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‘I’m not buying new stuff any more’: the young people getting into ‘degrowth’
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 27 Apr 2024
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Degrowth
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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
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrex#Composition
Yep, there's an excellent video by Ann Reardon talking about this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVbkDAw4aJs
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.
Adding to this, my local library has a library of things which includes a lot of tools. From niche saws to power drills everyone could use.
Got to be careful with old cutlery and kitchenwares, and test for lead.
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!
Crockery and cutlery? Have you never been to an estate sale? I would never buy that stuff new.
Clothes, furniture, equipment related to hobbies… Most things
Honestly a better question might be what do people prefer buying new?
getting a fuel efficent compact car, new or used, is what is best.
way way too many have huge gas guzzlers, used or old. your 1990 4Runner that gets 10mpg and has horrible emissions isn't saving the environment.