Too busy to read?

The qualities I look for in the things I buy are (1) the item has a minimalist type of shape, and is easy to clean; (2) its color isn't too loud; (3) I'll be able to use it for a long time; (4) it has a simple structure; (5) it's lightweight and compact; and (6) it has multiple uses.

Do we have a chance in the face of the odds? If we do, it won't be because we learned how to be "ethical" shoppers. Rather, __it will be because we found things to do other than shopping__. Like building social and political movements that change the rules of the game. Like deriving deep pleasure from experiences that are not for sale at any price, whether it's time in nature or time with our loved ones.

31: Think of stores as your personal warehouses. Author Daisuke Yosumi writes that we should consider stores as our personal warehouses. All those stores out there pay good sums of money to secure space so they can stock all sorts of goods for us, and they manage their items with care. Convenience stores welcome us around the clock. Yosumi suggests we should not think of these places as shops where we buy goods, but instead as our warehouses where we go to get something when we need it.

What If We Shopped to Live, Instead of Lived to Shop?

For me, shopping is an energy killer. The moment I walk into a busy store, I feel the energy drain from my body. The exhaustion starts as a mental thing, but within minutes I feel as if my body had been through a marathon. Shopping is simply exhausting for me. Your situation might be different. For some people, shopping is a high. It boosts energy. So using my example, a person like me should seek to minimize shopping (and I do), while a person who gets a buzz from it should indulge, so long as it doesn't take too much away from other priorities in life.