When being a conscious consumer pays off

For those who know me, know all too well how much I hate “STUFF”. I’m minimalistic to the point that the concept of owning more than what we need: two of everything, ex; cups, mugs, plates etc didn’t cross my mind until recently entertaining for guests  I also still use a hammy down iPhone 5, and enjoy the different textures of it’s lovely cracked screen – it functions, that’s all that matters right?

The truth is, I crave a slow and simple life. When, and if I do have to purchase “things”, I enjoy waiting to be able to purchase them (credit cards aint my thing). I love when they are made with someones own two hands, where the product I’m receiving has been crafted from passion rather than profit, and the exchange of product for it’s price is equally beneficial to both parties. Mass production might be cost-effective to the consumer, but it’s generally the workers and the environment that suffers as a result. The quality is generally not great, and thus the need to replace said “thing” down the track leads to more wastage and more buying, and so the dispensable cycle continues.

With our first baby on the way, I’m naturally freaking out about all the “stuff” we are told to acquire. We’re so grateful for all the clothes, furniture etc that has already been recycled our way, I know some people find it hard to say No, but we are loving it!

With that said, there has only been 1 thing I’ve really wanted to get my hands on – something that won’t just be tossed aside in a year to come, or replaced by an upgraded model. This product is also sustainable, environmentally friendly and ethically made, having an impact on both people and the planet.

Let me introduce you to The Young Folk Collectives – Moses Basket: The perfect cosy sanctuary/bassinet alternative for bub, that can be utilised in many ways, even after bub grows out of it.

The Young Folk Collective are a Brisbane born company (Yay to supporting locals) who have actively sought beautiful hand woven products from Ghana, helping to support the Ghanian weavers, their families and communities, by creating a constant income and preserving their fine art of basket weaving.

“They allow their weavers to have full creative control over the designs, so each design of basket has their own inspiration and story. This way, each one is authentic and completely unique.”

Each basket is truly one of a kind, this became more apparent on Sunday evening when The Young Folk Collective released 40+ individually designed baskets, all of which sold out in a matter of minutes. Now I’m not exaggerating here, I had 5 + tabs open on my laptop at 6:58pm eagerly awaiting the clock to strike 7pm (when the baskets were available for purchase). At 7:08pm not only had I not been able to snag 1 of the 5 designs I had been lusting over for several months, I wasn’t hadn’t even managed to get one past the shopping cart – ALL SOLD OUT. Whilst disappointing for us, it’s also pretty cool that their are a tonne of other conscious consumers out there!

I can’t tell you how devastated I was, I don’t get attached to things very often, but here I was, truly gutted about missing out on another restock. My partner and I scoured the internet in search for one, looking internationally for similar designs ( most companies who sold these, didn’t posses the same ethos as these guys, and so I didn’t feel willing to hand over the mons). By about 9pm we found a company in America, who had a very similar approach, they even displayed pics of the creators holding their handmade goods, and I felt this to be a good alternative – The only catch, they didn’t include or sell the mattress’s.

They aren’t the cheapest products to buy, and before doing so I wanted to ensure I could find a mattress that would safely fit, so I contacted TYFC thinking that they sold custom sized mattresses. The next morning, I received an email letting me know that the custom sized mattresses were for their baskets, and what designs I had liked previously, they said they may have 1 in their warehouse, but if it wasn’t one i liked they would still help me out with a custom mattress. I emailed through the list of all the ones I liked, and they sent back an image of one (that whilst wasn’t on my list) was absolutely bloody perfect! I arranged payment, and they had the basket, mattress and stand ready for dispatch that afternoon.

I’m absolutely blown away with this level of customer service, going that above and beyond just for 1 customer really shows this is a company that cares. They care about the quality of the products they sell, the impact their products have on the environment, on their workers and also the consumer. Whilst I still don’t like buying “things”, anything else I do require for bub – baby carriers, linen, etc I’ll definitely be making a conscious decision to source them from these guys before I even look anywhere else.

It really goes to show the difference between supporting small companies vs large ones. I encourage you to look for and support local business. We all have the choice of how and where we spend our money, and by becoming a conscious consumer, you’re already taking a positive step toward making a difference.