Using What We’ve Got

Written By Hailey Mealey

That’s right. We’re trying our best to use what we’ve got. Food. Clothes. Entertainment. Craft supplies. Despite what companies tell us, we probably don’t need to buy more. We have plenty. Money’s tight. The cost of living is high. The cost of everything is high. And companies want us to just keep shopping. It makes it us feel better. But the truth is - they don’t need more of our fucking money.

Look, I love shopping. I love shopping. It is an active practice for me to walk into a store and not impulse buy something exciting and new. Something I’m certain will fix any problem I’m facing. ut most of the time, the novelty wears off, and then I end up with a lot of stuff in my home that did not fill the emptiness inside (yes, I also love to be a little dramatic). So I’m learning to be more intentional with my material items. This means, trying not to impulse buy. And when I do buy something, being really intentional about it - making sure it’s something I really want, that I know why want it, and honoring where my money is going (high quality, small seller/artist, etc.). When I’m tired, sad, upset, manic, etc., and I’ve got the shopping bug, I’ve started to ask myself how I can utilize what I’ve got.

Here are some starter tips for purchasing less, and using what we’ve got:

  • Get a library card

  • Take inventory

  • Look for inspiration

  • Get to know your resources

  • Offer yourself flexibility

I want to be clear, while I am another white lady with a blog (sigh), I am not an expert in…basically anything. I just want to share some resources, tools and ideas I’ve used to help utilize what I’ve already got, and things that have helped me move towards my own personal goals. And if you feel like you’re in a similar boat, I hope that you can use these tips for inspiration on using what you’ve got.

Get a library card

Dude, go get a library card. Even if you’re not looking to purchase less, everyone needs a library card. When we first moved back to Maine, my partner kept telling me I needed to get a card to our local library. It’s a great resource, a beautiful building, and just having the card helps support them. I (someone who hates doing anything new and outside of her routine) dragged my feet on it. And when I finally did, I felt like the biggest idiot for not doing it sooner. The library has everything. Books, movies, free classes, board games, Nintendo switch games, and tons of online resources. I have listened to so many audiobooks since I joined. We rent Nintendo switch games to try and also play with our friends. For movie night we just rent a DVD for free rather than paying the $4 to Amazon, or find it for free if they have it on their streaming platforms. Guys. If you are really wanting to fight the capitalist system, join your local library. And get all your friends to do it too.

Take inventory

Figure out what you’ve got. When I’ve got the bug, I try to peruse what I already have. When we get to Sunday meal prepping, I try to look in our freezer inventory first. When I see a cute outfit online that I want, I try to browse the clothes I have and how I might style them differently. And so on. You could probably use this as an opportunity to get rid of some things, but I personally cannot offer advice on that. I love things. I am a collector at heart.

Look for inspiration

For me, the key to using what I’ve got successfully is making sure I’m using it for something that gets me excited. When I’m getting ready to meal prep, I try to think about recipes at local restaurants that I enjoy and how I might be able to create something similar - this makes cooking my freezer items feel less sad and chore-like. I look at fashion online or better yet, use ShopLook to find or create some outfit inspiration for items that I already have. You know the hundreds and hundreds of TikTok videos you have saved? This is the time to look through those and find something that sparks excitement - then, get creative with what you’ve got.

Get to know your resources

Look. We have so many resources available to us. And depending who you are and where you live, it will vary - so you gotta figure out what you can use to your advantage. For me, the easiest way to figure this out is pretty much anytime I feel like I need to use something that I need to purchase or worse, purchase a subscription for, I try to take a beat and see if there might be a free or low cost alternative. When I was working on a family tree, I foolishly paid $70 for a subscription to newspapers. Did you know a lot of libraries and historical societies have that shit for free? Me either. Did you know there’s a ton of open source images, artwork, etc., that you can print and frame for under $5 - rather than spending $30 for a print at Target - to decorate your home? Yeah. Turns out, there’s a lot of free and low-cost alternatives. We just have to be a little patient and get a little creative.

Offer yourself flexibility

And lastly, remember you’re human. If you purchase a new outfit from Amazon, you’re okay. We like to shop. New items make us feel good, and shit is hard right now. Occasionally impulse buying items is probably going to happen, especially if it’s something that comes pretty naturally. Offer yourself grace. It’s not about being perfect, and completely removing yourself from the capitalist system (very few people are going to be able to achieve that) - it’s about being more intentional with what we have.

Hailey Mealey