the art (and joy) of slow consumption

To me, the "slow" in slow fashion speaks as much about the speed of consumption as it does the speed of production.

I know from my own journey around sustainability that I now consider purchases for a lot longer before I buy them. And by a lot longer, I mean A LOT 😆. My speed of consumption seems to get slower the more I learn about overconsumption and sustainable consumerism. And I don't think that this is making the experience of shopping any less fun. On the contrary the Librarian in me LOVES a good dig around to find the environmental, ethical and reliability credentials of a company. The more I uncover, the more my decision is either bolstered or justifiably abandoned. If and when I do decide to purchase an item, I am positively glowing because I know I have made a super-informed decision that is supporting a worthwhile company. A win for my dopamine levels AND a win for the company that is trying to do good.

I've even started to apply this to my op shop purchases. I was in the Camberwell Salvos the other day and there was a really nice pair of Walnut latticework leather loafers that would have looked great with my dresses. I quickly picked them up, but as I was browsing the rest of the store that initial "hit" wore off and I looked at the them again and realised that they were actually in pretty average condition. I happily put them back knowing that I didn't really need them at all. Past me wouldn't have given it a second thought until she got home, and then wondered where on earth she was going to put them and whether it was that great a purchase. The dopamine hit in the shop would have been entirely cancelled out by buyers regret!

Do you find yourself considering things for a lot longer before you buy them? Do you think this is decreasing your enjoyment of shopping, or quite the opposite?