Shopping

Black Friday is not an important day for me, because I have been a minimalist for many years. I am not a shopper or spender at all. That is because I grew up in China in the 1970’s when material well-being was not as important as it is today, so I was educated to lead a life of frugality. On the other hand, I became more and more concerned about the global environment disaster due to overproduction and overconsumption.

Nevertheless, I understand the that young people enjoy the shopping festivals like Black Friday or the Bachelor Festival in China. I really don’t want them to live a life like an old, boring old man. Their world is more colorful and prosperous. Similar to todays young people, I used to join the crowds at stores, cueing before opening time. I still remember that I was spying the big shopping mall’s last minute discount preparations on the evening before Black Friday, in order to dash to the counter of goods I wanted to buy the following morning. Actually, I am a minimalist now. I don’t throw away clothes and I use a 10-year-old car. Moreover, I repair it myself , thinking of the mountain of garbage piling up somewhere outside of town.

As a result of the above ideas, I am an advocate of ,“Living off Grid. ” Even though I don’t know what other people would do to prictice the off grid life, I always recycle what ever is possible. I try to seal my windows and doors in winter to reduce heating costs. The goal is to save the planet. However, I have never tried to live in a wooden house far from human beings and wear fur and catch fish in a pond.

The biggest thing I don’t like is the Fast Fashion , because this is the most harmful way to destroy the environment and pollute nature. In China there is also Fast Fashion everywhere. People pile up clothes in their wardrobes. It is worse than in Canada, because people in China don’t have the habit of buying clothes in second hand stores. We used to donate them to our relatives living in the countryside, but nobody wants them any more nowadays.

The best things I bought at a discount price were 2 Timberland beanies. They cost only 10 dollars each.!