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A Life Less Throwaway

Making your money go further
neversay
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A Life Less Throwaway

#145951

Postby neversay » June 15th, 2018, 7:26 pm

I noticed a book called A Life Less Throwaway - The Lost Art of Buying for Life while browsing on Audible. The blurb reads:

"Tara Button has become a champion of a lifestyle called 'mindful curation' - a way of living in which we carefully choose each object in our lives, making sure we have the best, most classic, most pleasing and longest lasting - kettles, desks, pots and pans, scissors, coats and dresses, instead of surrounding ourselves with throwaway stuff and appliances with built-in obsolescence. Tara advocates a life that celebrates what lasts, what is classic and what really suits a person."

Naturally I'm not buying it as it would only get thrown away ;) but it did make me wonder if other LBYMers ever buy with this mindset?

I like the concept but, off the top of my head, I can't think of anything we own that I expect will last very long-term other than (digital) photographs and our few most treasured keepsakes.

AleisterCrowley
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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#145953

Postby AleisterCrowley » June 15th, 2018, 7:42 pm

Well, my cheapo electric kettle is 23 years old..
Don't think it was bought to last - it's a Haden/Pifco? jobbie, sister got it me from a discount place. Meanwhile my mum has got through loads of expensive metal lighty-up high tech efforts.

vrdiver
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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#145988

Postby vrdiver » June 15th, 2018, 9:07 pm

neversay wrote:Tara advocates a life that celebrates what lasts, what is classic and what really suits a person.[/i]"

The concept makes sense but falls at the first hurdle: what suits me today did not suit me 10 years ago. What I can afford today is different from what I could afford 10 years ago. What is classic today was innovative (maybe) 10 years ago.

Thinking about what you buy and what will happen to it when you no longer need or want it makes perfect sense, but virtue signaling might be taking it a step too far.

VRD

UncleEbenezer
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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146187

Postby UncleEbenezer » June 16th, 2018, 10:13 pm

Um, I guess Tara Button must be quite young? Those of us above a certain age remember an era before the throwaway society, when make do and mend was a way of life and waste was more-or-less unthinkable.

UncleEbenezer
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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146188

Postby UncleEbenezer » June 16th, 2018, 10:17 pm

AleisterCrowley wrote:Well, my cheapo electric kettle is 23 years old..
Don't think it was bought to last - it's a Haden/Pifco? jobbie, sister got it me from a discount place. Meanwhile my mum has got through loads of expensive metal lighty-up high tech efforts.

Mine's only from 1998, and was the cheapest available at the time (I saw no advantages whatsoever to more expensive models).

I always thought a kettle was a durable item. Why should it ever need replacing?

Clitheroekid
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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146195

Postby Clitheroekid » June 16th, 2018, 11:40 pm

I completely agree with the principle, but it can only really apply to things that don't incorporate any significant technology.

For example, it may work well with "kettles, desks, pots and pans, scissors", all of which are simple items, and unlikely to undergo any major change. (I realise that you now have kettles that can be set to switch off at a specific temperature and pans that work with induction hobs, but for most people these aren't important).

There is certainly a world of difference between cheap and horrible scissors and good quality ones, and this applies to most tools. Paying more for good quality tools is an excellent investment, as not only will they last much longer but they provide pleasure every time you use them. And if you buy scissors, or a hammer, or a chisel they are unlikely to be made obsolete by technology.

In my own case I've applied it to the purchase of a watch. I'd had a succession of cheap to average watches as I grew up, but I'm one of those people who for some reason watches don't like, and every one of them eventually ground to a halt. When my parents asked me what I wanted for my 18th birthday I therefore said a really good watch. I still wear it every day over 40 years later, and I consider it one of the best investments of my life (even though I didn't pay for it!)

However, the principle doesn't work with items incorporating a lot of technology. 30 years ago you might have invested several hundred pounds in buying the best quality VCR, but it's now just a useless piece of junk. The same applies to what would have been a state of the art computer or mobile phone - within just a couple of years it's potentially obsolete.

Of course it depends to some extent on how important using the latest technology is to you. In my experience I've found that new technology has a steep improvement curve for the first few years, but that it then tails off quickly. For example I used to really look forward to getting a new PC, as the increase in performance was usually quite dramatic over one that was even just a couple of years old. But for the last few years my PC does everything as quickly and efficiently as I want, so I'm only likely to buy a new one when it goes kaput.

The same applies to mobile phones. The first smartphone I owned - the original iPhone - was nothing short of miraculous compared to my ordinary mobile. And for a while the new generations incorporated significant improvements, but it's hard to see how much better they can get than the current model, so the incentive to upgrade has gradually faded away.

Ironically, I suppose it's at that stage in the cycle that it does make sense to buy the best available, as you're likely to keep it a long time. However, one drawback is that even if it suits you perfectly its functionality can be dependent on continued support from the manufacturer, and once that's withdrawn you may find yourself with an item that's increasingly useless.

So yes, an excellent philosophy in principle, but subject to quite a few practical exceptions.

gryffron
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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146200

Postby gryffron » June 17th, 2018, 12:27 am

Clitheroekid wrote:There is certainly a world of difference between cheap and horrible scissors and good quality ones, and this applies to most tools. Paying more for good quality tools is an excellent investment

A lot of people mention this, but I have quite a different philosophy on tools.

I found that at least half the tools I buy never get used again, so were a complete waste of money. A tiny handful prove invaluable.

So when I feel the need for some new tool, I deliberately buy the cheapest one I can find. That way, if I never need it again, I haven't spent too much. However, if it wears out, then it was obviously useful and it's time to buy a good one. And a further benefit, by the time I get round to buying the good one, I know exactly which features are of benefit and which are not, so I can buy the right one. Did you need big scissors? Little scissors? Pointy end? Round end? Straight cut? Cutting round shapes? What material do you cut with them? See, until you have experience of using cheap scissors (or whatever other tool you wish to talk about) you wouldn't even think to ask all these questions, so you might waste your money buying the wrong good one.

Gryff

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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146290

Postby didds » June 17th, 2018, 11:36 am

[quote="Clitheroekid" However, one drawback is that even if it suits you perfectly its functionality can be dependent on continued support from the manufacturer, and once that's withdrawn you may find yourself with an item that's increasingly useless.
.[/quote]


Yup. We'd had an espresso machine for about 15 years or so - absolutely nothing wrong with it, and still working perfectly ...

.. except...

the grounds cup/holder thing had a metal "sieve" plate thing that screwed into the bottom of the cup, removable for cleaning purposes etc.

Mrs Didds managed to lose it somehow.

The manufacturers of said machone no longer traded within the UK, so I had to deal with the HQ in Portugal. Which in itself wasn't so difficult - but they no longer made that model. And had no spare screws THE CORRECT size. All we could do was get as close a fit as possible... and the whole thing stopped working properly because (presumably) we could no longer get a correct/perfect seal on the metal plate with holes thingy within the cup. We tried everywhere - this tiny screw was a non standard size it turned out and replacements generically just couldn't be found.

So the entire machine had to be skipped. It was in effect unusable.

didds

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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146348

Postby UncleEbenezer » June 17th, 2018, 4:12 pm

didds wrote:Yup. We'd had an espresso machine for about 15 years or so - absolutely nothing wrong with it, and still working perfectly ...

.. except...

That's where it helps if you know someone who's good at DIY and has a decent toolkit. If that happened to me, I'd have a word with next door.

I've had my espresso machine rather longer than that. It's lost some bits and got some cracks in the plastic, but still works fine. Though judging by the growing fracture on the handle (of the bit you put the coffee in), it may become unusable in the not-too-distant.

dspp
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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146407

Postby dspp » June 18th, 2018, 9:36 am

neversay wrote:I noticed a book called A Life Less Throwaway - The Lost Art of Buying for Life while browsing.The blurb reads:

"[i]Tara Button has become a champion of a lifestyle called 'mindful curation' -


Anything I come across these days that uses the dratted 'C' word gets immediately rejected by me. In my spare time I actually run an art gallery and am continually organising art shows, hangings, music concerts, and such like. I have never once found a need to use the word "curate". That I reserve for absolutely top-notch collections of national importance. Meanwhile the number of pretentious wiffle waffle types sling the 'C' word around to justify, embellish, and enhance their status as an intermediary is growing like an unchecked weed. Funnily enough most of the artists who use it are at the naffest and least capable end of the spectrum, but it has gotten loose and escaped into other walks of life, such as this example. Resist the C-word !

/rant over.

regards, dspp

ReformedCharacter
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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146418

Postby ReformedCharacter » June 18th, 2018, 10:38 am

dspp wrote:
Anything I come across these days that uses the dratted 'C' word gets immediately rejected by me. In my spare time I actually run an art gallery and am continually organising art shows, hangings, music concerts, and such like. I have never once found a need to use the word "curate". That I reserve for absolutely top-notch collections of national importance. Meanwhile the number of pretentious wiffle waffle types sling the 'C' word around to justify, embellish, and enhance their status as an intermediary is growing like an unchecked weed. Funnily enough most of the artists who use it are at the naffest and least capable end of the spectrum, but it has gotten loose and escaped into other walks of life, such as this example. Resist the C-word !

/rant over.

regards, dspp


Yes, it's strange, I'd never heard the word 'curate' used often until a year or two ago. Now everyone seems to be 'curating' something. I listen to R4 quite a lot and the word crops up very frequently and as you suggest, it does sound pretentious. I'm about to curate my coffee now.

RC

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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146426

Postby kiloran » June 18th, 2018, 11:27 am

ReformedCharacter wrote:Yes, it's strange, I'd never heard the word 'curate' used often until a year or two ago. Now everyone seems to be 'curating' something. I listen to R4 quite a lot and the word crops up very frequently and as you suggest, it does sound pretentious. I'm about to curate my coffee now.
RC

And a lot on BBC Radio 6, as in "Tom Ravenscroft curates an hour of his favourite new music"

--kiloran

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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146473

Postby AleisterCrowley » June 18th, 2018, 5:03 pm


vrdiver
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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146482

Postby vrdiver » June 18th, 2018, 5:34 pm

Perhaps "curating" is the natural evolution of "managing" in the perpetual job title inflation cycle?

VRD

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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146528

Postby MikeyWorld » June 18th, 2018, 8:35 pm

I've just got around to repairing my three wheeled lawn mower. It had three wheels when I rescued it off freecycle ten years ago.

It now has a sexy fourth wheel. It is awesome.

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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146627

Postby vrdiver » June 19th, 2018, 11:12 am

MikeyWorld wrote:I've just got around to repairing my three wheeled lawn mower. It had three wheels when I rescued it off freecycle ten years ago.

It now has a sexy fourth wheel. It is awesome.

You mean, you curated the wheels into an aesthetically pleasing quadrant?

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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#146630

Postby Watis » June 19th, 2018, 11:16 am

vrdiver wrote:
MikeyWorld wrote:I've just got around to repairing my three wheeled lawn mower. It had three wheels when I rescued it off freecycle ten years ago.

It now has a sexy fourth wheel. It is awesome.

You mean, you curated the wheels into an aesthetically pleasing quadrant?


Yes - and which he then used to curate his lawn!

Watis

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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#148687

Postby funduffer » June 28th, 2018, 6:37 pm

I still use my Casio mathematical calculator 41 years after I received it for my 21st birthday.

It still gives the right answers, and has some functions I have never used!

Who says technology items become obsolete!

FD

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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#148716

Postby AleisterCrowley » June 28th, 2018, 9:41 pm

I've still got my old Casio fx 31 somewhere - late 1970s vintage

James
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Re: A Life Less Throwaway

#148729

Postby James » June 28th, 2018, 11:15 pm

funduffer wrote:I still use my Casio mathematical calculator 41 years after I received it for my 21st birthday.

It still gives the right answers, and has some functions I have never used!

Who says technology items become obsolete!

FD


Wow, how does it feel to be 57?
:lol:


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