Cult of the New

A well-maintained cast iron fry pan can remain useful for hundreds of years.

One of the many big lies.

Old is bad. New is better.

New is always better.

Buy new. Always.

Ever since consumerism began, they have had to push the Cult of the New in order to keep consumers consuming.

They invented planned obsolescence to make sure that new stuff would never get old, and it wore out prematurely by design.

The obsession with buying new stuff has fuelled unnecessary consumption, and has led to useful old stuff to be landfilled prematurely to be replaced with new and supposedly better stuff.

The waste that resulted has been enormous. We haven't managed to pave the planet, but we definitely have trashed the planet. Our waste can be found in even the remotest places on Earth. 

Many types of garbage have been found tainting the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the oceans.

We create 2 billion tons of waste per year. That is projected to increase to 3.4 billion tons by 2050.

I fight back by making my stuff last. I am not ashamed to belong to the cult of the old and still useful.

Here are a few of the non-new items that I have, although almost everything I own is either old or ancient.

- leather boots bought in 1988 and still fit for purposes like gardening.

- cast iron frying pan, age unknown but definitely several decades old, and could last for hundreds of years if maintained appropriately 

- most of my clothes (except socks and underwear) that are too old to mention, but probably will not last hundreds of years

- furniture bought second hand

- kitchenwares passed down to us from Linda's mom, many of which are now many decades old

- bicycle that I bought used 14 years ago that is still functioning as my main vehicle

- camera that I acquired for free brand new and used for over 15 years, and only recently died

- snow shoes that have lasted me for 20 winters with some minor maintenance 

Being in the cult of the old, and making things last is one of the best ways to fight back against planned obsolescence and the obsession with New and Improved, which is often not new or improved.

I like to make my stuff last as long as possible to save money, reduce waste, and deny the landfill economy of my participation. 

Plus, things that I have owned for a long time take on a life of their own, and become a lot like old, comfortable and dependable friends supporting me in creating the frugal life I want.

What are some of your favourite old things that have faithfully served you for a long time? Share with us in a comment below.