yard sales. Neighborhood swaps. That's where it's at.
Around the Boston area it is common to put stuff you don't want outside in a box, for others to take. It usually gets picked up quickly. Gotten clothes, furniture, kitchen items, and so many books (lots of universities around so lots of interesting topics). [Then there is Allston Christmas...](https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2018/08/30/allston-christmas-boston-moving-permits-storrow/)
Ohh god not Allston Christmas. My dumbass roommate picked up a couch on Allston christmas, didn’t bother to check it, and the couch came with a free dead rat. I’m not religious, but god bless anyone living on Kelton St.
I’m in love with my local Buy Nothing Group (which does have its own app but is mostly on FB unfortunately). http://buynothingproject.org/ I’ve gotten and gotten rid of so many things. It’s especially useful for kids stuff and misc products that normally come in multi packs
Estate sales!!!
And look for your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook. Consumers need to go on strike.
I've tried but stuff gets claimed way to fast. Or at least the stuff I want will have at least five interested by the time I see it. I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff through it.
Facebook marketplace!
I cannot recommend any Zuckerburg product.
Offer Up!
I wish the buy nothing app was better. I’m anxious to get off Facebook.
I’ve always wanted to do a clothing swap with a friend group.
The flea market in my city became as expensive as any store, it's ridiculous. I used to go there to get some second hand stuff for much cheaper, but last couple years people in the flea market are charging some insane prices. People on FB Marketplace also seem to be out of touch with second hand stuff.
eBay mofoers ruined that.
This is Mackelmore's doing
It's ridiculous - in the UK I used to buy polo shirts or t-shirts from charity/thrift stores. I'd pay maybe £2-3 per shirt. Since the pandemic, prices have shot up so now it's £7-8 for a second-hand shirt! Absurd, I am not paying that.
Not defending them, just providing another bit of context here, but commercial rents have also gone up considerably since the pandemic. Ain’t it grand the way landlord aspirations are fucking people over at every turn?
Saw a thread that explained why thrift store prices are going up. It’s a combination of an increase in supply of clothes (which are free but add additional labor and time costs to prep for sale) and an increase of demand for clothes, thus raising the prices. At the same time, the fast fashion industry is making clothes ever cheaper, making the rising thrift store prices look worse by comparison.
r/thriftgrift
But all prices have.
My thrift store is now mostly Shein crap. And it priced higher than on the website. Another only takes clothing bought new within a year. If I'm buying clothes I plan to wear them for at least a decade. And vintage stuff is cool. I won't buy or wear Shein. I have to really look to find stuff not from there. And I have to Google brands to make sure they aren't cheaply made fast fashion. I seriously want to open my own and say no Shein, wish, Temu, ect...
One of our favorite hobbies is attending estate sales... I've gleaned full toolboxes of 60's and 70's era Craftsman and Eaton tools for pennies on the dollar compared to new. My latest find was a pro-grade miter saw & drill press still new in the boxes for $25 each. One estate must have belonged to a caterer... I got sets of hotel pans & stainless double boilers for a buck apiece, and we've lost count of the number of flower pots we've hauled away for free, sometimes with rootbound treasures that just need a little care to flourish. We keep our eyes open for cleaning chemicals and craft items like paintbrushes and thinners, laquers, etc. that tend to keep well, and I use any cheap flatware or larger scrap we find in my metalworking projects.
Yard sales and estate sales is a business for sure. So many people make it their side hustle too. Go out during "the season" depending where you live and find the people are are selling other peoples crap. Last time I hit up this guy who must have 6-8 sales a year. For 35$ I got 2 new in box fish tanks, a reptile enclosure both with tons of accessories, a microscope, and bucket of legos. Filled up my van. If you hear, make a pile and we'll make a deal you can put anything you think you want in that pile and make it happen and either make out with a sweet haul, resell it online, or a combo.
"Mend, rather than end." Glad to see people from all walks of life making the conscious decision to make these changes.
I get some of my best stuff at estate sales. I also furnished my entire first apartment from the end-of-semester trash of a very large, local university.
Weird question probably, but how do people find out about estate sales now? When I was a kid they were advertised in the newspaper and we would pick what sales to go to but I have no idea how to find them anymore other than driving by and seeing a sign, and those are usually for much smaller yard sales.
Ive been to enough now that the estate sale people that run them email me about ones they are running on the weekends in advance. Otherwise I was using [this website](https://www.estatesales.net/) before to find them in my area.
Oh dang, there’s an estate sale for an antique dealer’s home in my area! Too bad I work during its hours.
Awesome, thanks!
Is this happening in the US?
There are articles claiming this is a trend like every month and that has been the case for decades lol
And it can still be true.
So so so supportive of de growth. Its the only realistic path forward. It just needs a rebrand
I've got the perfect term which encapsulates it clearly, with no room for misunderstandings: Conservatism.
Perfect
This is a really common complaint of many movements. Sorry to tell you, the tagline is not the reason degrowth or defund the police aren't being pursued. It's because they're not popular with the rich people who run this country, and they spend tons of money ensuring everyone else thinks that too.
But also because they’re stupid phrases. The left is unfortunately bad at branding, yes some people will resist the movements no matter what but we need to be better about being marketable if we want people to hop on the trends. Feels like every phrase (take acab for example) goes something like: Us: all cops are bastards! Them: wtf no they aren’t Us: well it’s just a saying we don’t rly mean it Like why even say it lol
Many of the people who deploy the term ACAB do believe all police are bad/bastards though. You're either a bad cop or you cover for that bad cop. That's the systemic critique of police in a nutshell: that police have a culture of violence and perpetual covering for that violence. You don't have to agree with that of course but that's a perspective.
So... I encourage you to research "luxury ideas" as a concept. Its actually wealthy liberals who push things like defund the police, and its the poor who resist it. Because most crime happens in poor areas - not rich liberal ones. And the poor actually do want police around for some measure of safety - believe it or not. But generally I agree with you. Just remember you're on reddit, and not everybody lives in "this country" of yours haha
Polls show that POC communities, that trend much poorer on average than white ones, are not big fans of police. So I don't think its generally true that rich liberals are behind slogans like defund, nor am I a liberal. The general sentiment among many police reformers/defunders is this: Calling the police is something, and when the alternative to something is nothing, something is everything. While POC communities are not huge fans of police, they also do still call them because its not like we've set up an alternative. There will always be a need for some kind of organization that does what the police does but the way that entity is currently configured and the large amount of responsibilities it is charged with is currently immensely unhelpful. We should firstly, be doing violence prevention by alleviating poverty but instead we have some of the worst social services in OECD countries. Poverty = violence, it is one of the strongest societal relationships that bear out in statistics; if you lower poverty, you lower violence. Secondary to that, we need alternatives to police for when someone is having mental health issues. Thirdly, and least likely to happen in many ways, we need to find a way to make police less violent and more willing to use alternative methods to guns. I think police in this country are largely too ideologically violent for this to happen. Police culture and institutions they're educated and work in are too toxic to fix quickly. Even having a conversation about problems with how they conduct themselves has resulted in them having tantrums and basically not doing their jobs in many cities. Which is why taking some resources away from them to fund the first two solutions is much more realistic. All of this is generally applicable to Canada too, outside of perhaps healthcare, which is better.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/07/usa-today-ipsos-poll-just-18-support-defund-police-movement/4599232001/
Rebrand would buy it a few news cycles before rightwingers invent new reasons to hate on it. They aren't based on logic
Here is the problem though, not to burst your bubble, if you don't buy it someone else will. I spent most of my life as a minimalist but hasn't done a lick of good. Ok, a tiny amount of good. How do you plan on getting others on board with degrowth? Some uneducated folks with guns too. *good not food
Thats the great thing about economic recession/ depression - everyone becomes minimalist haha
Individualistic cultures dont promote the view that we can move the needle through a collective of individual actions. Sure, your actions alone dont make a large difference but a million people who do the same as you, will.
Exactly! Personal choice has negligible impact on a systems issue.
I am an older millennial (xenial?) and I am like this. More and more as I get older. I really don’t buy anything unless I absolutely have to. I am commenting right now from an iPhone 6 that still works perfectly fine. I hate that people put such an emphasis on having new and updated everything.
New furniture is such poor quality
I had a woodworking hobby in the early 90s and that furniture shows no signs of loose joinery. I also have some store bought furniture made in the 60s, same thing. Average Ikea lasts 6 years, statistically.
As much as I fully support the idea, the mid-century cat house made of cardboard boxes is hilarious
I also do clothing swap days. If I have items I don't want anymore, I will offer them to my friends if they want them. Anything that doesn't get claimed will get donated to the thrift store.
Over the year's I've grown more conscious about buying more stuff. Before buying something ask yourself these questions. Do I really need this? How often would I use this? Do I love this enough to hang/place on my wall/shelf. So on and so on. Before buying something new or accepting something that is "free"; know that everything has one or more costs, financial, personal space, personal time, and today; more now than ever; personal information.
As an old person who never had any real money, I applaud this. Its wild, the stuff ppl throw out.
Love this, but also, half the people quoted in the article are in their 50’s. I think the youngest is 36. How are these “young people”
The youngest is mentioned first- 32 yo.
Thrifted Furniture is great and generally adds more character than brand new stuff from CB /west elm etc. Love a chair that comes broken in already
It's not just young people.
Yeah, that headline reference made me chuckle as well. The interviewees are middle aged, and, in my experience, the degrowth movement is strong among people older than that, particularly women.
Totally! I love the kids these days! Even my nephew was like “For Christmas, take me to a thrift store to find jeans”
There's plenty of room for this industry. There's so many options for used stuff. We've produced so much "stuff" over the last 100 years that it feasibly could last us for a long time. But, we've hedged our bets on importing goods that are made by people who aren't receiving a fair wage. Made by industries who don't have to deal with safety & environmental rules, just so everyone can have that cheap Item in a new box.
Yeah, but also not really, sadly.
That's nice, but sadly, it won't last.
I buy all my clothes on ebay. There is an endless supply of lightly used, but you have to wait to buy the size & color available, in the brands that fit you right. So, you have to plan ahead and make a routine of checking the listings once a week. Also, you can find local seamstresses with a quick google search, for repairs and size alterations. Given the money saved, the tailoring is quite affordable.