New Year's Resolutions: Reasonable & Sustainable
Sustainable New Year's Resolutions
We could break down the history of New Year's resolutions for you. We could tell you why most people quit on them after three months and then give you a pseudo-simple strategy that will "guarantee" your success this year. But let's face it ... you've read articles like this before. If not this year, then in a previous one.
Nevertheless, we don't want to completely renounce these resolutions, some traditions have become very dear to us. But we wonder: could the notorious lack of success of New Year's resolutions be due to the fact that they often focus too much on self-optimisation? Fitter, healthier, richer, more beautiful - perhaps we crumble under our ambitious expectations.
Instead, how about doing everything differently before the turn of the year and start rethinking the New Year's resolutions themselves? What if we instead were to take care of others, of the environment, of our common future? And who knows - maybe we’ll feel better ourselves along the way! Yes, you'll get a list of good resolutions from us too, but we promise you: we won't resort to preachy slogans, and we won't give you any advice on discipline either.
New Year's Clear Out & Re-Commerce
Old mobile phones or laptops, books you've finished reading, clothes you'll never wear or leftovers from the last Secret Santa... Even in small flats, an astonishing amount of clutter can accumulate, but the time spent on clearing out is well invested.
On the one hand, you create order and make your home more comfortable, on the other hand, there are many re-commerce platforms today where you can earn a little extra money with your old goods. Books, CDs and smartphones, for example, can be sold on rebuy.de, momox.de will buy your old shoes or clothes, and on ebay Kleinanzeigen you can get rid of almost everything when you live in big cities like Berlin.
Meal Plan With a Specific Shopping List
When it comes to grocery shopping, few people have the discipline to buy only what they really need. Far too often, we are curious for new products or crave a snack from the counter. This is all too human behaviour, but it can get out of hand if you go to the supermarket without a plan every time. In these cases, you run the risk of buying far too many of the things you don't really want once you’re at home.
This not only puts a strain on your wallet, but also leads to unnecessary food waste. Instead, take half an hour before you go shopping and think about what you could cook for the next few days and make a shopping list based on that. An app that can help you do this is Bring!. You can also find the latest bargains from various supermarkets there.
Lunch Box, Jute Bag and Thermal Mug
Why not buy yourself a small collection of reusable boxes, cups and bags this year? You'll never again be tempted to take your lunch to go from your favourite Thai restaurant in aluminium bowls and plastic bags. Lunch boxes are now available in a wide variety of materials, thermal mugs keep your coffee warm longer anyway, and a jute bag neither crackles nor leads to sweaty palms. A nice side effect: you make a small contribution to reducing waste!
Thick Jumpers, Blankets and Multiplug Sockets
The current energy crisis has prompted us to change our way of thinking. "Economising" has thus been raised again in our consciousness. Not only in terms of saving money, but also in terms of mindful consumption of electricity and heating energy. To adjust to the new times, you could turn the thermostat down one or two degrees and keep warm with jumpers and blankets on particularly cold days.
Appliances on stand-by no longer consume any electricity thanks to multiplug sockets with a switch or by completely unplugging them. Also, simple deeds like switching off the lights in areas where you are not currently present can help reducing your electricity consumption.
Foster Your Green Thumb
Last but not least, we do have a classic New Year's resolution for you: start a hobby! Not just any hobby, but the hobby of gardening. Since very few city dwellers have the space for it, we're not talking about gardening on a grand scale, of course, but there is always some room for herbs, houseplants, and a few vegetables.
It makes your flat more homely, creates awareness for nature and: It's just a great feeling when you see something you sowed grow and thrive. By the way, you don't have to buy all the houseplants, in fact you don’t even need to start growing them yourself. There are online platforms or apps where young seedlings or whole plants can be exchanged (e.g., tauschgarten.de; pflanzenkreisel.de).