The holidays are upon us, and that means loosening the purse strings and opening your wallet from November until December. Gift-centric holidays have been a mainstay of the American calendar for a long time, and this year is no exception. However, there is a very necessary conversation to be had, one about overconsumption. 

The holidays tend to drum up excitement for a lot of material goods  and leave us with a lot of unnecessary stuff. Walk into a store when the clock hits midnight on November first, and you’ll see employees tearing down the Halloween decorations and decking the shelves with bells of holly. As the holiday season is reduced to gift-giving, the pressure to decorate, reinvent, or stick to a particular aesthetic ushers in countless shopping trips.

Every year, companies churn out tchotchkes to match that year’s trends. Be it bows galore, rose gold trappings, or Snoopy, it all plagues shelves and TikToks crying for you to “run, not walk” to your nearest store to get these holiday must haves. 

The hard truth is twofold: you don’t need any of it, and it will all likely end up in a landfill in a year. 

Trends that follow merchandise have a short lifespan, but an immeasurable impact on our environment, economy, and society as a whole. The amount of energy it takes to produce and move goods at the rate that stores do has an incredible impact on the world. On top of this, cheaply made items in stores end up in landfills when they don’t hit in the same way companies thought. 

Before your trinkets are demoted to the landfill, they clutter in your home, choking it with impulse purchases. As a persistent victim of buyer’s remorse, overconsumption is the exact cause of my regret and exhaustion. It feels as though stores are churning through products with no soul, thoughtlessly created as cheaply as possible. 

Being mindful of overconsumption can be an important skill during the holiday season. It’s a perfect example of something that is simple in theory—just don’t buy it—but difficult in practice. A few things that I have learned to help me halt my spending and lessen my impact on overconsumption. 

First, I understand the psychology behind shopping in person. Physically picking up an item makes you form a connection to it, as you feel like you already own it. This usually translates to me carrying an item around a store, and then putting it back. I foster that connection between an item, and then put it back, maybe taking a photo for later. 

Second is unlearning instant gratification. As much as a small purchase may make me happy now, would it be worth it to save for something bigger, or something that I want more? 

Third, playing a kind of game: with a cart full of items, close your eyes. Can you remember everything in your cart? This helps weed out impulse grabs. 

Lastly, and this is most specific to clothing, but picture all the ways you can wear it. If it’s something you can’t justify wearing often or meshing well with your closet, reconsider. 

All in all, shopping is something that will always be a part of our society. However, it is important to recognize the sheer magnitude of the merchandise industry and be mindful when buying. While one less purchase cannot simply save the world, it can contribute. Shop less, shop at thrift stores and do what you can to reduce the amount you buy new.