To suggest that people should buy less stuff

[Noras]

i just think that the mess we are in is because we get stuff from overseas that we don’t really need. People buy a lot of tat and junk eg cheap clothing, rubbish confectionary and artificial tat for homes. If we all just cut down on huge chunks of it we could cut out our balance of payment deficit.

Also people need to buy less from overseas owned companies. People need to check each and every company they buy from and go for smaller independents etc There needs to be an online list of stores to avoid.

city breaks? generally not environmentally conscious..

It won't stop people buying loads of kids presents at xmas and birthdays.
Some people's living rooms look like toyshops/warehouses at Christmas
Children would be happier with alot less. Try telling people.

Everyone has loads of stuff. They're forever giving it away free these days on Facebook groups.

I agree, especially presents for kids, far too much plastic packaging. The 'need' to have a huge pile of wrapped presents, boxes full of plastic tat, personalised birthday wear for one day, balloon arches etc. So many children have mountains of toys they never play with, such a waste. Xx

City breaks by train!

York

London

Oxford

Harrogate

and with our electric car

Wells / Cheddar Gouge, Wookie Hole/ Salisbury and Stonehenge (last Easter)

Cambridge

York

Chester

Half term we are going to Surrey!

Not sure how much more eco friendly I can be?

I am not sure any of us can cycle that far with a suitcase?

None of my "old" brown wood furniture has needed any repairs. I check it before I buy it. I do have one piece with a drawer which sticks, but it's not an issue. However, I buy from second hand stores rather than charity shops.

Agree! I remember when Tiger first came to the UK and I went in there a couple of times, drawn to the cheap prices and then realised that all of it is plastic junk.

I’ve got ‘old’ brown furniture (ie bought 30 years ago), and it is still perfectly serviceable, ie, it doesn’t stick, the doors still align, the drawers close smoothly, etc, etc. I’m sure there will be plenty of u tube videos or similar to help with any issues, though, should the need arise. I did need to replace a handle on one of the drawers once on the dresser, but that was easily remedied.
Some more modern stuff can have issues, too, I imagine.

But people spend a lot of time in their kitchens, increasingly so as the cost of living rises, and sorry but 80s pine is ugly and depressing. Your house price surely reflects the interior spec too. People wouldn't be knocking £15k off the price - just as a modern kitchen would add value to your house, an ugly dated one would decrease the value.

When my kitchen becomes dated I plan to get the doors resprayed. I think that they are all easily replaceable though so the frames never need replacement in my lifetime!

@minuette1 see even the words ‘interior spec’ speaks to the British obsession with interiors being constantly updated. Surely there is more to life and better use of our planets resources than interior spec where everything is constantly 10 years away from being taken to landfill.

Classic example of first world problems. Be glad that you have access to healthcare when some people in third world countries would literally die for it.

So to answer your question, Karen is it? They ask you this because they need to plan for your future delivery to make sure that you and baby are safe or to follow up following birth to make sure that you’re ok. Whether you’ve had a vaginal vs c-section is obviously medically important?!
Jeez you just can’t please some people, any excuse to get offended.

I suspect you have posted on the wrong thread, @Mamamiaaaaa.

Sorry I tried to delete it but can’t seem to!

I think you’re missing the point. There are probably things you can do locally. But obviously you can do what you want

Yes there's too much stuff! I have too much stuff!
I've made a conscious effort not to buy anything that I don't actually need and always try to buy clothes and things for the house second hand.
My car is pretty old too but works perfectly fine.

I would rather spend spare money on city breaks with the kids and make memories rather than on things that won’t last

Good for you. But maybe step outside your world and think for a moment that some people don't really have anyone to "make memories" with on a regular basis.

Sure I enjoy experiences both alone and with people at times. But my home and garden are where I spend the overwhelming majority of my time. Therefore I want them to be happy places for me.

I spend on my hobby stuff, home decor, stuff for the garden. Because those things make me happy. And they last, unlike an "experience" that is over in a matter of hours or days.

I just got back from holiday on Friday. Yes it was great but after getting back to a normal routine today it already feels long ago! The things I brought back with me, I will continue to enjoy them for a long time to come.

I have given her the number of a local charity that helps people that have been given a home but she says she doesn't have time to wait in for them to collect the stuff. One of her own family Doesn't have two pennies to rub together and she won't even take the stuff to her.

Can't you suggest to her that she donates to a charity shop? It's awful if she's taking things to the tip - makes me feel a bit sick actually at the sheer waste.

Agreed, social media influencers plugging shite they have bought from Shein or Temu makes me cringe. It’s all tat. I have friends that swear by it as it’s ‘cheap’. Funnily though if they were to add up over the years the money spent on cheap rubbish…and then replacing said cheap rubbish it would have worked out cheaper to buy quality in the first place.

Yes that Netflix "Buy Now" documentary was shocking. Every time I pick up something to potentially buy, it pops into my mind as a piece of future landfill.

I voted YABU because while I agree with your sentiments, we don’t have the infrastructure any more. We absolutely ought to buy stuff that’s made to last but if you look at country of origin on so many things it’s Taiwan, China, Korea etc. We sold our souls and our skills for cheap goods. Instead we are awash with service industries. It’s not that we don’t make stuff, we do but not enough and some of it is expensive and niche goods.

My fridge is 23 this year! Washing machine about 12, telly about 20 years old too!

I don't disagree, my point was just that you wouldn't have people knocking off £15k the price, it's more that you would be marketing it at £15k more than it was worth to people based on the interior spec - I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with people wanting to live in aesthetically pleasing surroundings. There is surely a happy medium between living with an ugly and unmodernised 40 year old kitchen and mindlessly replacing things every couple of years.

I hate the 'shop like a billionaire' slogan

Ha ha nope. I won’t buy from smaller independents.

They’re more expensive, inconvenient and have much less choice. They certainly won’t get my money.