Minimalist shopping

Asthe holiday season starts to roll around, Thanksgiving sales and advertising have reminded meof the vast majority of Americans who contribute to our excessive consumerism. Being a high school student who has taken on many minimalist ideals,I have figured out how to prevent myself from making unnecessarypurchases.

The U.S. Department of Energy has noted that 25 percent of people with two-car garages don’t have room to park cars inside them and 32 percent have room for only one vehicle. I’ve seen many examples of this. It is hard to believe that anyone actually uses all the things that have accumulatedin those garages.

Although serious minimalism may not be for everyone, it may be useful for some to adopt a few minimalist values. Something most people need is to be realistic about things they don’t use and get rid of them. Ask yourself: Have you really worn that shirt in the past six months? How long has it been since you used that waffle iron? Do you really think you’re going to read thatold magazine again?

Many of my friends and I are pretty big into thrift shopping, which may be caused by our love for a vintage and stylish look. Even if you aren’t looking for unique statement pieces, there are plenty of things that a person can find secondhand. I have found it vastly cheaper than if I were to always shop retail. Data combined from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Federal Reserve show that the average American household has an average credit card debt of $5,245. If people were a little more cognizant of their purchases, they might not be so far in debt.

I find myself cherishing the gems that I find at thrift stores because it seems as if I’ve found buried treasure. Whether or not thrift shopping suits you, being able to cherish one item rather than buying multiples just because you can is something that everyoneshould embrace.

EMILY KING Brighton Heights The writer is a student at City Charter High School.