Ep 40 | Closet Joy Part III: Buy It Once with Tara Button

Closet Joy Part 3 of 3. Our guest, Tara Button, helps you curate a mindful life of less throwaway that extends well beyond your closet, ultimately impacting the environment and the global community.

Today’s episode of Spark Joy is part three of a three part series dedicated to closet joy. We’ll talk to three guests who are revolutionizing the way we view fashion and style.

Tara Button, founder of BuyMeOnce, is at the forefront of the global movement to change the way we shop and live forever. In 2013 Tara went from depressed spendthrift to fulfilled entrepreneur, using a technique she calls ‘mindful curation.” Her new book A Life of Less Throwaway, teaches the steps to master this lifestyle change.

We want to hear from you! Tell us your burning tidying questions or share stories about how KonMari has impacted your life. Find us at www.sparkjoypodcast.com and click “Ask Spark Joy” to leave a question or comment for a chance to be featured on next week’s show.

While you’re there, sign-up to join our Spark Joy podcast community and get notified when each episode airs. You can also join the Spark Joy podcast community on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter at the handle @sparkjoypodcast.

In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• How a cooking pot inspired Tara to get out of debt, change her spending habits and champion a buy it once culture and platform

• How the "mindful curation" technique featured in Tara's book, A Life Less Throwaway, helps you find out what's meaningful to you

• Why we need to notice the preassures of advertising and recognize things are typically not made to last a lifetime, perpetuating the cycle of buy, use once, throwaway

• How you can "take stock" of the things in your home to focus on how you accumulated your stuff and how to find things that help you live your life's purpose

• How Tara's book helps you get off the trend treadmill and decide what kind of person you want to project to the world

• Celebrities that are trending for repeating the same outfit on multiple occasions

• How longevity (buying things that last longer) has the biggest impact on the planet (bigger than recycling!)

• How looking at your past Amazon purchases can help you confront your consumerism and shopping patterns

• How Tara is not a naturally tidy person, but was able to apply decluttering techniques and be more discerning about the things she purchases

• How identifying what makes you happy and what gives you purpose helps you understand how to make certain things in your home accessible

• The connection between mindful curation and finding your purpose and priorities, while focusing on the things that matter.

• How thinking about what you want people to say about you once you're gone helps you understand what you really care about

• How researching and writing down colors, styles, fabircs, and brands before you start to shop will help you be more mindful and sustainable when you shop

• The system that determines what products land on BuyMeOnce

• Mindufully curated closet maintenance tips, including the Guppyfriend Washing Bag

• How to properly "do your colors" to get a sense of which ones bring you alive

• Examples of items in Tara's home that she's only bought once

Gems:

• "The whole world is trying to persuade you to buy mindlessly."
• "People don't talk about longevity when it comes to the planet."
• "I now don't bring anything into my home that I'm not going to have for a decade or so."
• "When it comes to things that are going to make us happy in the long term, it's all about our community and relationships."
• "The fashion industry is the second most poluting industry in the world, after the oil industry."
• "As humans, we know we need things to survive. Not shopping is not an option."
• "Buy things that will make you feel good in the long term."
• "Write a list of the things that you don't need in your life and you'll feel a surge of gratitude for everything you have."

Tara’s favorite tidying tip: Start with items that are not emptionally resonant. Start with your pants!

What sparks joy for Tara: Taking a moment out of her day to be creative by writing children's books.

You can find more about Tara by visiting www.buymeonce.com.

Be sure to pick up Tara Button's book, A Life Less Throwaway, and follow her on Instagram (@tara_button) and Twitter (@tarabutton)

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home

You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Tara Button.