On consumerism

In the post-festivity and pre-work lull of the last couple of days, I had my normal "spring" clean (well the weather is mild right now).

Having noticed that drawers are getting harder to close and my wardrobe is so full it's hard to get stuff out, I thought I would change tack this year. Normally I chuck out all the stuff that is too old or tatty to wear. This is usually not very much - maybe one bag-for-life's worth for a charity shop, and one for the rag bin. Groaning rails evidence that my clothing input is much greater than this.

So I went a bit further - what haven't I worn, and just can't see myself wearing? What is a bit tatty but. in my normal view would do for a while longer? What did I buy - in a sale or online usually - wear once (if that) and thought nope, but is too good to throw out?

The result: Still only one bag that is fit for the recycling/rag bin. But a minor mountain of decent stuff that I am not going to wear. Judging on the space I now have reclaimed, about two foot of hanging rail and one 3 foot wide drawer's worth. And I think I probably still have too much, but didn't want to be too ruthless yet.

This makes me feel really quite uneasy. I don't see myself as a big shopper, and yet over the years I have obviously bought so much stuff that I haven't needed. This amounts to a huge waste of resources - and cash - though I feel worse about the environmental aspects of all this right now.

So, a new regime begins today. No new clothes are to be bought without a demonstrable need. Something has to fall apart before I can consider a replacement, and even then, particularly when it comes to shirts etc., I should wait. In fact, waiting is the key. I think that a month or two needs to pass to give the item a decent burial and if I am finding myself short of stuff I will buy.

As my cull came from a desire to free up space, I know there is more I could do, but with much less effect. I think I wear a tie about once a month, but I have about 30. Well - they don't go off, and I used to wear one five days a week. So that could come down. Something for a cold February evening.

Now I have a clothing pile to go to charity, I need to figure out which of the local shops to take it to. The nearest and most convenient is one for a local Steiner School. I don't know much about their education ideas, but Steiner himself had some unusual beliefs, which are as hard to swallow as they are to say - see Anthroposophy here. And he had the charming idea that plants grow better according to the phase of the moon when you plant them. Looks like a duck, sounds like a duck? Yes - it's probably a quack of some variety.

Which got me thinking, rather than viewing a charity shop as a way to dump my decent older clothes, I should be favouring the one(s) that I agree the most with. Oh dear, that means the pile of clothes is going to have to stay there for a while until I do some research.