In today’s economy, many consumer products are made to be disposable. Gone are the days when you could buy an item that could be used for several years or even passed down through generations.

It seems that some goods are designed to last for a specific time; once they have reached that point, an internal self-destruct feature is activated and they suddenly stop working.

Manufacturers recognise that one of the keys to sustainable profits is to create products that their customers will consume quickly and purchase again. So, even though their offerings are made to the highest standards and are built to last, some marketers will continually release new versions of their ‘must-have’ items to ensure that consumers discard the old for the new.

The dangers of disposability

While disposable products might be a great business strategy to create repeat sales, this approach plays havoc with the consumer’s disposable income. If we have to repeatedly purchase products that ideally should have lasted many years, it will reduce our capacity to spend money on other important necessities and negatively impact our ability to save.

In addition to the depleting effects on our personal budgets, this ‘throw-away’ mentality in the product market is also proving detrimental to our environment. Consumers, communities and countries alike are reeling under the weight of the tons of garbage that have been generated from our disposable lifestyle. The reality is that it’s costly to get rid of all the stuff we no longer want.

Although we may not be able to easily regulate how manufacturers and marketers operate, we can make an effort to reduce the impact of disposability on our budgets and our environment. For this month’s money mission, let’s focus our attention on how we can reduce costs and increase savings by implementing the conservation strategies of reduce, reuse, repair and recycle.

Reduce: Cut back and cut costs

The simplest way to reduce your consumption is to refuse to buy things that you really don’t need. This is a guaranteed way to reduce your monthly supermarket bill! However, for your necessary expenses there are several ways to cut down on the amount of money that you have to spend. Here are a few ideas that can help you to conserve:

* Lower your utility costs by installing energy-efficient gadgets such as LED lights and low-flow shower heads;

* Buy rechargeable batteries and use them in radios and lights even when there is no power outage;

* Choose high quality over low price with goods that need to last such as clothing, shoes, towels and appliances;

* Buy in bulk to reduce packaging costs, and look for concentrated brands of products such as detergent, as the unit price is usually lower.

Reuse: ‘Tun yuh han and mek fashion’

Very often we throw items in the trash that could be used for other purposes. For example, sturdy plastic take-out Chinese food containers could be used to store leftovers, while an empty jam jar may find new life as a small vase. Encourage children to use their imagination to find creative uses for egg boxes, juice cartons, bottle caps, newspapers and other disposables.

As the saying goes, ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,’ so what you may consider to be junk may have a variety of uses for someone else. How about doing a comprehensive spring cleaning to rid your home of items that you haven’t used for years or no longer want at all? You could then have a garage sale and make some money from your efforts.

Repair: If it’s broke, then fix it

Most of us have memories of a stove or refrigerator that our parents or grandparents had for many years without needing a replacement. In those days, problems were easily solved with a trip to the repair shop. Today we often hear that it’s cheaper to buy a new appliance than to fix an old one, so we usually don’t consider that something that’s broken could actually be repaired.

Before you throw out a damaged item, make sure to check if it can be mended first. When you get quality goods, such as leather instead of plastic shoes, there is a greater likelihood that they can be fixed. If you choose to buy new instead of repairing, look in the classified ads to find locations that will purchase old items and renovate them.

Recycle: Out of old comes something new

Recycling can involve repairing an old item, but it usually involves breaking down the original product into smaller components and creating something entirely new. Glass bottles, old batteries, aluminum frames, oil drums, computers and mobile phones all have parts that could be harvested for sale to organisations that deal with recycling scrap material.

Nature’s waste products can be also recycled instead of being tossed into the garbage. Vegetable and fruit peelings can be used to nourish your garden, while dried coconut shells make natural flower pots for orchid plants. You can also collect decaying leaves into an organic compost heap, which can even be turned into an income-generating venture.

Copyright © 2012 Cherryl Hanson Simpson. No reproduction without written consent.

Originally published in The Daily Observer, July  5, 2012

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Cherryl is a money coach and business mentor, and founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. See more of her work at www.entrepreneursinjamaica.com and www.financiallysmart.org. Contact Cherryl