Word.
I won’t pretend that I don’t like to buy things. I love to buy things. That is exactly what scares me; people who say they will go shopping. As if that in itself would be something to do. You don’t go shopping for the sake of it. You shop for a thing you need. I get a little dizzy as I write that sentence, so I have to sit down in my nice designer chair and drink a latte I’ve made myself with my latte machine at home in the kitchen that I’ve just renovated. Where was I? Right. I was talking about desires and the need to buy things. I love to buy things. That is exactly what scares me.
When I was five years so I wanted a microscope. I had seen a TV-show where a scientist studied insects in their lab. Since then, I was completely obsessed with the idea of becoming a scientist. In retrospect, I know that that wasn’t really the direction I was leaning towards, but that’s not the issue. The point is I wanted and longed for that microscope a whole year before I got it.
That’s not how it is today. Today if I want something I go online and I buy it. There’s no longing anymore. There’s no appreciation when buying things. It is more like eating potato chips on the couch. Each chip isn’t a sensation in itself, it's more like five minutes and POFF, suddenly the bag is empty. No appreciation.
I won’t say that I know exactly how build up for the next paragraph, but I think you get the jist from the introduction. The idea is that you should feel eager to do something yourselves.
My mother used to always use old ragged T-shirts as rags. She tore them to pieces and used to clean the bathroom, kitchen or other rooms in the apartment.
My friend is a photographer and needed a good photo bag for his new medium-format camera. He took a regular backpack and sewed it to fit his needs.
Wine bottles can become candleholders.
PET-bottles can become piggy banks.
Old toilet rolls can become pea shooters.
Curtains can become cloth bags.
Ice cream containers can become lunch boxes.
Ill-fitting old dresses can become stylish tops.
Required time:
15 minutes to 2 hours.
Pros:
You have to think hard and find alternative solutions. It allows you ultimately become more creative as a person and a great problem solver. Check out MacGyver escape from an exploding locked room with only a paperclip and a pine cone! You also save money and are being kind to the environment.
