"Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like." - Will Rogers

Every year, Australians throw away ten billion dollars worth of stuff they never used, which all end up in landfill. By introducing Buy Nothing New Month, people hope to change this behaviour we all know so well. This October, we are taken up on the challenge to buy absolutely nothing new, apart from essential food, medicine and hygiene products.

The point is not to try to survive without any means but to start thinking about what stuff you really need and what the alternatives are. The campaign is about raising awareness and trying to make people conscious of their consumption behaviour. Start thinking about where stuff you buy comes from and where it goes when you throw it out.

Before you decide to buy something, try asking yourself the following questions:

Do I really need this?
What is its lifecycle? What went into making it (time, labour, resources)
What are the alternatives?
Where did it come from? How did it get here?
What is its environmental and social impact?
Who benefits from the purchase? What will it do for me?
What's in it? Who made it?

How can you go a month without buying anything? Well, there are lots of things you can do. Think about swapping clothes for example. Organising a swap-party with your friends is not only fun and social but also very ethical and eco-friendly. This way you will save lots of money, and still feel amazing in your 'new' outfit.

Instead of buying new things, you can also think about renting. Just have a quick browse on the internet and you will find you can rent almost everything, from books to musical instruments to computers.

Don't immediately throw away things if you discover a defect, try to fix it! Come on now, have a little confidence in yourself. If you can't figure out how to repair something, just call in some help from your friends.

Also think twice before just throwing away your garbage. By re-cycling products and reusing them, you can prevent the waste of potentially useful materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials. Another option is to give away unwanted items instead of disposing them in landfills. This is called free-cycling.

For some other survival tips have a look at the ones below.

Top Tips for Buying Nothing New

Check IN before Check OUT

Ask yourself do you really need it? If so, can you borrow it or find one secondhand?

Secondhand Stores

Salvos Stores, Brotherhood of St Laurence and Gumtree all offer a great range of secondhand goods from clothing, books, furniture and homewares.

Rent/Borrow

It's cheaper and you lower your footprint by renting/borrowing rather than buying.

Don't shop... Swap

Hold your own 'swap shop'. Invite your friends around, challenging them to bring five things each they don't need. It may be a jumper, a vase, a cookbook, a bedspread. Watch one man's trash get reborn into another man's treasure!

Get on the merry-go-round

Get into the old economy. Remember how Grandma found a use for everything? Reuse, recycle, make stuff, alter stuff, buy used, donate quality old stuff, get free stuff, borrow, barter and trade. Have fun with it.

Repair, don't replace

Holes in your favourite jumper, dress anything? Patch them with an interesting fabric for your own one-off designer duds with a difference. If you're not a sewer, support your local seamstress.

Get Fit or Get A Hobby

Don't shop to alleviate boredom. Get a hobby and get out of the shopping strip.

Get Smart Online

Save time and money online. Check out www.gumtree.com.au for its great range of second hand stuff near you. Setup alerts on eBay for your favourite brands. Then when something's listed, you'll be alerted automatically. Saving you time in surfing and cashing in buying it new!

Buyers Checklist

By the way, once Buy Nothing New Month is over, just because something is new, doesn't mean it's not sustainable or you can't have it. Many new items have been made responsibly, thoughtfully and with sustainability in mind. After Buy Nothing New Month, we're hoping you'll consider your purchases more carefully than before and seek out goods that have been made responsibly.

Source: Green Times