Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?

Accumulation is normal.

Giving things away is normal as well.

Throwing things out is wasteful. Especially if it can be used again.

I focus on buying items that will last longer than a season. Despite popular belief in this day and age, garments and accessories made from plastic are not sustainable. They may sustain your vanity and delusions…but not the environment.

Sterling silver, genuine leather, cotton, linen, silk, and viscose are great materials to go after. Often times, a lot of these garments can be found just about anywhere – from your local thrift store, and even on Amazon.

Next…do you need to fix the hole or completely throw it out? I fix holes by either sewing them, or buying linen/cotton patches in the prescribed color. If you don’t have any sewing skills, apply yourself by looking at YouTube tutorials. With jewelry, especially cheaper jewelry found at Target or Walmart…look for ways to restore the coating. There are recipes, cleaning suggestions and ways to help jewelry last longer. However, knowing what you buy helps as well. Sterling silver and stainless steel are great ways to keep jewelry around for much longer (decades or more). These are items you can resell and give away. Sterling silver can be up cycled, by the way!

Shoes and handbags can be fixed at home, polished at home or taken to a cobbler. Yes, they still exist. Show taps for heels, polishes, varnish, laces, and many more items are available almost everywhere, are cheap and easy to use for at home care. Buy shoes that will last, with actual rubber soles and leather. They’ll outlive the cute shoes you constantly buy at Aldo and are a lot easier to fix.

Lastly. Give things away instead of throwing them away. I have practiced this all my days. Someone is going to need or want your items.

Taking care of what I own helps sustainability. And spreading the word about sustainable practices helps plant a seed.