How Quality Over Quantity Helps You And The Planet — Sustainably Yours

5 min readApr 5, 2021

In this day and age, it’s so common for us to spend money on cheap items that we throw away. Things like holiday decorations, clothes, kitchen supplies and so much more.

When we do this, we end up buying lots of cheap items that get tossed out without a lot of use. This only leads to more trash filling up our landfill and oceans. We need to be more purposeful when it comes to where we spend our money.

Instead of buying cheap products, if you were to invest in quality items, then you would be helping yourself and the planet.

When you invest in products, you know that these items will last a long time.

Keep reading to see 6 reasons on why you should always pick quality over quantity. Not just for the planet but for yourself as well.

You save money

The first benefit is that you are going to save so much money. When you shop with quality over quantity in mind, you’re not constantly having to upgrade or rebuy a product because the one you have is going to last.

Things like electronics are made to break within a year or so so that you are forced to buy a new one. Things like clothes from fast fashion brands are usually made with cheap material so they will stretch or shrink after a few washes.

When this happens, you are forced to find new phones or clothes every year. Technology is expensive as is. Clothing can become expensive when you’re constantly shopping for what’s in season.

Take care of your technology. Pick quality clothing and try a capsule wardrobe instead.

You value your stuff more

When you own quality products, you value it more. One reason is because you shop less so the few items you do buy are very valuable to you.

Another reason is that generally, quality products are more expensive. Since these items are more expensive, you reduce how many unnecessary things you buy. Also, when you spend more money on things, you value it more.

Think about it. Do you value anything you bought at the dollar store? Or any of the really cheap clothes you bought? Now think about something expensive you bought like technology or an expensive coat. I bet you make sure to treat it with care.

You create less trash

When you buy quality products, they are made to last. That means you won’t have to throw them out for years. Some items will even last you your whole life.

The amount of trash generated by single use plastic on a daily basis is astronomical. But reusable products are made of quality material to help you reduce that plastic.

When you own reusable products or quality products, it means you don’t have to constantly throw out old products. This means you own less that can be thrown out.

When you invest in quality products that last years, you are reducing your trash. You are helping the planet.

You save time

How many times have you bought something for cheap only to have it not work properly? Or to break after a single use?

Now you have to go out and buy a new one. You might even have to do research to find a better version. This is wasting your precious time. Quality items may take a bit of time to research at first but once you’ve made the purchase, it’ll last for years.

You support sustainability

When you buy something that is of high quality, it is reliable. It isn’t meant to go to the landfill after a few uses. This helps you be more sustainable.

Also, quality items are generally made by companies that pay ethical wages and have ethical practices. So not only are you supporting good companies but you are also supporting a healthy planet.

You’re happier

When you own quality products that you value, you are happy with what you own. You aren’t surrounded by items that don’t make you happy. You aren’t surrounded by clutter. You aren’t surrounded by impulse purchases that make you feel guilty.

When you are mindful of your purchases, you are happy with what you spend your money on.

Questions to Think About to Choose Quality Over Quantity

If you have trouble with figuring out if an item is a quality item, ask yourself these questions:

Do I really need this item?
Can I buy it second hand?
Does the brand release updated versions of this product often? (This probably means that the product is meant to be thrown out often.)
Does this item have a guarantee? If so, how long?
Are the reviews mentioning how long the item lasts? Or how durable the item is?
If the item breaks, can I fix it? Or will I have to buy a brand new one?
Is it from a company that prides itself on how sustainable their products are?

These are just a few questions you can ask yourself to assess if the item you are about to buy is a good quality product.

Final Thoughts

When you shop with quality over quantity in mind, not only are you helping yourself but you are helping the environment. You reduce your waste and are no longer throwing out shrunken clothes or broken gadgets every few weeks. You’re now holding on to them for years.

Let’s all choose to help ourselves and help the environment. From now on, invest in quality items. Invest in quality clothing. Invest in quality technology.

The key here is to think of each purchase as an investment.

Not only should you invest but you should care for your items too. Put your clothes away neatly. Clean your clothes regularly. Don’t throw your gadgets around.

Caring for quality items is easy to do and will help them last even longer.

Let me know in the comments below how you invest in quality products.

Originally published at https://sustainably-yours.com on April 5, 2021.