Would like to chat about Less

[WhitegreeNcandle]

So, I’ve just read Patrick Grants book Less and found it really thought provoking. I’ve never bought from places like SHEIN but I had been trundling along thinking I was doing ok. Since reading it I’ve realised how much tat we are surrounded by and I don’t want to be a part of it any more. I hadn’t realised how insidious it’s become really. It’s not just the quality of stuff it’s about how the economy could work on a quality scale.

Would love to just chat about easy swaps to make. Preferably cheap ones and it is a more expensive lifestyle I think. I went into our local refill shop yesterday and found there is a local company who do cleaning refills. Manufactured within 20 miles of where I live, reusable glass bottles etc.

Yellow stains - the old old method for whitening laundry, sunshine and lemon juice (other mild acids also work).
If you are in the UK you may have missed your chance until spring though. Have you tried oxy bleach?

If you have a local baker that sells bread loose you can take your own cotton bread bag rather than having them put it in a plastic one.

We do have a baker but they seem to put as many additives in as a supermarket load and charge 3 times the price. I don’t mind paying more for better but when I asked about ingredients I was quite surprised

I would recommend a bread machine. Except I realise that recommending more stuff isn’t in the spirit of the thread.
Mine is a Panasonic, it has lasted 20 years with the pan being replaced once, the kneading blade twice and the belt once (replacement cost, 79p - I was very proud of myself for unscrewing the base and working that out).
However there’s no guarantee that if you bought one now it would have been built to the same quality.

Yes I’ve tried all of these, and a lot of others too!

Garment cost does not seem to be well correlated with either quality or ethical treatment of the producer. I suspect that the main difference between a £5 tshirt and a £20 tshirt is marketing costs and additional profit.

Not if it’s manufactured in the UK where we have minimum wage legislation

So my mini wins this week have been

1. buying DS 4 pairs of school M&S trousers off Vinted for £2. They are virtually unworn and will be absolutely fine for him. Good to use hand me downs rather than buy new.

2. Bought DD 10 pairs of school knee high M&S socks off Vinted for £1. Again, virtually new and saves them from landfill.

3. Bought DD some 80’s accessories off Vinted for £4. Would rather not have bought the plastic tat at all but she was very keen and we couldn’t thiink of something homemade that would do the trick. At least the plastic tat has been used at least twice and I’ll sell it on. Not for money but for the use of it again

4. Also sold 8 pairs of tights for ££1 on Vinted. Don’t need or want the money, just wanted them used for another child.

5. Loving my milk deliveries. It does cost a fortune but I much prefer having glass bottles instead of plastic in the fridge. Just feels nicer in the hand.

6. Am using our refill shop and local stores much more. It’s a bit time consuming but enjoyable. Much less plastic.

I disagree. Paying living wages, manufacturing in the UK makes things expensive. I think its worth it.

When I have given up getting stains out I have sometimes been able to make things look less manky by dyeing them, is that an option?
The problem can be the polyester thread they are sewn with not taking the dye but it can look fine, depending.

Sounds great @WhitegreeNcandle

Apparently it’s social enterprise day today. I might look up which companies are part of this and try and buy a Xmas gift or two from them. I normally just do Amazon orders but I really like PG’s point that these big companies aren’t sponsoring or improving our local communities. It’s always the local roofing company sponsoring the rugby team for example, never SHEIN!

I like PG’s ethos, I agree with a lot of what he says (although I think he has a bit of a rose tinted view of the dignity of manual Labour in the past).
I agree we should try to buy local - or at least British wherever possible to keep money circulating in our economy.
But how to do it? If I want some new clothes that are good quality, made to last and preferably natural fibres, other than Community Clothing, where can I shop?

@igivein he has a list in the back of his book. Some of which is extortionately expensive compared to what I’m used to eg £500 for a handmade shirt. But I have two shirts I adore and have had for over a decade and would think I’d pay well for. I’m also just being sensible. I’d never have used SHEIN or suchlike but I’m looking for cotton not other stuff for kids clothes etc

Yes @WhitegreeNcandle I've seen the list, but the clothing seems to be tailoring for men, with the exception of Mary Benson of York (dresses for £2000 anyone?).
And I could probably invest in some Trickers shoes if I saved up a bit, but the very limited women's styles are just the men's scaled down. I did find Lanx shoes / boots, but seem to be struggling to find much else.
When you look at 'sustainable' clothing brands like Unfolded they're still outsourcing their sewing to India and claiming that's a good thing.
I make a lot of my own clothes, but it's still nice to be able to treat myself occasionally.
If anyone has suggestions of other companies I'd be grateful - maybe we should start our own list.

I think rather than pay £500 I would go down to my local alterations shop (he’s a refugee tailor from Syria) and ask how much he would charge to make a shirt for me.

That sounds a good idea @TheCountessofFitzdotterel

I’m getting quite passionate about all this now - that it’s so hard to buy stuff made in Britain. We are so vulnerable!

Listened to a great podcast called Radical with Amol Ranjan interviewing James Rebanks. Really interesting stuff for this interested in food

So my little journey continues. I still haven’t bought a plastic tablecloth and the wooden one is doing just fine. Love love love having my milk delivered. There’s something about the feel of glass that feels sturdy and pleasurable.

Im buying less clothes and when I do I’m going for Vinted first - getting things like kids vests or jeans from there. I needed some pants and socks so have gone the community clothing route. My aim in the New Year is to declutter my wardrobe a bit. I have so many clothes it’s hard to see what I’ve actually got!

Still buying more food from local suppliers, farm shops, refill stores and markets. It’s making me feel like shopping is a pleasure again rather than a chore. I had to do Sainsbury’s the other day and it felt so stressful!

I’ve been a lot more mindful with gifts this year. Kids are old enough now to not believe but still get a stocking so I’ve been able to go with much more practical items. DH has socks and tickets to Traitors Experiece. He’s buying me a National Theatre at home pass. I’ve got for locally made soaps for older nieces. All veg and meat for Christmas Day is from our county.

Interestingly although things are more expensive I’m spending the same budget overall.

That sounds lovely @WhitegreeNcandleThe supermarket is so stressful, I agree. It’s crowded, theres too much choice, everything is wrapped in bloody plastic.
For Christmas we have chosen smaller gifts as well to reduce the clutter and waste. We all have enough really but it’s nice to have some little gift to give. Some have been homemade too. The National Theatre at Home pass sounds amazing.
I’ve joined the no buy 2026 thread in S&B to see if I can do the challenge and not buy any clothes next year. I have a full wardrobe even after a declutter so I don’t need anything other than a T-shirt or two because for some odd reason I only have 3.

So I’ve been thinking I might turn this thread into a little diary. I’m aiming to have a very low spend January partly for my wallet but partly just the whole ethos of less. I also want to apply the concept of Less but better to everything. Here are my big January goals:

1. Only buy absolute necessities and good, basic food
2. Dry January
3. Less screens, more reading.

Am doing a small food shop today to stock up on some fresh food for a bit of a fresh start for the next few days. Also need to buy a gift for friends we are visiting tonight and pop to the refill store to stock up on some cleaning bits.

I got the book for Christmas and am enjoying it.

I'd bought this year's Christmas Eve presents for on Patrick's Community Clothing. When the children were little it was pyjamas but now everyone's an adult it's a pair of socks. They are really excellent quality, I'm delighted with them.

My goal for January is to have two vegan meals a week (for environmental reasons) and to use all the food in the chest freezer rather than buying more. I tend to hoard food in autumn, making lots of preserves and batch cooking. At least it will give my finances a break!

Yes please the thread going.
I’ve always preferred ‘proper food’, but have been making an extra effort in this department, buying from the butcher’s/grocer’s / farmer’s markets where possible, buying less but better.
The clothing one is a bit strange for me, as I’ve lost 8.5 stone in the last year, and need a whole new wardrobe, but I’m focussing on buying ‘well’ so things last - natural fibres, good quality, British made wherever possible. The initial outlay is a bit eye-watering, but I’m hoping I’ll not need much going forward. (I’ve spent what I consider serious money and I can’t afford to put weight back on and need bigger clothes again, so the quality new things are an extra motivator there).
I’ll be using Community Clothing for t-shirts / knickers / socks in a month or so ready for spring.
My Christmas treat to myself is hopefully going to be some Chelsea boots from Lanx (yes my feet have shrunk too and I need new shoes, this is going to have to be a long term project, because good shoes are ruinously expensive, and other than Lanx I’m struggling to find ones made in the UK). I’m having a trip to their shop on Friday, which is an expedition in itself because I live in the North East, but I think it’s worth it to be able to try on and get sizing right, then maybe be able to order online in future (when I’ve saved up 😁). This is definitely putting ‘Vime’s boots theory into practice!

Im buying all my meat from farm shop/butcher now. Its even nicer to prepare- not slimy, wet, not having to cut veins/bloody bits out like I did with Tesco. The dog isn’t impressed though as he was the beneficiary of the manky bits!

@PastaAllaNorma i got some of the wool socks and I adore them. Bright pink, so cosy and such good quality. DH got a pair too. If they pass his quality test they’ll be doing well as he wears his clothes hard being a farmer.

@igivein WOW what an incredible weight loss. Well done! I’m eyeing up Lanx boots for when I need a new pair so let us know how you get on.

So tonight I’m taking some English fizz to a friends house. Went to buy her flowers but saw they were from Kenya so went for a potted hyacinth instead. Did a small shop in Waitrose. Tried to avoid fruit flown in from South Africa and Peru and went for British apples and pears, Spanish oranges but I have to give in for bananas! I do like Waitrose and Sainsbury’s as they have fruit and veg not im plastic bags. Wish you could get cucumber not wrapped in plastic!

This is a lovely thread op, please keep it going! I've not read all of it yet but have gained some inspiration already. 🙂