thrifts and gifts

I happily live in threadbare thrifts. Knowing where we stand with the environment, and that I will eventually run out of space and discard any addition to my closet, it is hard for me to to consume new and unused.

Shop-Stopping is easier said than lived in a world of custom tailored hemp, nettle, raw silk, bamboo cotton, and bikinis. Pick the design and fabric. Get it fitted and made to order. Repeat.

My wardrobe is increasingly a collection of snags from donation tables (often put back after some light use), leftovers in the rooms of departed friends, and my latest technique: buying damaged or stained sample pieces in tailor shops for a fraction of the original price.

spend more to $ave

Quality has been a mood. If I splurge a premium price on something that fits me well and feels good to the touch, I’ll use it every day. Expensive clothes don’t expire: they last forever and I never get tired of them.

The result is me decked out in totes, eyewear, and tops that easily triple the cost of what those around me are using, yet I spend less because I own very few pieces in total. Prime examples as of late include hemp items, Black Diamond trekking poles, Arc’teryx windbreaker, a unique top picked up from a pop-up boutique in Pondicherry, and a pair of Ray Bans that have made a daily appearance on my face for over five years.

Certain outfits rack up triple digits in dollar value.

Buying something because we like it, without indecision, without overthinking = major money saver for thrifty budgets.

Tops from a secondhand table running on donations used to hike the Annapurna Circuit before being reused, regifted, or returned to the table.

•  it has taken me three years in Asia to cut out almost all TP use
• no deodorant
• periods—I swear by washable, reusable organic cotton pads and a silicone menstruation cup (linked in ‘links’ section)
  • the addition of a collapsible holder cup for the menstrual cup between uses or during cleaning is endlessly handy
• solid shampoo bar, when feasible (some make your hair start to dread)
• bamboo toothbrush, when feasible (often overpriced)
  • tooth paste powder is a great shift to make that I have yet to try
• toiletries bag made of natural hemp, a long lasting and mold resistant fabric
• shaving the head is always great for the environment

• no makeup
• lip balm of blended natural oils; no addititves
• cold-pressed, food-grade carrier oil for face and body
  • preferably locally produced, and applied it as is
    • i.e. apricot kernel or sesame oil in cold regions, coconut oil in the tropics, olive oil in the mediterranean and middle east

• smoothie straw
• bent juice straw
• straw-cleaning brush (nobody wants a moldy chia seed encrusted in their straw)
• plastic straw case
• BPA-free, one-liter water bottle
• bowl with fitting lid
• 200mL steel ‘baby tiffin’ cup (see photos below)
• reusable grocery tote made from old basmati rice bag (recently lost + v heartbroken)

• once a hitchhiker, forever a hitchhiker
  • potentially the best way back to the airport this summer in Sri Lanka as this country is out of fuel
• reach the surf point via oxen-drawn cart
• walk heaps
• take trains and crowded buses

• fly as little as possible
• skip meals and water hand outs
  • easily done thanks to lounge access with my travel credit card
    • though been a little greedy to try everything after two years flight-free
• ask for juice or tea to be poured into my baby tiffin cup
• give back unused disposable cutlery
• skip head sets and use your own earplugs

• take only what you need
• avoid shopping
• avoid online shopping
• avoid take-out meals
• avoid ordering fast food through apps
• avoid drive-thrus
• bring your own takeaway coffee cups
• ask for steel or ceramic bowls and plates for meals
• reuse ziplock bags and jars for refills of rice, nuts, beans etc. at the store
• use a home water filtration system or a good water filter, i.e. filter built into your water bottle
  • in case of no filtration available, use 20L water jugs at home where the container is returned to the shop when empty
• hike ethically

education

• the hilarious and informative plastics episode by last week tonight with john oliver
• the entire food empowerment project site
• environmental hazard of sanitary waste in india by eco femme
• environmenstrual fact sheet by wen
• my very heartfelt post ghanan and ivorian lives matter

outstanding products

• @ceiba.natural rosemary solid shampoo
• @solahsystems surf zinc
• @moonshadownaturals laundry bar, lavender body bar
• @ecofemme organic cotton pads
• lena cup
• collapsible holder container for menstrual cup for between uses or during sterilization

note: can’t find the stainless steel straw set i got in december on amazon india :'(

i think i searched ‘stainless steel smoothie straw’

it came with both normal and smoothie sizes, i use them every day, the included hard plastic case was a game changer for keeping the brush clean and easy portability before and after use (no sticky liquids on my bags).

other note: i have yet to find a satisfactory, durable, affordable water filter. my sawyer mini pouch burst in pandemic lockdowns, lifestraw got moldy in monsoons and india didn’t have real vinegar to properly clean it. lifestraw go bottles leak and leave my luggage soaked. i liked the epic nalgene og but when it came time to replace it the pandemic hit and again i had no access.

notable businesses (for backpackers in south asia)

india

• organic mini market, laxman jhula, rishikesh—homemade high-quality nut and seed butters in glass jars, return for ten rupees

nepal

• umbrella cafe, pokhara—donation clothing table
• fishtail organic garden, pokhara—wholesale loose leaf tea, happier hen eggs

sri lanka

• salty swamis, arugam bay—filtered water on tap for filling personal bottles, free water in glass bottle provided to table
• waffle creamery, arugam bay—coconut bowls and steel cutlery
• swell, arugam bay—ultra cute glass straws

raw coconut water never looked so fine