3. Give things a second life
Head to the Tip Shop, your local op shop, or Trade Me to find treasure. Have a chat with your friends and family and see if they have any favourite things that you or a professional could repair for them, shoes that need new soles, broken jewellery, an amp, a zipper on a favourite top.
4. Buy local and from the product creator
If you do choose to buy something new, try to buy local products directly from the maker, aim for quality over quantity and avoid cheap flimsy things that have a track record of only lasting for a few months – things like inflatable toys, flimsy camping chairs, gimmicky ‘joke’ presents. Ideally get things that are repairable and at the end of their usable life can be composted or recycled.
5. Get creative when wrapping
Don’t feel pressured into spending lots of money on wrapping paper that will be used once then discarded. You can save money by using something reusable like a scarf or up cycled and compostable materials like newspaper or an old kids drawing. If you do use wrapping paper, try to avoid glitter or laminated paper as these are not recyclable or compostable.