Brows have been a huge focus of the beauty industry over the last couple of years. We're all striving for big, bushy, voluminous brows and there are now thousands of products claiming to give them to you. I've tried out the newest brow offering from 100% Pure, a brand focused on beauty without shitty ingredients. Here are my thoughts. 

The moment I saw this product I knew I had to try it. I've been an avid 100% Pure fan for a while now. It's one of the very few brands I've found that has TRULY GOOD ingredients lists. None of this not-technically-a-sulfate-but-pretty-close BS. True to form, their Green Tea Fiber Brow Builder hits the mark in terms of what's inside. 

I mean, come on. I'd eat it. "May contain iron oxides" is a little WTF but the rest is just gorgeous. Compared to a fiber-based brow product from a traditional beauty brand, 100% Pure have completely nailed it in this respect. 

Like all 100% Pure products, this brow builder is vegan and cruelty-free. I got the shade 'soft brown', though there's only one other which is darker and called 'medium brown'. 

The box is an ombre cream into pink, with black text and silver foiled detailing. I've never been a huge fan of the overall aesthetics of their outer packaging, but it's not hideous. The tube itself is a light metallic mauve grey with the same silver detailing as the box. It's pretty enough. 

My first impression was that it was TINY. It takes up a third of the actualbox, so this is not only a bit deceptive but a total waste of packaging. The tube itself was also wrapped in plastic, which I understand is for safety and longevity, but cmon, it's 2020, do we not have an alternative that won't fuck the environment?

The wand has a tiny little spoolie brush on the end, not dissimilar to what you'd expect from a mascara wand, only much smaller. The formula has a typical beauty product smell - it doesn't smell natural which could be a big drawcard for people who hate that kind of scent. 

Here's what my brow looked like before application. She's a patchy little bitch and always has been. Whatever.

And here's what it looked like after:

To apply, I pulled out the wand and gently brushed upwards starting from the inner side of my brow and moving out. Some product did apply too heavily in certain areas, but I was easily able to spread it out without having to pick up my brow brush. 

The end result did give me fuller, thicker, less patchy brows and I'm actually really happy with how this turned out given it's my first time using any kind of fibre-based brow product.

Up until now I have been using a brow powder with a brush but I don't find it particularly natural-looking or practical for on-the-go application. I much prefer the look of this. How about longevity?

9am: Product applied, nothing else on brows or face

12pm: Still kickin'

3pm: Loss of volume on the inner side of brows

9pm: No change from earlier

I was unsure if $35 per tiny tube is great value. The chemical-laden L'Oreal version is the same size for $15 less. Is that justified? I'm ameliorated by the fact it did last and look good all day, and isn't something I'll be using daily but perhaps once a week at most. I will update this post when I reach the end of the tube and we'll see how long it lasted. 

As always, here are my ratings. 

xoxo EM

I've tried hundreds of natural and eco-friendly beauty, haircare and body care products over the last half decade. Some have been fab, some have fallen flat, and almost all are lacking in one area important to me. I've developed a tool for assessing, rating and comparing them which I'm sharing with you today!

The way it works is simple - each category has a max point value, and you need to rate each product in each category out of that max number. Keep in mind these values have been assigned based on how important each area is to me. By all means adjust these to reflect what matters more to you. The categories and weighting are completely customisable, just work it out before you start using it to ensure a fair comparison. 

The categories

I assess all products based on these 5 categories:

• Packaging (out of 5): this refers to how eco-friendly the packaging is. Cardboard is great, plastic is terrible, and so on. 
• Ingredients (out of 5): I'm a hardass when it comes to ingredients so this one is particularly important to me, and refers to how many questionable things appear on that precious list.
• Effectiveness (out of 5): Does it actually work?
• Value for money (out of 3): Am I happy to pay RRP for it? 
• Aesthetics (out of 2): Overall feel of packaging and product design - does it look good? Smell good? You get the idea. 

This gives each product a rating out of 20. How does it look in action? 

As you can see, you can use it to evaluate individual products as well as compare them with each other. In the second screenshot, mascara 1 would be my top pic for repurchase, followed by 3 and 4. 

I use this scale for everything I review on the blog, and will be compiling a master list on the resources page so you can see my thoughts on everything I've ever tried at a glance!

That's all for now. 

xoxo EM

Living the life laid out for you by the status quo is like looking for the key under the lamppost because the light is better, even though you know it has been lost in the shadows. It is swimming only in the shallows, because staying afloat is easy; easier than a leap of faith into unknown depths when you have no idea whether you can swim.

Who can blame you? The steps are easy to follow. Go to school, get a degree, choose a career and contribute to society. Settle down, buy a house, build your winter wardrobe, whiten your teeth. Work out three times a week. Follow the plan instead of your dreams. Tick enough boxes and you might be happy.

But are you?

Here’s the truth. The only imperative of your existence is death. The only thing you have to do is one day take a final breath. What of the rest?

The rest is all your choice. You don’t have to work at all, least of all in a job that doesn’t fulfil you. You don’t have to live only on the weekends, dress to impress or go into debt. You do not have to stay with someone who is not your paramour, or stay in the city in which you were born. You don’t have to get rich or make it big or have a kid. You don’t have to be polite and you don’t have to live a lie.
The only thing you have to do is die.

If you’re not happy, what the fuck are you doing? If your life does not truly fill you with joy, torch it.
Burn it to the ground and start again. All you have are choices right up until your end.

They've been around for decades but have only recently become the talk of the town in terms of period products, and there's a good reason for that. 5 actually. Here are the benefits of using a menstrual cup!

1. They're a whole lot cheaper than pads and tampons
One cup can last up to 10 years. A WHOLE DECADE. So while a cup can set you back $50-$60 up front, that works out to be $6 a year or $0.50 a month. Compare that to the monthly cost of pads and/or tampons (at least 10 times that amount) and your savings are huge.

2. They're a zero-waste alternative 
Menstrual cups transform your period into a waste-free event. No more toilet paper-wrapped used pads and tampons in the trash, and no more packaging!

3. They're so much more convenient. 
Depending on your flow, pads and tampons need to be changed every couple of hours. In contrast, menstrual cups can stay inside ya for up to 12 hours. Wash it out morning and night and that. is. it. You don't have to think about it ALL DAY. The best part? You can sleep with it in. How many times have you gotten comfortable in bed only to remember you still have a tampon in? Never again!

4. Never worry about a tampon string again. 
Periods at the beach are a real bitch - constant paranoia about a loose string and having to change your tampon in a crusty-ass beach bathroom as soon as you're out of the water. Switch to a menstrual cup and hard pass on that crap.

5. There's a menstrual cup for everyone, and you'll probably be a convert. 
Whether you've got a light or heavy flow, there's a menstrual cup for you thanks to the dozens of brands now on the market which differ in size, shape, and price point. Chances are you're going to love it once you get used to it, too: a 2011 Canadian study found that around 91% of women in the menstrual cup group indicated that they'd not only continue to use a menstrual cup, but recommend them to others.

They take a bit of getting used to (my first cycle I was basically clawing around inside my vagina to get the damn thing out) but honestly now that I've got insertion and removal methods sorted, I'm telling everyone I know about how life-changing they are.

Have you tried a menstrual cup? Loved it? Hated it? Leave a comment!

xoxo E.M.

I've been working from home for a few days and I'm already bored out of my mind. So to help us both, here's a list of 69 things *yes I'm a child* you can do at home to, with any luck, prevent stir craziness while in self-isolation or practicing social distancing. We've got everything from getting drunk to cleaning out your toaster so get ready for a wild ride.

1. Send messages to friends you haven't spoken to in a while 
2. Clean out your fridge
3. Write a bucket list 
4. Organise the junk drawer I know you have
5. Do some online crossword puzzles like a modern senior citizen
6. Clean out your pantry
7. Build Pinterest boards full of things you're never going to actually do or have! Woo. 
8. Get some paints and paper/canvas and hold your very own sip and paint event at home
9. Clean the inside and outside of all your kitchen cupboards and drawers
10. Colour code your bookshelf 
11. Create a budget/savings plan (check out our guide to saving $5k extra this year)
12. Grab some sugar soap and a bucket and wash all your walls. It sounds boring as fuck but it's actually very satisfying, especially if you have white walls. This kept me entertained for a solid 2 hours.
13. Play 100 shots in 100 minutes with your housemates
14. Polish the grout in your kitchen and bathrooms with baking soda, vinegar, and a toothbrush. Cinderella mode activated. 
15. Wash all the windows in your house
16. Vacuum your upholstery and lamp shades
17. Sweep outdoor areas 
18. Join some random Facebook groups. My current favourite? A group where we all pretend to be ants in an ant colony. It's pure wholesome gold.
19. Weed your garden 
20. Clean your vacuum cleaner
21. Polish all your cutlery
22. Wash your makeup brushes
23. Make a throwback playlist with all the emo shit you used to listen to in high school
24. Clean out your wardrobe: fold and organise, colour code that shit
25. Get stuck into Reddit - there are discussions for EVERYONE. And also memes. 
26. Go through the stack of random papers and digitise/shred & recycle what is no longer needed
27. Laptop organisation - clean up your wild ass desktop and create a digital filing system like a god damned adult
28. Meal prep
29. Phone organisation - delete apps you don't use, arrange them by colour or usage or type. Get rid of all those screenshots you don't need. Back it up for the first time in 6 months (guilty)
30. Clean out your makeup/skincare and reorganise
31. Read about how eco-friendly your favourite recreational drugs are and then go do some
32. Clean your oven 
33. Make your way through IMDB's list of 40 movies you must see before you die
34. Clean your toaster. It's a crumby job but it's gotta be done. Hahaha. Help me. 
35. Home workout. YouTube some yoga or HIIT sessions. Or just run up and down your stairs a bunch of times. You do you. 
36. Learn a language
37. Get flexible: take advantage of having no commute to add stretching to your morning and evening routines
38. Hair mask, face mask, mani/pedi, the whole nine yards. 
39. Download a mindfulness/meditation app (and use it)
40. Take cute selfies
41. Iron all your clothes now instead of 10 minutes before you need to leave the house wearing them. 
42. Cook fancy ass meals, maybe even ones out of those recipe books you have and never use? 
43. Reread your favourite books
44. Clean your room
45. Watch documentaries on YouTube/Netflix instead of binge watching mindless crap
46. Listen to some podcasts 
47. Jump on Wikipedia and choose the 'Random Article' link over and over again
48. Buzzfeed quizzes. Obv. 
49. Play board and card games (Solitaire if ur sad and alone)
50. Build a Rube Goldberg machine
51. Scroll through all the photos on your phone/laptop from beginning to end, reminiscing on simpler times when social interaction and travel were possible. Sigh. 
52. Press the Bored Button
53. Log onto old games you used to play and let extreme nostalgia wash over you - Neopets, Runescape, etc etc. 
54. Hunt down your old social media accounts and have a cringe party! MySpace, Tumblr, Bebo, whatever you can find. 
55. Make like me and my housemate and spend 20 minutes trying to throw practice golf balls into a mug (....this is more entertaining than it sounds ok)
56. Get really drunk
57. Do a puzzle
58. Get on Hinge and message some hot people of your choice
59. Cry in the shower 
60. Learn a new skill - thanks to the internet this is easy. This Buzzfeed article has some ideas. 
61. Get onto TripAdvisor and make lists for all the places you want to visit. Eventually. 
62. Make an obstacle course in your home and see which of your housemates can do it the fastest. 
63. Leave a comment on this post with your other ideas for home entertainment
64. Read some books on OpenLibrary.org which has hundreds of books you can read online for free!
65. Take apart your fan and clean all the dust off of it
66. Clean the tops of things - the top of your fridge, cupboards, all those places you never see or touch and normally pretend don't exist :]
67. Browse the ABS website and learn some interesting stats about Australia
68. Marie-Kondo your entire house
69. I hate to say it, but if you get REALLY REALLY BORED, download TikTok? I haven't done it yet coz I'm too scared to feel old and Gen Z seem INCREDIBLY cringey. 

And that's the lot! As always, if you have more suggestions, leave them below. Lord knows I'll need them. 

xoxo E.M.

Wondering how to save more money? Get an extra $5k in your pocket this year with our best tips for saving money and cutting costs in 2020. Whether you have a new years resolution to be smarter with your money or are saving for a holiday or other goal, these easy ideas will help you accelerate that bank balance without a second job.

Even black market purchases are included in the phrase 'vote with your dollar'. So if you're wondering whether ketamine is sustainable or if your casual cocaine habit is bad for the environment, read on for more information about which drugs are most environmentally friendly.

It was my darling mother who first introduced me to lupin flakes: 4% carbs, rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, fibre and protein; Gluten free, nut free, totally vegan, and can be used in an incredibly diverse number of ways. NEW SUPERFOOD ALERT. But what actually is it? Lupin is a legume related to the peanut and soybean, and has been used as food for humans and livestock for thousands of years.

This weekend has been dedicated to wholesome activities AKA not partying so I actually had time to go op shopping! My favourite at the moment is Salvation Army Lidcombe, which is huge and organised by category AND size. What a godsend. Here's what I got. 

Hellooooo 2019! What better way to start off a brand new year than with a brand new instalment of Eco Friendly Friends? If you're not already familiar, this is a blog segment where we interview gorgeous gals from the sustainbility realm.

A while back we brought you the first instalment of Eco Friendly Friends - a series of interviews with other bloggers/Instagrammers in the space - with Jen from Nearo Waste. This time around, I chatted to the lovely Jessica from Sustain In The Membrane about her zero waste journey so far.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 

My name is Jessica and I am a Speech Language Pathologist. I work with adults who have speech, voice, swallowing, and cognitive deficits due to stroke, dementia, and Parkinson’s. I grew up in New Jersey and now live in the beautiful green mountain state - Vermont. My interests include dogs... and I suppose hiking, skiing, crafting, baking, and reading ;) 

When did you first start becoming interested in the #zerowaste lifestyle? Was there something specific that sparked your interest?

I think I may be unique that my first ever zero waste swap was actually a menstrual cup! I have a very busy job and (sadly) bathroom breaks are few and sometimes never at my job. During my period that just won’t fly. So I started to look into solutions. Then I came across the ingredients in tampons and my eyes almost came out of my head. I then looked into 100% cotton, which was expensive and I am admittedly cheap. Then I saw the menstrual cup and thought, well, I may as well give it a try. I fell in love with it. I thought “if this can save me time, money, and keep me healthy, what other swaps can I find?” And that's what started my zero waste/minimalist journey. 

Are there any products you miss from before you started reducing your waste? If so, have you found a replacement yet?

This may sound silly, but clementines! I can’t find it without the darn netting... and honestly regular oranges don’t taste as good to me. I know some grocery stores accept them back but I haven’t tried yet. Maybe one day! Other than that, I have found an alternative for almost everything else or gave it up without sacrificing my quality of life. I recently started making my own tortillas/chips which has been easy and fun! 

What's the biggest lesson you've learned on your journey so far?

That I can’t beat myself up. There are many times when I first started that I would allow myself to become angry or feel so guilty for things that were really out of my control or were a small oversight (like forgetting to ask for no straw). I had to come to terms with the fact that I would never be perfect and truly zero waste, but as long as I was trying, I should feel good about that. I don’t think changing your lifestyle is worth it if it is going to be so frustrating that your quality of life is impacted. If I resent having to go out of my way to do things that aren’t giving me pleasure and happiness, I will never sustain that lifestyle. So to sum that up, I think allowing myself to make mistakes and be ok with it was a big lesson learned for myself. 

If you could give one tip to all the #zerowaste newbies out there, what would it be? 

Everyones zero waste life looks different! I wanted to throw out everything and get the bamboo/steel products that you see on everyone’s Instagrams. But really, I had all the things I needed. I didn’t need to buy a bamboo toilet bowl cleaner, the one I have works fine. I’ll replace it with a sustainable option when the time comes!  No need to make waste in the effort to be zero waste. But I also remember trying a shampoo bar and not liking it, so I tried Plaine Products instead (which I love). So just because you see a zero waste person with all their beautiful soaps and bags doesn’t mean you can’t be zero waste without those products. Use what you have, and love what you use or it will never sustain in your life. 

A huuuuuge thanks to Jessica for her thought provoking insights. You can find her on Instagram at @sustain.in.the.membrane. If you'd like to be a part of this segment, please get in touch via the Ethical Millennial Instagram or leave a comment with your contact details below and we can set up an interview!

The sustainability community is booming right now, and there are so many bloggers & Instagrammers who I love to follow, so I thought it would be a great idea to do a quick little interview each month with someone who's kickin' goals in all the right places. First up is Jennifer from @nearowaste. Read on to read more about 'near zero waste' as well as her fave eco-friendly swaps for a low waste life.

To start off with, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? 

Hi Ethical Millennial folks! I'm a 30-something web developer living in the suburbs of Philadelphia with my boyfriend Chris and my almost-2-year-old son, Beans. 

The lovely Jennifer from @nearowaste.

I've got nearly too many side projects at any given time. Currently I'm blogging at honeyrule.com, a blog about minimalism, mindfulness, and crunch (including nearo waste, or near zero waste). I also love digital bullet journaling, hand lettering, freelance web work, reading, (thinking about) working out, and using second-hand possessions and natural products whenever possible. 

How did #nearowaste come about? What sets it apart from the classic #zerowaste movement?

The term nearo waste came to me one day, after Chris and I started focusing on our zero waste efforts by tracking our trash for two weeks. The zero waste movement is awesome, because it inspires folks to reduce their waste and make better choices for the environment. However, a lot of times people can get wrapped up in creating absolutely ZERO waste, which is near impossible. Following "perfect" instagrammers and youtubers is inspiring, but it can be discouraging if you start to compare your low-waste efforts to these social media celebrities.

I wanted to create a zero waste idea that would be more approachable and more realistic. Nearo waste means "near zero waste". It's all about making eco-friendly choices without completely changing your lifestyle or making your life more difficult. For example, I'm not able to go to a farm and get organic whole milk refilled in a glass bottle. Nor am I able to go to my neighbor and get cage-free organic eggs directly from a chicken. Some waste is inevitable. So nearo waste is all about being  zero waste in the real world.

Turns out #nearowaste already existed on Instagram and probably elsewhere. So while I didn't exactly coin the term, I want to make it a more widespread idea and movement.

What’s been the biggest challenge on your journey so far?

The biggest challenge on my journey is easily the fast food and dining out situation. I always carry my own cloth napkins and reusable water bottle, and I recently started using washable camping utensils instead of using plastic utensils at restaurants.

But really, whenever you get takeout or order from a non sit-down restaurant, you create waste. I like my Wawa hoagies (submarine sandwiches) too much. And I'm not going to bring my own container and ask busy Wawa employees to please put my sandwich in this weird glass Pyrex dish, please. Same with other similar restaurants. You win some, you lose some; but making strides to bring my own utensils and refuse the straw is still making an impact.

Are there any holy grail brands, products or recipes you’ve found that have become central to your daily efforts to reduce waste?

Marleys Monsters got me started on a no-tissue no-paper towels kick. We swapped out our tissues and towels for cloth wipes a while ago, and I even had some more made from Beans' old swaddling blankets (more on that here).

The other thing that has me jazzed is sugar waxing! Not only is sugar waxing green, natural, and nearo waste, it's also a LOT cheaper than getting a salon wax.

If you could give one tip to all the #zerowaste newbies out there, what would it be? 

Start slow. Don't expect to change your ways overnight. Remember every little bit counts, and every thing you do has an impact on those around you.

A big thanks to Jennifer for being our very first interviewee for #ecofriendlyfriends! You can find her on Instagram at @nearowaste and @jenny.pancakes, on Twitter, and at HoneyRule.com. She's also available for freelance web work. If you'd like to be a part of this segment, please get in touch via the Ethical Millennial Instagram or leave a comment with your contact details below and we can set up an interview!

They're cute, they're fun, they're the epitome of millennial consumption. These days, you can get a subscription box for so many different product categories - food, razors, beauty products, organic pantry items, wines - and even just for states of being, like the "single people's box" and the "mother box". 

I'm all about 'treat yo'self', and I subscribed to a box like this for a long time, so I totally get the appeal. It's like someone is sending you a surprise present every month. Who wouldn't want that? The issue is - like most things in life - there's a trade off.

Pro: All that stuff I just mentioned. Fun, amazing, great, surprise, treat. 

Pro: Great way to try out new products without committing to the full size. The box I subscribed to was organic beauty/sustainable living products. A sample of a shiny expensive eye serum that is normally $500000 is a great way to see if you it before you splurge. 

Con: There's no way on god's green earth that I'm going to splurge on that overpriced eye serum anyway, so what was the point of the sample? Also I swear I will never say splurge again. 

Con: It's a lot of packaging. A LOT. The box itself, the little card that tells you about all the products, then the products themselves. They're more often than not packaged in plastic or aluminium foil packets that can't be recycled. No self-respecting #zerowaster could have one of these subscription boxes and still use the hashtag. 

Con: You don't get to choose what's in there. I realise that's half the point, but it also means that you now have 45 lipstick samples in your drawer that you're never going to use because you don't wear lipstick. What's the point in having a konjac and activated charcoal face sponge if you don't  actually want or need a konjac and activated charcoal face sponge? It's like the antichrist of minimalism. 

Pro: I'll be honest, you do get some cool things in there. In the last box I got before I cancelled, I got a set of 3 produce bags for waste-free grocery shopping. And I've used them every grocery shop since. 

Con: Those produce bags were something I was looking at buying anyway. So it saved me time, and potentially some money, but it's not like I discovered a life-changing product that I never would have found otherwise. 

Overall? 

A win for indulgence/excitement/trying expensive products you cant otherwise afford - but a loss for the environment/minimalism/my desperate attempts to sever my internal links between material acquisition and happiness. 

Go figure ;) 

Last week, the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) released the results of their 2015-2016 National Recycling and Recovery Survey. The survey covered glass containers, steel cans + paper and aluminium packaging. I've summed up some key findings for you below, and you can download a copy here. 

Graph of calculated recycling rates by grade, APCO, 2017

• Australia's recycling rate for 2015-16 was 65.3%, up 2% on the previous year but down 2% on 2010-11. 
• Total consumption of these products rose 1.5% on 2014-15
• The recycling rate was highest for paperboard
• Since 2010-11, our consumption of glass has been rising annually at an average of 3.5%
• The recycing rate for non-beverage aluminium packaging (like deodorant cans) was at 44% in 2015-16, down from 50% in the previous year 

Some days it feels like the battle to reduce the amount of waste I produce is steadfastly uphill. The more you get into the movement, the more you realise just how many things are hard - or just about impossible - to find without packaging that can be reused or recycled. 

There is, however, good news on the horizon. Companies are becoming more and more aware of what we want, and indeed what the environment needs. It's also a win for them - if approached strategically, becoming more sustainable can produce significant benefits including lower costs and increased efficiency. 

On Tuesday, Unilever called for greater industry action on packaging waste, saying that more progress is needed in the move away from things like single use plastics, towards a circular economy. This follows their 2017 announcement that they will ensure all of it's packaging is re-usable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Other companies that have taken this pledge include L'Oreal, Pepsi, The Coca Cola Company, and Walmart. 

Henkel (the company that owns Schwarzkopf) are aiming to implement a 20% reduction in their packaging to sales ratio by 2020, and UK giant Iceland Foods will eliminate plastic packaging from it's brands by 2023.

It's a good start, and it's great to see industry getting on board, considering there is a huge amount of packaging waste being created, however more work needs to be done. In the EU-28 in 2014, almost 163kg of packaging waste was generated per person. Over the decade to 2013, Australia regressed in terms of waste management, generating 53.0 million tonnes of waste in 2010-11.

So what can be done? Money talks - vote with your dollar. Stop buying products with unsatisfatory packaging. And for those products that you can't seem to find without it, speak up. Write an email, file a complaint, get on social media. It's time to start calling this out. 

At the start of November, I made the commitment to go the whole month without buying anything new. No clothes, shoes, skincare - nothing. In my original post, I talk about the reasons why I wanted to put my wallet away for November, and what I hoped to learn. It's now December, and I can tell you that while it wasn't easy, it was definitely eye-opening.

I'll be the first to admit I love shopping a little too much, and am undoubtedly guilty of buying a lot of things I don't actually need - particularly in the fashion department. I am making a conscious effort to change this behaviour, starting with a whole month without purchasing anything new. I love a great hashtag, so let's call it #nobuynovember.

Why?

Consumerism, fast fashion and a throw-away culture are more prevalent now than ever before, and this is problematic for a number of reasons. Gone are the days when we fix our possessions - whether that be a sock with a hole or a smartphone - and instead we are throwing them out and buying new ones.

Our constant demand for unnecessary items is wreaking havoc on the environment, animals, and human beings, and I'll be the first to admit that I've been engaging in this kind of behaviour for far too long. When we make purchases on impulse, we don't take the time to consider whether we actually need what we're buying. We don't think about who has made it and under what conditions, what t's made of, how long it will last, the impact on the environment when we discard it mere months later like a child bored of a new toy.

By going a full calendar month without buying anything new, I'm aiming to highlight my own behaviours, and reinforce more positive ones: making do with what I already have, taking care of what I own, and letting go of the constant need to have the newest, best, most fashionable possessions. Because after all, they are just that - things - that deep down I know I don't want or need.

I'm going to stay conscious, and write down the details of anything I have to stop myself from buying - what, where, how much, who I'm with and how I'm feeling at the time, what I do instead of buying the item.

This way, when I look back at the end of the month, I will hopefully be able to draw some conclusions about my spending habits, and prove to myself that almost every month could be a month without buying anything new.

What is included?

I will not be purchasing any brand new items: electronics, clothes, shoes, jewellery, accessories, skincare, makeup, homewares, fitness equipment, and so on. 

Anything purchased second hand (ie. from an op shop), food and drink, and feminine hygiene products are allowed. 

Give it a go

I'm sure I'm going to need some moral support, so why not try it with me? I'd love to include everyone's results and lessons learned at the end of the month, so let me know in the comments, on Twitter or via Facebook.