What is Nothing New 2022?
It’s a pledge to avoid buying new things from 1 January 2022 until 31 December 2022. It’s not “buy nothing” (though those guys are great), but nothing new. Obviously consumables like food are an exception. Nobody wants to eat only used food for a year.
We have enough stuff. It’s piled in our homes, our garages, our attics, and the shelves of our big box stores. We don’t need more things.
But sometimes, our needs change and require something we didn’t have before. Maybe we had a baby, and we need a crib; or, we’ve taken up roller blading and need some knee pads. Many of us will default to going to the store, or logging onto Amazon and ordering it. Instead, challenge your behavior and change your routine:
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Ask yourself: Do you really need this thing at all?. Can you get by with what you already have? Could you borrow it instead?
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If it’s replacing something you already own, interrogate why it needs replacing. Has it stopped working, or have you just grown bored of it? Can it be repaired?
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Lastly, if you decide you truly need this thing, try to buy or acquire a pre-loved version.
You should pledge to buy nothing new because we’ve already got enough stuff, but I’ll let you in on a little secret: if you buy less and buy used, you will save money, too.
Why do this challenge?
There are lots of reasons to try the Nothing New 2022 challenge, and they’ll vary from person to person, but here are a few possibilities:
Reduce Waste
Modern consumerism generates a lot of waste. Not buying new reduces waste by reducing packaging and giving a second chance to things that might otherwise just wind up in a landfill.
Climate Change
Climate Change is real and real scary. One (of many) changes that need to happen on a societal level to address climate change is shifting away from our modern “throw away” culture. Buying nothing new is a small, personal change we can make that is a step in the right direction. Will it solve climate change? Of course not, but it also will contribute to it less than the alternative.
Resilience & Efficiencies
As 2021 showed us, much of modern consumerism relies on fragile supply chains that can be disrupted. Buying used often means buying things that are local and already present in your community. A shift away from just-in-time delivery of new goods is a shift toward a more resilient and efficient marketplace.
Economics
Ignoring collector items, used goods are generally less expensive than new. Through buying less and buying used, you will save money compared to always buying new. We could all use a few more coins in the ol' pocketbook.
For the challenge of it
Buying used isn’t always easy. Sometimes you need to get creative, and that can be a lot of fun. So maybe you want to participate in Nothing New 2022 simply because it sounds like a good and interesting challenge. All the environmental and economic benefits can just be happy side effects.
How do I do it?
The “rules” are simple: Buy nothing new.
What exceptions or parameters you add to that are up to you. Consumables, such as food or medicine, should obviously be purchased new. You may have other circumstances that limit the purchase of some goods used – that’s fine. Do what you can. The point of the challenge is to improve our relationship with stuff and consumerism. If trying to buy nothing new is doing more harm than good, I would recommend you stop. It may sometimes be challenging, but it should be so in a rewarding way.
When faced with a purchase, some helpful questions to ask are:
- Do I really need this?
- Do I need this now? Or could it wait a bit?
- Can I borrow it from a friend or library?
- Where might I be able to get one secondhand?
Some of the alternatives to buying new are:
- Thrift stores and charity shops
- Facebook Marketplace
- Craigslist
- Freecycle Groups
- Community Bulletin Boards
- Tool libraries
- Borrow from a friend, family, or neighbor
But...
But I don’t want to!
Fine, don’t.
What if I want to take it up a notch?
One of the easiest things to do is to start selling or giving away some of your own things you don’t need. Through increasing supply in the used market, you’ll make it easier for a fellow traveller on the nothing new path, too.
Buy nothing? That’s too extreme.
This isn’t about buying nothing at all, though efforts along those lines exist. This is buying nothing new. This is recognizing the fact that there is a perfectly serviceable version of whatever you need just sitting around somewhere, and that you can spend your money on that one instead.
Help! I can’t find this thing used!
Check some alternate resources like buy nothing groups, or local used markets. Also consider whether you really need this thing now or if you just need it at some point in the future. Maybe you can just set up an alert on Facebook Marketplace or ebay and wait for one to show up on the market.
What if I slip up and buy something new?
If you bought something new, don’t sweat it. Just try not to do it again. Imperfect practice is still practice. Even if you slip up a lot, you’ll still be being fewer new things than you normally would. Just try your best.
I need to buy this thing, and I can’t buy it used for XYZ reasons.
Then buy it new. There’s no “Nothing New Police” who will come arrest you. Just don’t make a habit of it.
Won’t this collapse the entire economy?
If only. Our current economy is built upon a presumption of continuous growth in resources and energy, a model that cannot be sustained indefinitely. Unlimited, exponential growth is a mathematical impossibility, prohibited by the physical laws of our universe. Our economy will need to change, one way or the other, eventually. As great as it would be if “Nothing New 22” become a global phenomenon, I expect the economy will hum along just fine as usual. And that’s maybe not great, but it’s also not something you or I can control. We can, however, choose the extent to which we are complicit.
Used things are icky!!
I understand, I really do. It can be scary to confront the unknown past of an object, but it can also have a romance to it. The most storied objects are those with provenance and history – the resolute desk is a nice desk, but it’s who’s sat behind it that makes it an important object. Try to embrace the similar, if smaller, stories in your own used goods.
Where to get things used?
There are many options to buying new, such as:
- Borrow from a friend, family, or neighbor
- Thrift stores and charity shops
- Facebook Marketplace
- Craigslist
- Freecycle Groups
- Community Bulletin Boards
- Tool libraries
- Toy libraries
- Libraries
My local thrift store is a horrible for-profit enterprise, why should I give them money?
There are other places to buy used, but anyway: your local Wal*Mart or Best Buy is a for-profit enterprise, too. Avoiding capitalism entirely is outside the scope of Nothing New 22, but a worthy endeavour.
Why would I spend $45 dollars to buy this used, when I can get a brand new one for only $50?
Because buying something new gives a signal, however infinitesimal, that there is a demand that needs to be filled with increased supply. Buying used says, “Hey, there are enough of these for now. We’ve got plenty.”
What if 2022 is already half over, can I still participate?
Of course. Do what you can, when you can, for as long as you can. There are no medals, there are no hard and fast rules. Feel free to engage with this challenge on your own terms.
But what if it’s already 2023? Or 2024? Or 2030?
“Twenty-two” rhymes with “Nothing New” which is nice, but there’s nothing special about 2022 in particular. If 2022 is in the past when you’ve reached this page, don’t let that stop you. Consider “re-using” this 2022 challenge in your current year, which would be very in keeping with the principles of this challenge.
Take the Nothing New 2022 Challenge!
So you’ve read this page and you’re excited to join in the challenge! Great! Time to take the pledge. Here goes…
We hereby officially induct you into the Nothing New 2022 challenge!
That’s it. This is a personal challenge. There’s no newsletter or awards. You don’t have to pay anything or sign your name in blood in any book. Just try to buy things used. If you want more people to join in, share this page. You can use the hashtag #NothingNew22 on social media to connect with other people trying this challenge.
Go forth and buy nothing new!