Vox: Buying fewer unnecessary items is good for the planet, your wallet, and your brain. “This holiday season could be a scary time for some: Between inflation (prices have risen 8.2 percent in a year) and economic uncertainty pointing to a potential recession, in addition to ongoing pandemic recovery, it might not be the ideal moment to think about buying a bunch of crap. A 2019 survey by Ladder and OnePoll revealed that Americans spend an average of $18,000 per year on nonessential items, including streaming services and lattes, impulse Amazon finds, and unnecessary clothes. Not only is this enough to buy a semester of in-state tuition for your soon-to-be-college kid, but it translates to lots of clutter you have to deal with as items become unnecessary with time. Household goods and services are responsible for 60 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, one study shows. It seems we are as aware as ever of this fact — since the pandemic, consumers want to reduce their unnecessary shopping behaviors.” [Shop your closets, basement, shed, dresser drawers. You will be surprised at the clothes, shoes an boots you will find to wear again. Donate what you do not want or use – check into Habitat for Humanity ReStores in your area. Book exchanges and used book shops allow in kind exchanges so that you always have new-old books to read. Plant and seed exchanges are also plentiful and make gift giving and receiving a year round event, rather than just on the holidays.]