Man, I feel this. Infinite growth is an insane concept.
Man it just gets dumber the more times I read what you said. I hope you’re at least self aware enough that you don’t consider yourself an intellectual on any level.
Maybe I’d feel differently if I’d read their comment (they deleted it), but that seems a touch harsh. By their comments they don’t seem like a bad person. Maybe it’s just because we’re from the same instance, and I’m not especially smart
It’s not deleted from where I am.
Regurgitating for your enjoyment:
gonna suck when those underwear, sheets, towels get huge holes in them. gonna make their own soap, shampoo, and deodorant? how bout medications, not buying any of those? subway, L, bus tokens? gasoline? bicycles? shoes? smartphones? lol. this should be interesting to watch.
Why? Most people are not intellectuals. Lord knows I’m not. But way too many people consider themselves above the curve for intelligence and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with pointing that out.
Completely agree that making things yourself is a good idea. Food is probably the easiest, as almost all places to live have an entire room with equipment for making and storing food.
Disagree about going to any “prepper” meetups, unless you want to listen to angry people rant about “the government” when they’re really just upset at their ex-wives. Very few preppers learn how to do anything themselves. Buying a pallet of bottled water and a generator is not helping the world.
I feel like I could learn a lot from these people
Start at freecycle.org
There’s also local Buy Nothing/Everything is Free groups which may be more active depending on where you are
I’m GenX and my body is still ready for this. Let’s fucking gooooo
What’s are some of yall’s less obvious “always buy second hand” items?
Crockery, cutlery, pressure cookers and computer peripherals are some things I think it makes no sense to buy new. 2nd hand they’re usually under a tenth the price and often better quality.
I’ve heard some arguments that buying 2nd hand cars is usually better for the climate owing to how much of a car’s lifetime carbon generation is the manufacturing.
The better quality is the key here. The shit made today are intentionally made to be replaced.
Pyrex is the best example. The old-school Pyrex logo means it’s made from really tough glass whereas the newer logo means it’s shit and will shatter when going from hot to cold (oven to countertop).
I wondered about this and apparently it’s a bit more complicated, funnily enough since 2007 European Pyrex is the older style borosilicate glass again
Yep, there’s an excellent video by Ann Reardon talking about this.
Tools! With the exception of a few big power tools like a table saw or miter saw, where the new safety features make it worthwhile, I get everything I can used. I prefer stuff passed down from family with sentimental value, but I get a lot of my tools from Everything is Free, junk stores, yard sales, estate clean outs, swap shops etc.
Older tools tend to be simpler, easier to fix, and remarkably sturdy. I’ve read that the metallurgy wasn’t as good sixty+ years ago so they overbuilt them a bit to compensate, and then decades of use weaned out the weaker ones, so anything left still working is basically survivorship-bias guaranteed. I’ve got a drill press that’s been in the family for four generations and will probably outlast my grandkids.
They’re cheaper, sturdier, easier to fix, generally well-documented online (sometimes better than the new stuff), and they don’t come with sheaves of unnecessary styrofoam and plastic packaging. And they have history and stories in them, even if I don’t always know what those stories are.
applied science actually has a really good video about leaded glass. And it’s tendency to cause shenanigans, i don’t remember much from it, so you should just go watch it.
Definitely most furniture (i.e., without cushions so you avoid bed bugs). New furniture is incredibly expensive and (seems to be) lower quality. Second hand furniture can still be expensive but it’s usually heavily discounted, especially if someone is trying to get rid of it quickly.
Local thrift shops are a good option of course, but also try garage/yard sales, Craigslist, OfferUp, etc. If your area has estate sales you can find some pretty killer deals on good furniture there too.
If you actually need one (most don"t), I wouldn’t buy a truck sold on the North American market since about 2005.
Even if you do need a truck, most of the models marketed here are stupidly oversized in all the areas that DON’T matter. As a builder, I don’t need to be lifted into the stratosphere and have a teeny-tiny bed! I want to be able to fit an entire sheet of plywood in the bed and two people in the cab… ideally without having to hoist myself up into the seat!