15 Things You Should Repair Instead of Replace
A Little Love for Old Friends?
Although some people seem to have an uncanny ability to fix things just by touching them (or even just by looking at them), most of us aren't so lucky. Still, there are many benefits to fixing things rather than tossing them out and buying new replacements, from money savings to our own pride and knowledge, not to mention the environment.
It shouldn't surprise you that fixing things rather than buying new can save you a lot of money. In many cases simply sewing on a missing button, touching up a nicked paint job or gluing on a broken corner can get your possessions back up to snuff with only minimal effort and very low expenditure. The trouble is, these days many of us fail to go beyond the easiest small repairs, instead opting to buy new at the smallest sign of trouble.
As E Magazine asked a few years ago, "Whatever Became of Fixing Things?" Travel to the developing world, and you'll see many examples of patched-up products providing long service, from makeshift plumbing to reworked clothing. Our grandparents and great-grandparents were probably quite adept at fixing things up, since stores and funds were often limited. But in America today an abundance of cheap manufactured goods, a consumer culture and relatively high labor costs have conspired to turn us into a bunch of wasters.
Not only are we filling up landfills with stuff that could readily be reused, it takes a great deal of natural resources to make new stuff, in terms of water, minerals, metals, timber, petroleum products and more. Buying new means more transportation and storage costs, and mountains of packaging -- important because experts estimate that 44% of U.S. global warming emissions are due to products and packaging.
Read more and see the 15 recommendations at Repair Things – Fix Stuff - Repairs - Good Housekeeping
