Being able to buy something at two in the morning and receiving it within two days has absolutely destroyed our ability to delay gratification, or even consider going without. And I can’t pretend I don’t do it too – I just bought a car seat for my dog and tried to look for something else so I could hit the amount that would get me free shipping. But I miss going shopping. I used to love going to the mall and window shopping with my mom, who also taught me about the satisfaction of finding a killer bargain at an estate sale or antique store.
The danger of shopping online is that there is no natural end point. If you go to the mall, eventually you will either get tired of walking around or you will have visited every store. So you go home and do something else. Shopping online never has to end. Fill a cart, check out, open a new tab, and fill another.
Websites like Amazon, Temu, Wish, and others offer lots of cheap, cute items that offer instant gratification and a hit of dopamine. Superstores put fun, bright colored items at the front of the store. Checkout areas are lined with shelves full of impulse buys—candy, headphones, hand sanitizer, pens!
I love pens. But I am so tired of being overwhelmed with the demand to buy, buy, buy.
In an era of nervous systems that are absolutely shot, there has been a resurgence of offline activity. The fact that “going offline” has become an online trend brings up some questions, but that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. Going offline, touching grass, unplugging—whatever you want to call it, it’s something that we desperately need to do more of, because being chronically online is actively hurting our brains’ capacity to think and critically engage with one another.
With warmer weather on the way, I want to turn you onto the whimsical sport of bargain hunting. People are about to start having garage sales to get rid of stuff. Sometimes the stuff is practically brand new, and other times the stuff is obviously well-loved. The great part is that you get to hold the item in your hand before you decide to buy it. You might even be able to haggle the price and come away with not only an awesome new thing to put in your house, but the satisfaction of getting a great deal.
Garage sales are important. They remind us that our neighbors are people too. They give us a reason to go outside and talk to someone who doesn’t live in our house. They are the place where you can find a hot pink bulletin board for a single dollar and never ever forget the thrill of finding that hidden gem amidst the kids’ tee shirts, a bin of DVDs, and a pile of hockey paraphernalia.
Buying secondhand, whether that means shopping at a thrift or consignment store, browsing an antique shop, or driving your neighborhood to find the tastiest looking yard sales, is better for the environment, better for your bottom line, and better for your human nervous system.
Try it this summer. Get twenty bucks out of the bank (in cash—it’s paper, don’t be afraid) and drive around your neighborhood on Memorial Day weekend. Go look at people’s stuff. Adopt an unwanted item and give it an honored place in your home. And don’t forget to touch grass.