Garage Sales - the Green Way to Shop

I am not a big fan of garage sales primarily because the rejection process is far too personal for my comfort level. It is one thing to walk through a retail store and find nothing you wish to purchase, it is an much more intimate rejection then the owner of the stuff you are rejecting is standing right there, watching as you root through boxes for hidden treasures. However, as I saw a garage sale on almost every street this past weekend, it brought to my attention just how environmentally friendly garage sales really are!

There are a few factors that make garage sales green – they encourage reuse, as well as shopping locally. For example, rather then buying a new coffee table at a retail outlet, by purchasing a table from a garage sale you are reusing it, thereby decreasing the potential that the table will end up in land fill, as well as reducing the need for a new table to be manufactured. Furthermore, that $15 you paid for the table is being spent locally rather then being added to the coffers of some multinational corporation.

Considering most North Americans are habitual shoppers, at least by shopping at garage sales satisfying this habit can be done in a more earth friendly way!