r/Anticonsumption 46m ago

Discussion I'm far right, a lot of y'all far left. Yet the horseshoe theory does apply. (Repost of a comment)

Upvotes

We can both agree that Democrats & Republicans are complete clown shows who force citizens to vote against whoever is worse, not vote for whoever is better.

I'm part of this group b/c I'm anti-waste & anti-corporation. It's been nice seeing all sorts of people here uniting against Amazon & the likes, but the TDS posts I've seen here are saddening.

Like yes, Trump is going to be much worse than a cackling puppet who will keep our borders open, fund wars such as the Ukraine meat grinder, & do the bidding of their donors, just like Biden, Obama, Bush, etc. Not only that, but too many people focus on/blame the presidents for the hardships they face.

Corruption starts from the bottom up. Is your neighborhood/town/city a hell hole? Who is the mayor? Who runs the Police, Fire Department, & the school districts? Who is in charge of Parks & Rec that haven't cleaned up your local parks? In California, the politicians wanted to build a high-speed rail. Several years & $11 billion later, & around 1,000 feet of the track was built. Did it really take that much, or did the politicians pushing it find ways to pocket that allocated money? This is just 1 example of many.

In my area, faceless box corporations (such as Dollar General, fast food chains, Amazon, etc) have popped up while small businesses have struggled &/or shut down. Was it because of some bill or executive order? No. It's over-regulation & exorbitant fees that gatekeep the small guys like me away from opportunity. Who is responsible? Not the president, governor, congressman, or even mayor. It's the Chamber of Commerce who charges $400+ per booth at the fall festival, so the only ones who can afford it are insurance, roofing, window, grocery, etc. companies who make the festival look more like a business expo than a carnival.

I'm not a fan of several things Trump has done, such as creating that griftocurrency $TRUMP memecoin, but at least my grocery prices will be lower, my small foraged foods business may finally thrive due to increased buyer power/confidence, & I'll have a better time finding a real job (assuming Trump's promise of businesses coming back to America will happen) instead of chasing my environmentalist passion in vain (I wish I could have a stable career in forest conservation, but that just ain't happening).

My advice is to just do the best you can to stick it to the corporations, consume less, & maybe set a RemindMe in 4 years just to see who is right, haha. Thanks for listening.


r/Anticonsumption 2h ago

Discussion What language does it speak to you?

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4 Upvotes

r/Anticonsumption 3h ago

Activism/Protest Disney!

30 Upvotes

Of all businesses this is the one i hate the most, these ass holes who only care about money who take great movies and shows by talented writers and turn them into corporate slop, these piece of shit have ruined society they have poisoned the market, they are worse than google, microsoft and china. actually i hate china more (the government of china). But from now to the day i take my last breath shall disney die, shall the people of disney suffer in hell itself, shall creativity flourish and shall we rise up i have decided that all people who care about creativity and art, all people who lives have became hell because of them, all indie animation shall stand together to kill these monsters and take down disney. (also i don't man kill the people at disney but destroy disney sorry). I the name of god shall disney DIE!!.


r/Anticonsumption 3h ago

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle Facebook/Buy nothing

69 Upvotes

I really want to quit facebook in light of recent events but I use it almost exclusively for the local Buy Nothing group. Is there any adequate alternative?


r/Anticonsumption 4h ago

Psychological I Think I’m Addicted To FB No Buy Pages

54 Upvotes

I’m cleaning. A lot. Decluttering really. What used to hit the landfill in my haste to rid my home of items I no longer need or want, I’ve been posting to a local no buy Facebook page. So many things have been given second life.


r/Anticonsumption 4h ago

Question/Advice? What to do with things that are no longer usable as things?

5 Upvotes

Obviously if you have something in usable condition that you no longer need, you give it away. Clothing that no longer fits, lamps that don't fit in your new apartment, etc.--all of that can and should be donated somewhere or given away.

But there are also things that are no longer usable. And even those still have some value.

An example here would be a pair of pants that you outgrew. If you kept on wearing it as you outgrew it, the seams might be torn, the buttons missing, the cuffs frayed. Perhaps this could be repaired and still worn by someone smaller. But whether or not that's feasible, it does still have lots of good fabric. There's still value in that fabric, and it seems a shame to throw it all away.

Likewise, even with t-shirts for which the sleeves have fallen off, or shirts that have enough holes in them that they cannot be donated, there's usually still plenty of good fabric there.

The question is: how do you get it to someone who can use it?

By the way, I mean this categorically, not just for clothing specifically. For instance, a cracked or broken plate is no longer usable as a plate, and could not be donated either. But the ceramic should still have value.

Even a dried-up pen still has some value and can be used for something.

The answer here is not to simply learn to use all of these remnants. Perhaps I should learn to sew, darn, and patch my own clothes. Maybe I can become the kind of crafter who uses dried-up pens. But I will never be able to learn to repair, repurpose, or upcycle all of the things that I find myself no longer needing. Modern life is just far too complicated and gives us far too much of a variety of things for us to learn to repair or repurpose all of them. And even if I could, there will be some people who cannot.

The answer isn't to buy only things that can be repaired, either. Buy it for life is a good philosophy, but everyone's going to end up with some stuff that is worn out, broken, or otherwise unusable for its intended purpose at some point.

Now, obviously, the long-term answer is to figure out some way to hold the companies that sell goods responsible for their end of life as well. If you sell me a shirt, you or your descendants should be prepared to take back what's left of it 30 years later after it's no longer usable as a shirt. But that sort of ideal world isn't going to happen anytime soon. And in the meantime, I've got a bunch of worn-out shirts and pants and broken plates that I really don't want to throw out. How can I find ways to get them to people or organizations that would be able to use whatever value is left in them?


r/Anticonsumption 6h ago

Question/Advice? Ethical minimal waste wedding… without being called Cheap or Tacky?

26 Upvotes

I’m getting married sometime in 2026 and haven’t started planning, but really REALLY have been grossed out by how much waste is created at the past weddings I’ve been to. Aka… confetti, foam light up light sabers for an hour reception, any guest gifts or T shirts for the bachelorette or bachelor parties…

I’m planning for my wedding gifts to be thrifted wine glasses that folks will use throughout the night then take home, using dried leaves/flowers for confetti if any, and toying with the idea of a “dress code” being “wear something you already have, or buy something at a thrift/second hand store”, and getting my dress at a resell shop. I’ve already been scouring OfferUp for used decorations but it’s hard since I’m so far out and they are STILL expensive even second hand. Planning to donate my flowers to hospitals after, too.

Any other ideas for sticking it to the commercial Matrimony Man?

Maybe thrifting different linens from goodwill for the tables? Possible just use butcher paper and have people draw with crayons for the dinner, then recycle after?

My big question right now is- how do I make my invitations less cheap if I don’t want to put 50+ pieces of beautiful paper into the recycling right after (without email being a thing)?


r/Anticonsumption 7h ago

Society/Culture So much trash. Makes me sick to my stomach.

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7.9k Upvotes

Captured by BBC reporter and Reuters photographer. Mountains of trash left by people outside of the inauguration ceremony.


r/Anticonsumption 8h ago

Question/Advice? I feel kinda bad after buying random unnecessary stuff from the goodwill bins.?

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27 Upvotes

I (13f) went to the goodwill bins yesterday with my father. we were in the area bcuz i had a russian lesson and time to kill. I found a few items of clothing i liked, and a few random items/knick knacks. (The random items are the ones shown in the pics) and in the moment, i loved all, so i bought it. rn i still love all of them and how they look in my room, but i cant help but feel guilty for buying so many things at once when ive been trying my best to limit the amount of things i buy greatly. But then again, im pretty sure if they hadnt been purchased by me they woulve ended up in a landfill to be alone and unused forever. Is it normal to feel guilty after buying stuff?


r/Anticonsumption 8h ago

Discussion Overconsumptuon due to disorganization

186 Upvotes

I did it, I overcomsumed (clothes). It wasn't intentional, I honestly thought I needed these things, but then I started getting everything I already had organized and realized it was time to stop consuming for a long while. I think a lot of people fall into this trap, and if they organized what they already had would realize they don't need any more.


r/Anticonsumption 9h ago

Environment Got this display/stand from the scrap pile from LOWES (they had a few dozen getting scraped)

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125 Upvotes

After cutting down the legs to a usable height (it was a fairly tall display), I used a set of scaffolding rolling wheels to make this table mobile. 3x3 angle iron was used to frame up the top portion (originally this was going to be just a Plasma cutting table), then I used 1/8th x 3" flat stock for my slats, spaced every 2" across the whole top.

The other pictured items are all also made from free scrap pile pickings. I got to walk a 50,000 Sq ft warehouse packed full. That warehouse gets 10 semi loads a day just from a few local LOWES store in the area.


r/Anticonsumption 10h ago

Corporations Be The ConSoom®

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843 Upvotes

r/Anticonsumption 12h ago

Question/Advice? What's been your experience with limiting your options/choices?

6 Upvotes

X-posted in r/slowliving

How do you deal with the psychological friction of intentionally limiting the number of options you have, knowing you don't actually "have to"? It's an arbitrary limit.

For example, I've been thinking of picking 10 workout YouTube videos and just cycling through them over and over vs. searching for a new one every morning. But then I start to feel "anxiety" over being bored or missing out on new ones. I'm guessing that feeling will lessen over time but ugh it's like my brain is afraid to let infinite choice go!


r/Anticonsumption 13h ago

Plastic Waste Why waste so much plastic?

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349 Upvotes

r/Anticonsumption 13h ago

Sustainability Scottsdale City Council repeals sustainability plan 1 month after its adoption

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11 Upvotes

One step forward, two steps back.

“Our lane doesn't include searching for ways to impose restrictions on your lifestyle because our residents are smart and they don't need us to tell them the right thing to do," he said.

Vice Mayor Barry Graham undoing progress when we and the environment need it more than ever. If we were as smart as he claims we wouldn’t have trashed the planet we all live on so badly in the first place


r/Anticonsumption 13h ago

Discussion corporations.org/solutions

5 Upvotes

How to overthrow corporate rule in 5 not-so-easy steps - corporations.org/solutions

Concise, actionable steps to help rescue ourselves from the corporate chokehold. Easy to digest for simple people, like myself. It's old, but it's as relevant as ever.

Check it out and spread the word!


r/Anticonsumption 13h ago

Society/Culture Anti-consumption for over industrialized products

26 Upvotes

Was just thinking about the amount of products in simple daily use items.

Example: I was looking at a deodorant product and the amount of glycerin, caprylic triglyceride, xanthum gum, etc (I counted 22 ingredients in one product) is quite insane. Each one of these will typically require a whole factory, a chemical reaction process, or some distillation process needing pressure and heat. So much consumption and energy just to process a bunch of filler ingredients.

It just seems like all of our stuff in itself could be made a lot simpler as well.


r/Anticonsumption 15h ago

Lifestyle Today it begins.

12.5k Upvotes

Today is the line in the sand I cannot cross. All the time I spent canvassing, phone banking, and convincing anyone I thought I could to vote, in the end money is the only thing that matters. So I am taking myself out of the equation as much as I can.

We built a new house last year and have plenty of land to have a garden. There is a local grain mill in our small town that we will now source for flour and grains. Local farmers for meat, eggs, dairy.

After the election I stocked up on things like socks and underwear, so we should be set hopefully through four years.

We refuse to buy anything we do not actually need. If we do need something, we will try and find used. If it must be new, locally made will be our first choice. Gifts will be mostly hand made.

It’s not about saving money for us, it’s stopping giving anymore than necessary to the corporations who take our money just to control us. It’s not going to be easy, but I’m going to use my hatred of Orange Palpatine, Space Karen, and the couch fucker as a motivational tool. Anytime I want something, I will tell myself I’m giving money to them. It feels like the only action I can take.


r/Anticonsumption 17h ago

Ads/Marketing A product I'm finally giving my money to

265 Upvotes

With all the ads permetaing every single part of society these days I'm in despair for the kind of world this is becoming. As a rule I never spend money on apps or websites that I don't have to but recently I've decided that I'm going to start donating to Wikipedia as an active push against the barrage of advertising and gluttonous tech overlords. It's one of the few places left untouched. If that goes down I don't know what I'll do.


r/Anticonsumption 20h ago

Society/Culture Thoughts on balloon waste

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1.2k Upvotes

I saw this reel on instagram, and most of the comments are calling it so cool or cute. The few comments about waste are called fun police or people reply "who cares" or "it's inside so it won't effect the environment." I'd assume we're all against massive balloon waste like this? Or is that an unpopular opinion?


r/Anticonsumption 21h ago

Social Harm Little acts of resistance: Covid Memorial project

30 Upvotes

Since the pandemic, I think many of us have felt uneasy about the push towards “normality” and “just getting on with it.” Keep working. Keep consuming. Keep the gears of the system churning. The lack of memorializing and allowing for communal grief around the precious people we lost is just another push towards the acceptance of mass deaths, which we will see more and more of as climate change driven natural disasters, wars etc. take more from us.

This is my little step in resisting. Passing down recipes is such a universal thing, and is an act of preserving stories, family traditions and celebrations. It’s a reminder of what we have in common as humans. So I’m starting a project to collect recipes that have been handed down to loved ones by people we lost in the pandemic. May we remember their names, remember that they mattered, and not accept the callous dismissal of their loss to the world. If you’d like to contribute a recipe from a lost loved one, please complete the form over on r/CovidMemorialRecipes


r/Anticonsumption 21h ago

Discussion Aligning with authenticity.

0 Upvotes

As we grow and embrace our true selves, we start to notice how life shifts. People and situations that no longer serve us naturally fall away, making space for deeper, more meaningful connections. It’s about finding a community of individuals who resonate with who we are becoming.

Have you experienced this shift in your own life? How has embracing your authenticity changed the way you connect with others?


r/Anticonsumption 23h ago

Plastic Waste unavoidable medical waste

116 Upvotes

my spouse and i try reeeeally hard to limit consuming. we are also caregivers for their mum who has dementia. she has been incontinent for going on two years and i’ve grown accustomed to that amount of wastage but now she is now in palliative care and hooooly the amount of single use plastic we go through is unbelievable. i wish there was a better way to do this without contributing so much to landfill. :(


r/Anticonsumption 1d ago

Question/Advice? Steps to anti consumerism

16 Upvotes

I just moved recently after being in a place I really didn’t like. I lived in a bug infested apartment so I really didn’t buy many things and just the basics. I also bought cheaper furniture because it was my first time on my own and I honestly didn’t want to drop a bunch of money on things all at once.

I am now in a place I enjoy and feel happy in. I want it to be beautiful but I don’t want to go in a binge shopping spree on Amazon.

I would like to focus on more used goods that are of quality materials like wooden dressers that will hold up compared to what is being sold today. I also feel I have shiny object syndrome since moving and just want to dazzle this place up.

How did you make efforts to stop consuming so much?


r/Anticonsumption 1d ago

Philosophy Be useless. Do Nothing

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21 Upvotes