Mindful shopping, mindful living

Shopping is an almost everyday experience in this modern life we are living. Gone are the days where we sewed our own clothes, grew our own produce and raised our own livestock. Of course there are people who still try to live by those philosophies but mostly, we grocery shop almost daily to suit our cravings but not necessarily our nutritional requirements. We online shop for fast fashion at the click of a button, and hey presto its at our door in 48hrs or less. If it doesn't fit we chuck it out, if we've gotten bored of it we chuck it out, and if its mildly damaged or stained we don't learn how to repair it or wash it just right, we just chuck it out. We go to events where we don't dare wear the same outfit twice and we try to ensure we are "on trend" at all times. In under 20 minutes we can order food online and have a nice delivery person arrive with it at our door, and we don't even have to speak to them, pay them or have any form of actual human contact. We don't have to pick our produce, water it or harvest it, or even cook it. With the invent of buy now, pay later apps we can get whatever we want almost instantly which is brilliant if you're in a bit of a jam but also super addictive and easily becomes a habit of living outside of our means. Somewhere in the last 20 years shopping has become a leisure activity that we look forward to doing on the weekend, instead of a necessity. We have become so disconnected from the processes behind our everyday life activities and experiences.

With the recent lockdowns here in Australia many people have been forced to stop, be quiet, live slow and simplify. The things we thought were necessary for modern life have suddenly become non-essentials. The hidden blessing is this situation is that we have all been given the opportunity to re-assess what's actually important to us. With families isolating from one another, retail stores closed, pubs and restaurants shut down, beauty salons closed and grocery shopping limited to particular hours, once a day and only one member of a household, there has had to be a big assessment on what we truly value. When we come out of lockdown the thing I am most looking forward to is seeing my loved ones, cooking meals together and getting out into nature together. For me, gone are the days of spending my weekends in Westfields, or even shopping up big on Christmas presents. I just want togetherness, and this will need to be a mindful act in the post lockdown world. So how do we integrate lockdown living with our soon to be freedoms?

Here are my top ten tips on living more mindfully:

1. Shop on the outer edge of the supermarket.

This is where the fresh produce lives, the fruits and veg, meats and poultry and mostly wholefoods. The middle isles of the supermarket are where we find the non-essentials, the junk food, the processed food and the highly packaged foods. Try to meal plan and prep to avoid the lazy day takeaways, and write a shopping list before you go to avoid the pitfalls of "mood shopping".

2. Declutter your home

Removing excess clutter can lead to feeling more at peace in your home. This gives you the opportunity to really assess whether the items around you really bring you joy or are even useful. Does your space inspire you? Remove the excess and experience the headspace that an uncluttered space can bring. Once you feel comfortable that your home is your sanctuary, you will be less likely to buy unnecessary items, knick-knacks and impulse purchases, and even less likely to buy them for other people.

3. Go through your wardrobe

Sort out that closet. Go through and remove anything you've never warn, anything that doesn't fit and anything that doesn't make you feel great when you wear it. Donate items that are still in excellent condition. Set yourself a limit on clothing and accessory items and make the rule that anytime something new comes in, something old goes out.

4. Rethink your clothing waste

When you damage an item of clothing think before you throw; can it be repaired or repurposed? Can you learn how to sew on a button or get the wine stain out? Use old items as cleaning rags, fabric for the kids to make dress ups or dolls clothes or scraps to make other items like scrunchies or quilt patches. If all this a little Sound of Music for you personally there are many local community groups(usually found online in places like Facebook or meet-ups) who collect material scraps to make blankets for hospitals, refuges and the homeless.

5. Purchase mindfully

This is a practice and will take time to build as a habit. Try removing your credit card details from your phone memory so you have to "feel like" your making a purchase instead of just clicking a button. Shop using cash so you "feel" the money leave your hand, you see it deplete in your purse and you're more conscious of what you're spending. Set yourself limits around using buy now pay later apps and allow them to be great back up solutions for the times the washing machine unexpectedly brakes or your need new car tyres. Become picky about where you spend your money; could you support small, local business more, does the brand support fair trade or minimum wage, are they ethical, testing on animals or using recyclable packaging? Putting a little more thought into your spending can go a long way toward encouraging business to implement more sustainable and ethical practices, and you will feel better about your own footprint too.

6. Gift thoughtfully

When you purchase gifts for others think about whether it's something the other person will genuinely love, use or need. Are you just buying them something to save face, keep up with the jones' or so you don't turn up empty handed? Put a little more thought into your gift giving and only buy someone something when it genuinely comes from the heart. For family events like Christmas or birthdays invest instead in giving to charities that you each support, sponsor a child, or buy each other experiences instead of things. Websites like Redballoon or Adrenaline are great for this. Try secret santa instead of feeling pressured to buy something for everybody in your circle, or all pitch in for an Airbnb and take a family holiday and make some memories. Use everyday moments to do random acts of kindness for one another, or even for strangers, rather than buying things because it's the expectation.

7. Get back in touch with your food

Shop at growers markets; meet the artisan bakers, the jam makers and the home growers. Buy the organic, untreated honey from the roof top hives and learn to cook. I know this all sounds a little hipster or Melbourne laneway but you will be surprised at the produce you can find in your own neighborhood. Choose one day in a week or even a month to try a new, simple recipe and cook for your flat mates or family. Learn which produce is in season and eat closer to food as nature intended, and less processed and packaged.

8. Save up

Remember the feeling when you were a child and if you wanted something you had to save up for it. Remember doing the dishes or mowing the lawn for the pocket money you carefully put in your savings tin. Try this again now. Instead of whipping out the credit card and getting the instant gratification, try saving up for something and experience the rewarding feeling of having toiled away for your goal. There are many great savings ideas online to give yourself a little extra cash. Try putting away a dollar for each week in the year. First week in January you put away $1 and increase it week to week until by the end of the year you put away $52. When all is said and done you will have an extra $1378 to play with. Make a particular note a "non-spender" and put it away in a drawer. My partner and I use $10 notes. In sixth months we were able to pay our way along the Great Ocean Road.

9. Just wait

If there's something you really want or like just give yourself a day or two. Don't impulse purchase. Plan ahead for what you are looking for, shop around to get a great deal and then wait. Think about it first and if you still really want it in a few days make the purchase. You might surprise yourself by just pausing and waiting to see how you feel about it in the morning.

10. Enjoy it

If you've avoided the impulse buy, thought before you've shopped, given yourself time to think and then made a purchase, congratulations. This is the time for you to enjoy it. Savor the moment when your package arrives. Open it with gratitude. Learn how to look after it and love it wholeheartedly.