After choosing to be more sustainable, my quality of life has increased.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I, like so many other people in the world, began to re-evaluate my life and its priorities. And, to be honest, when I was a college student moving to New York City for the first time, I was disgusted by the sheer number of consumption I was surrounded by in the city.

I attended the top fashion school in the world at the time, but once I had come down from the high that I was attending FIT, I began to really think critically about the fashion industry and the wasteful impacts of it on the world.

I ended up graduating early from that school and made the executive decision not to go into industry because it would cross my moral standards in so many ways.

A lot of industries are built on a new form of colonialism: aka exploiting others for goods we can buy for cheap. Thus I began to seek out alternative ways to make my life more sustainable in the years after living in New York, leaving to come home to Maryland, and I will admit I’m so much happier now.

Once I stopped centering my life around consumerism and finding joy in buying objects, the quality of it really started going up in unexpected ways.

Here’s what I’ve done so far.

Starting a vegetable garden is a connection to the Earth and its processes.

My mother originally dug up a garden for me in our backyard at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. She had read in her magazines that it helped with depression to garden and be out in nature, so she wanted me to have a space of my own to cultivate.

Immediately, I knew I wanted to grow vegetables in there, and every year I’ve taught myself how to grow herbs and vegetables based on the Maryland seasons. Climate change has been throwing this off a bit, because it’s been warmer than usual, but overall I’ve had such a good harvest.

I wanted to make organic goods that I didn’t use anything except water to grow. Every year I grow okra, bell peppers, San Marzano tomatoes, figs from our fig trees, basil, oregano, chives, rosemary, thyme, and banana peppers.

I recently added Japanese eggplants to the mix, but I’ve discovered in general that I have a major green thumb. We usually have so many crops that I’ve had to give them away to family and friends. They taste better in our food, you can really tell the difference when it comes to homegrown crops like this.

But this cut back on our grocery bills, and I didn’t have to consume as much from our local store—which uses so much plastic in their goods that it’s ridiculous. I compost and throw the excess back into our yard, so the soil becomes nourished for the next year.

A lot of the crops come back each year too, such as my spices, so I’ve set up a nice little cycle where we can see the same herbs slowly blooming back into life when spring rolls around.

I have more money for experiences, and can work less because I’m spending less.

I used to buy a lot of clothes because I was in fashion school. I really felt obligated to look and dress nice, do my makeup every morning lest I be judged by the people around me.

Once I stopped consuming so much, I stopped caring about spending the money to buy “new” things. I found nice clothes, like a designer wool trench coat in a beautiful red color, at my local thrift store. If it was going to go to the landfill, I rescued it from an unfortunate fate.

It truly was perfectly fine. I buy clothes from the thrift stores every so often, and buy pieces that last long and are made of natural fabrics, such as cotton or linen.

But because I am buying so many less things, I have more money in my account. I use this for public transportation to New York City, which is three hours from me, and staying with friends that have the space and are willing.

Or my family piles into the car and we take a local day trip in Maryland to see the beauty in our state. I have one friend who I go to a concert with every so often, and we have a nice day where we get a boujee dinner for about $100 then see the artist of our choosing, which usually is in another city.

These experiences are much more sustainable than buying a bunch of things I’ll never use and never dump.

And because I’m not constantly swiping my credit card like I used to at the stores, I feel more financially comfortable than most people my age, although I’m still not at the same net worth as, say, someone whose family could afford to pay their college education. My student loans are reminding me every so often about their existence!

I’ve found community spaces where knowledge and resources are shared.

Instead of buying a book, which is ironic for a book blog, I tend to inhabit my local library down the street recently.

I’m there every single week finding new books to check out, and instead of buying the books, which take up so much room in my limited space already, I am supporting a community center.

These kinds of places are strongholds—every time I go into the library, I see people young and old using the computers, or sitting at one of the booths to get work done with their personal laptops.

From tutoring to providing a free space where you don’t have money, community centers are an incredible place to support. My library lends out video games, provides notary services, and some local branches even have social workers you can sit down with if you’re struggling.

These spaces often are the first hit by budget cuts, so I do what I can. So maybe instead of purchasing a new book, think about checking it out at the library instead.

My relationships have greatly flourished in recent years.

This ties into the financial aspect of having more money. Instead of going shopping with a friend and being consumed by the clothes, I’ve found going to a nice dinner or cooking with a friend to be such a bonding experience.

We talk more and have open conversations in these kinds of settings, which is what I tend to value as a person. Instead of being name for my style, I want to be known for listening and understanding people.

I know a ton of others don’t want to do the same, and I wouldn’t try to change who you are, but this has given me such a peace of mind.

At the end of the day, being more sustainable and simple has allowed me to prioritize certain aspects of my life over others. I love the land, creatures, and people living on it, and I want to be respectful.

Nourish the soil and relationships, and I’m happy. When I embarked on this journey years ago, I never would have expected to find a form of peace in my mind.

Follow me below on Instagram and Goodreads for more.