This post is geared toward ordering systems which involve individual orders taken over time and fulfilled on-demand. If your group is placing an order altogether and being shipped to a single location all at the same time, please click here.
Wouldn’t it be lovely to be able to set up an online store where your group, audience, or customers can select and pay for merch, input their address to ship to, and have their order produced on demand and shipped the them quickly? It is possible! These shops are easy to set up and manage, and can be left open ongoingly to allow for long-term ordering as needed.
There are several ecommerce platforms to choose from depending on the specifics of your project. Some charge a monthly fee while others charge a commission on each item sold. There is even an option that charges next to nothing in exchange for a banner ad at the top of your store. We will work together to choose the right one for your specific project.
These print-on-demand shops can be set up only for DTG printing and embroidery.
The process is simple. Choose the items you want to offer from options I will send to you. Send over or have me create your artwork. Set up your shop (I will do this part) on the platform we select together. Send your store link to your group or audience. Watch the orders come in.
If you need any help with promotional materials to get the word out about your store, I am happy to create those as well. Please let me know!
Throughout my years project managing large group orders, one of the most frustrating things for my customers can be tracking down the individuals in your group and getting them to choose which size they want to order (and any other relevant details). Fortunately, there are some things we can do to make it much less stressful. I will produce any required order-taking materials at no additional charge unless specified otherwise below.
First, make sure you have your garments selected and artwork finalized. For more details on that, click here.
All orders will be shipped to a single shipping address, and that point person will distribute the individual items to the group members. If you would like to set up a fulfilment situation (each person will have their selections shipped to a separate address), please see this post.
Set a deadline
Choose a deadline for taking orders, even if you don’t have an event date. Some guidelines:
Try to allow at least a week for people to place their orders. Two weeks is better.
If your group has meetings, try to allow for two meetings before the deadline.
If you have an event date, be sure to set the deadline for at least a week before your order needs to be finalized to meet your timeline.
The above guidelines have been set assuming some people will still miss the deadline, and so allows for a few days or a week for last minute changes or procrastination.
Select order-taking tools
There are a lot of different ways to take and organize orders, depending on how technological you want to get, how large your group is, and how complicated your order is. With all of these options, you can select prices that are higher than the cost of your order and any remainder can be kept or refunded as a fundraiser for your group.
Shopify Store
Setting up a Shopify store allows each group member to place and pay for their individual order online. The batch of orders will then be accessible so we can see the data and place the order according to the group’s selections.
Shopify does charge a fee, depending on the complexity of the store. Please enquire for a custom quote.
Google Forms
Google Forms allows for a survey page to be sent to each member of your group for free. Each person can send in their responses to questions we set up for them according to your project. The answers are accessible as a Google Sheets spreadsheet we can use to place the order with the decorator.
Individual payments will need to be taken by one person (you or another volunteer) who will then deposit them into an account, and pay for the cost of the order in a single payment (via check or online invoice).
Paper Forms
The paper form method works especially well for groups that have in person meetings regularly. I can create a custom form which can be printed out in your required quantity and filled out quickly during a meeting, or taken home at one meeting, filled out, and returned at the next meeting along with payment.
Individual payments will need to be taken by one person (you or another volunteer) who will then deposit them into an account, and pay for the cost of the order in a single payment (via check or online invoice).
Make several loud announcements
The only step remaining is to make sure everyone in the group knows about the deadline and order process! Write clear emails and send them out. If your group has meetings, combine this with announcements at as many meetings leading up to the deadline as possible. For schools or other groups involving children, send home a printed flyer with any details necessary (even if using a digital method of taking orders).
That’s it!
Wait for the orders to come in, and hold true to your deadlines. Check once the order deadline passes to make sure all group members are accounted for and follow up with any stragglers.
Choosing which merch to use for a group can be overwhelming. Over my years helping people with bulk projects like this, I’ve found ways to make it far less so! Check out the tips below to make the process go more smoothly, with much less stress for you.
Going with the default
There is always the “default” option, which is the standard, most cost effective, black tees or hoodies with a white screen print.
Another way to do the default is to give me any information you already have and let me do all of the work for you. Have one conversation with me (or a chat or a few emails) and I’ll come up with what I think would work best for your group without any extra effort from you.
If you’re looking for something more hands-on, or want a more detailed narrowing down of products manually, check out the tips below!
Allow enough time (don’t procrastinate)
It may go without saying, but starting early can save you a lot of hair pulling. If possible, allow two months for your project (one month to sort out product selection, finalize artwork, get the group’s opinion, make changes, order samples, etc., then one month for production). Things don’t always take that long but it’s better to get your order early than to run out of time and rush at the end!
Don’t ask your group’s opinion… yet.
I can’t tell you how many times there has been a “too many cooks” situation when ordering group apparel. Step number one should be to hold off on seeing what people want. Follow the steps below to narrow down the choices first, then ask them to help with the final decision, and potentially some smaller steps along the way. I promise this will save you a lot of stress.
Take note of prior experiences
If your group has ever had merch made before, take stock of the experience(s). Gather any information you can about what kinds of things the group got before, the more information the better. If the experience was a good one and the merch was well received, we can match the same products or find equivalents. If the experience was a bad one, we can steer clear of those products and use the feedback about them to go in a different direction.
Avoid looking through a catalog
There’s a concept called the “paradox of choice”. It’s the idea that while having a lot of choices allows you the potential to get exactly what you want, too many choices can actually make the decision process exhausting, to the point of decision fatigue and “analysis paralysis”.
The fix for this is to narrow down your options first, to get a good idea of what kind of thing you’re looking for.
Start with your group’s needs
This is the step that will narrow down the bulk of your choices. What will your group be doing with the merch? If they’ll be selling it, you’ll want something very different than if they plan to wear it while playing a sport. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Who are your group members? Are they kids, adults, or both? What kinds of sizes will you need? There is no “standard” bell curve as every demographic and activity group has a different size range.
What activities will be done in (or with) the merch? Sports games, standing for long periods of time at events, going out dancing, sitting in meetings, or going to the beach will all demand different things from the items you choose.
What will the weather be like (or will they be worn primarily inside)?
Take into account your group’s values
If your group has any values, those can often be factored in as well. A good example of this is sustainability. Recycled and organic fabrics can be more expensive than traditional options, but for groups who find limiting their environmental impact important, it may be worth the increased cost. Consider if your group values being “weird” or “out there”. In this case, you may want to look at items outside the usual tee shirts or hoodies, and find something uniquely “them” to offer.
Consider the question of color
A lot of groups have specific brand colors they need to follow. For example, schools often have “brand guidelines” to follow which specify colors and fonts, as well as logo structure and placement. All of this can be important to keep in mind, not only for the print color, but the garment color as well. If your design is required to go on a white or navy background, it wouldn’t be good to select a garment that only comes in black and cream!
Choosing the right decoration method
Certain decoration methods can only work with specific kinds of artwork. Be sure to have me look it over to see if any methods are automatically ruled out. For example if your design won’t work with embroidery, we can rule out beanies and certain hats from the beginning.
Ordering samples
With all of that done, your choices should be significantly narrowed down. Look through the options and choose your top 2-4 to order samples of. This is where you should ask your group for their opinion! Find more details about the sample ordering process here.
Sometimes ordering blank samples isn’t enough for your group, and they want to see a decorated sample, or even a few! Checking the decoration quality can be an important step, especially for some products or decoration methods.
In some cases I may suggest ordering a sample if I’m unsure of how the decoration will look or hold up on a certain material or fabric texture. Ordering decorated samples is always your choice, and if you choose not to, I may recommend switching to a more common method/fabric combination to be safe. Quality and customer satisfaction are my top priorities!
This post only refers to decorated samples. If you want to check the quality of the blank garments, check out the post here.
Stock samples to check decorator quality
If you would like to see the decoration quality of the decorator(s) I use, they have many stock samples available. These are test prints of designs they’re already running, sew outs of embroidered designs they’ve done in the past, and presses of vinyl onto scrap fabric. These are usually free and can be mailed to you directly within a couple of business days.
Custom samples
Ordering custom decorated samples is not common, and is usually only done if there is a question about how a specific decoration method/fabric combination will turn out, or if your design is on the edge of what may not look good when embroidered. In some cases though, specific groups will want to see a full sample of their design on their selected garment.
Turn time
The time it takes to produce a custom sample depends on the decoration method, but is usually the same amount of time that it takes to produce a full order (because the decorator has to process, set up, and produce the single item the same way they would a full order). Typically this is 2-3 weeks (quicker turns are available for additional “rush” fees).
Cost
The cost to produce custom samples varies according to your specific project and will need to be quoted. They are usually very expensive however. The most expensive would be multi-color screen printed designs, because of the massive amount of set up cost attributed to a single item.
Custom embroidery sew-outs
Embroidery sew-outs are a kind of middle ground option if you want to see how your design will look embroidered. Your design would be embroidered on a scrap of fabric. This can be twill (similar to a hat), cotton (tee shirt scrap), or fleece (hoodie scrap). They cost ~$20-$30 depending on your design and shipping is free via USPS. Turn time is usually around one week from payment to delivery, depending on the decorator’s availability.
Samples are an important step to make sure your bulk order is exactly as you want it to be.
With so many variables in play like fit, fabric texture, and fabric weight, it’s difficult to know exactly what to choose from pictures and manufacturer blurbs alone. Ordering a sample or two can help make sure your chosen garment is just right.
Ordering samples does take time, but is worth it! Please allow enough time to receive your samples (1-6 business days once paid for), with some additional time to try them out thoroughly. The entire process can add a few days to a few weeks to your turn time, depending on a lot of factors. If you have an event date, be sure to let me know as soon as possible so we can take that into account.
This post tackles only blank product samples; for information on decorated samples click here.
Step 1: narrow down your options
First, you’ll need to narrow down the options to what you like the best. See the full blog post here on how we will tackle that together.
I recommend selecting a few options to choose from so you don’t have to wait for additional items to ship if your first choice isn’t perfect.
Step 2: specify the details
Please provide a single shipping address for all samples to be sent to.
For each style you want a sample of, provide the following:
Size(s)
Color(s)
Step 3: approve and pay for your samples
I will email an order summary for you to approve which includes all of the samples you plan to order, the color and size for each, your shipping address, and pricing. Please look over this thoroughly to make sure everything is correct!
Along with your order summary I will send an invoice. I charge only what is required to cover the cost of the items and shipping them to you (nothing is marked up).
If everything on your order summary and invoice look correct, please pay the invoice and I will order your samples. Payment acts as your approval and no changes can be made after that point (I usually order the samples immediately upon receiving your payment in order to get them to you at the soonest possible time).
Step 4: wait for the samples to arrive
Samples will be received in 1-6 business days (unless there are shipping delays which are out of our control).
Step 5: try out your samples
Once received, put your samples through a test! Try them on, show them to your group members, wash them, and wear them doing whatever activities you’ll be using them for. Here are some ideas of what to pay attention to:
Fit: does the item run smaller or larger than expected for the size you ordered? Does everyone in your group like how loose or tight it fits?
Fabric: is the fabric as soft as you would like? Is it thick enough? Is it too heavy?
Washability: does the fabric change texture when washed? Does the item shrink in the dryer?
Wearability: how does the item look and feel while worn during your group activity? If ordering for a sports or summer event, is it breathable? Does it ride up while running? Does it turn see-through when wet?
Ultimately only you and your group will know what is most important to them in their apparel. Make sure to test all of those things before making your choice.
Step 6: make your selection(s)
Once your tests are done, select which item(s) you like the best. I suggest ruling out any you specifically dislike, and putting the rest in order of preference. That way if your first choice is out of stock when you place your order, you already have a plan B.
That’s it!
Relay what you find to me and we can move forward with your group order. You get to keep all of the samples. If you have any you don’t want, please give them away or donate them.
Tens of thousands of women in the US and hundreds of thousands of women worldwide die from breast cancer each year. While advancements in treatments and early detection are improving these statistics, more research is needed to find a cure.
All month long I will be donating 10% of profits from sales of my Breast Cancer Collection to the Care Bears, my family’s Race for the Cure team! In support of my Grandmother and all others who have fought or are fighting this awful disease, please consider buying one of these items or making a donation to help find a cure.
Breast cancer is the most diagnosed type of cancer for women worldwide.
An estimated 43,780 deaths will occur from breast cancer this year, just in the US.
Worldwide, female breast cancer is the fifth leading cause of death.
An estimated 684,996 women died from breast cancer worldwide in 2020.
Breast cancer does not only affect women; approximately 2710 men will be diagnosed in 2022.
Early detection and advancements in treatments have decreased deaths of women to decrease by 42% from 1989 to 2019! That means 431,800 deaths were prevented in that time.
Breast Cancer Prevention
While nothing can entirely prevent someone from getting breast cancer, there are some things you can do to reduce your risk.
Use non-hormonal methods of birth control.
Among other issues not often mentioned prior to prescribing hormonal birth control options, these types of contraceptives can increase breast cancer risk up to 7%. Hormonal birth control options include the pill, shot, implant, and IUD’s other than the ParaGard copper IUD.
Keep yourself healthy.
A generally healthy lifestyle can decrease your risk of breast cancer, as well as other cancers. Drinking in moderation or not at all, staying active, and maintaining a healthy bodyweight can all reduce your risk. This can also improve your chances of survival if cancer occurs.
Talk to your doctor about genetic factors.
If you have a family history of cancer or certain genetic markers, there may be other more specific things you can do to lower your risk.
While breast cancer is still a devastating disease, there have been advancements in technology and treatments have greatly helped reduce the mortality of breast cancer patients.
Immunotherapy – using the body’s immune system to recognize and kill tumors. This was previously not thought possible with breast cancer like it is with other cancers, but recent research has shown it to be promising.
Tumor Profiling – determining the genes within a tumor to choose the best treatment.
3-D Mammography – x-ray imaging to create 3D breast images, rather than 2D imaging examined only in layers in a single direction.
The Susan G Komen foundation was started by Nancy G Brinker in 1982 in memory of her sister Susan who died of breast cancer. Since then it has grown into the largest non-profit source of funding for breast cancer research, community and advocacy programs.
The Race for the Cure is a method by which the Susan G Komen foundation brings people together to raise money for their programs and donations. Donors pledge to donate based on laps walked (or run). My family is part of a team called the Care Bears which participates yearly at their local Race for the Cure event, in honor and support of my Grandmother and other survivors in our family.
10% of profits from sales of the Breast Cancer Awareness Collection will be donated to the Komen Foundation, by way of the Care Bears RFTC team. Please check out the items below!
Ah, the holidays. A time for pumpkin spice lattes, apple pie, and rampant consumerism.
Over the last few years as I’ve learned more about humanity’s impact on the environment (and the abnormally scorching summers we’ve had where there should not be), I’ve become increasingly upset by holidays, especially consumerist ones like Christmas (don’t even get me started on Mardi Gras). Plastic seems to be everywhere these days, especially when companies try to make their products look festive with shiny ribbons and iridescent cellophane.
My aim with this post is to remove some of the environmental impact of our favorite festivities, so we can keep the magic of the holiday season going for years to come.
Most Wasteful Holiday Activities
The reason the holiday season is so wasteful is because of the over-consumption of resources and tons of new plastic being manufactured. While there are a multitude of reasons for this, this article will focus on the following:
Gift giving
Travel
Feasts
These seem to be the most consumptive parts of the holiday season, and with them in check we should be able to continue our holiday traditions for years to come.
Giving presents is so rewarding, and yet so wasteful when done conventionally. Don’t worry though, there are a lot of ways to reduce its impact! I wrote a more extensive article on this here, but will summarize below.
Give non-physical presents
Take the “material” completely out of gift giving by giving something that doesn’t add anything to our environment directly. These can include gifting someone an experience (i.e. tickets to something, or a gift certificate for a massage), your time and effort (going for a hike or helping them with a project), or sending them some digital money.
This category can also include digital gifts like ecards, digital artwork, and software subscriptions such as Audible or Adobe. While online activity does use energy, many online platforms have started offsetting their carbon emissions and using green energy. It definitely makes a much smaller impact than physical products.
Sustainable physical presents
Sometimes giving someone a non-physical gift just doesn’t hold the same appeal as handing them a wrapped box with a surprise inside. If this is the case for you, there are still ways to lessen your impact!
Pay attention to the materials used in the item, including the packaging. When it comes to clothing (my specialty), you’ll want to stay away from synthetic fibers like polyester and acrylic, and go for organic natural fibers instead. If you do need to include some synthetic fibers (like in the case of sweatshirt fleece), look for recycled options. If you’re not sure where to start, check out my shop. All of the synthetic fibers shown there are recycled, and the rest are sustainable natural materials.
My shop does currently end up using some plastic packaging but I’m in the process of finding a POD supplier who is plastic free! If you know of one please let me know.
Do some research on the company that produces the item. Are they making efforts to offset their carbon emissions? Are they known for dumping toxic waste in our waterways? Do they treat their employees well?
Sustainable Gift Wrap
Make sure if you decide to wrap your gift that you wrap it in something recyclable, and preferrably recycled. Old newspaper is a good start. Stay away from shiny or glossy wrapping paper, as while those are sometimes recyclable, they still add new plastic to our ecosystem. For sealing packages, use things like cotton yarn instead of tape or plastic ribbons.
EcoCult mentions using the shiny inside of old chip bags as wrapping paper (see their article here for more ideas). Your giftee may be more excited about something wrapped in your trash than you can imagine!
A lot of people travel for the holidays, myself included. Transportation can have a big impact on the environment, but there are some ways to mitigate it without backing out of Thanksgiving dinner.
Take public transportation
There are a lot of different public transport options available in the US, and depending on where you live they may be even more abundant. Some are more sustainable than others, but anytime you’re traveling as a group in a single vehicle it will be more sustainable than traveling alone. Most people are familiar with the short distance public transit system in their city, but here are a couple of longer distance options you may or may not have thought about:
Long distance busses. Greyhound services most, if not all parts of the US, and there may be more than just Greyhound as well. I would recommend this for any trips less than a full day, as sleeping on a bus is really rough.
Passenger trains. Train workers are striking right now, but as soon as they are paid what they are due, trains should return to normal operation. I’ve personally taken the train on both short and very very long distances and love it. It’s my favorite way to travel. The longer you’re going though, the more delays there will be, so make sure to account for that. When I went from the US east coast to west coast and back, I ended up a full day or two later than expected in each direction. Sleeping on a train in coach is somewhat difficult, but doable for a night or two. I don’t recommend going across the entire US (5 days) like I did unless you get a sleeper car!
Everyone knows about flying already, so I’ll leave that be.
Organize a carpool
Similar to public transit, anytime you ride together you save on fossil fuels. Get together with a group of friends or family and travel together if you’re all going in the same direction. There are also ways to find carpools on Craigslist and other sites or apps if you feel comfortable with that. Bonus points if your carpool buddy has an electric car!
Stay closer to home
If you’re traveling for fun or for vacation (versus going to see relatives), consider a staycation, or at least somewhere closer to where you live. The less you travel the better, and you may find some hidden gems closer to you that you never would have known about otherwise.
If you are traveling to see family, organize the get-together at someone’s house who lives near the bulk of family, or if everyone is spread out, in the most central location. That way everyone travels the shortest distance to where you’re all meeting. Aunt Lucy can still make her fancy seven course dinner at Grandma’s house.
This can be a tricky one, because traditions can be hard to break. That being said, there are ways to lessen the impact of your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, without upsetting anyone.
Better organize your potluck
A bit food waste issue can be when too many people bring way too much food to a potluck, and even more so, when they leave all the leftovers at the host’s house. Better potluck organization can help a lot with this.
Ask people to state in advance what they will be bringing so there aren’t duplicates. This can be done via a social media event, an online spreadsheet, or word of mouth. If some folks don’t want to bother with an online form but others do, have one person be the point person to fill in the details for them. You can even list on the spreadsheet how many of each kind of food you will allow so you don’t end up with an entirely salad meal. If people don’t want to specify because it will be a surprise, they can add “surprise meat dish” or something. Yay for communication! Can you tell I like spreadsheets?
Let people know it’s okay not to bring anything if they don’t want to. I can’t tell you how many potlucks I’ve been to that there are 10 different kinds of store-bought pie because everyone felt obligated to contribute. Most potlucks end up with way too much food in general! It’s okay if some people just come for the company.
Ask people not to bring single use items. A lot of people end up bringing things like plastic cups, paper plates, and napkins because they think it will help save on the host’s time doing dishes. A polite mention that you’d rather they not bring them will suffice.
Ask everyone to bring a food storage container or two with them for leftovers. If everyone takes home a little bit of their favorites, it’s all bound to be eaten.
Compost
Even if you don’t have a compost bin, there are ways you can compost your holiday leftovers.
There are apps you can use to find neighbors with compost bins and piles which they appreciate people donating their scraps to (check out sharewaste.com). Pay attention to the stipulations of your chosen pile as each is different.
A lot of neighborhoods and cities allow people to put food waste into their yard debris bin, and a lot of residents don’t even know it! Look up you local disposal company for details.
Switch out conventional ingredients
Without completely changing the dishes you serve, you can switch out conventional ingredients for more natural and sustainable options within those dishes. Switching out your grocery store turkey for a pasture raised turkey from a local farm may be a bit more expensive, but helps decrease your footprint by a lot, and is healthier for you as a bonus. Plan ahead and make sure you can get everything you need locally, organic, grass fed, and pasture raised. It can even turn into a game! Supporting your local farmers helps prices go down in your local area as well.
Use smaller plates and serving utensils
This may seem weird, but using smaller plates really works to help stop food waste. How many times have you filled up your huge thanksgiving plate with a second helping, only to get halfway through and realize you can’t finish? If your plate was half that size, you’d have cleared it off. People reassess how much food they need each time they go back, and your second serving eyes may be much smaller than your first serving eyes, especially if you haven’t eaten all day in anticipation of Nana’s famous corn bread casserole.
On a similar note, using smaller serving utensils can also help. Using a giant ladle to serve up each dish encourages people to take the entire ladle full onto their plate. If you have a smaller serving spoon, they will likely only take that much onto their plate. We would all love for our family to think this through fully while filling their plates, but alas, they will likely be distracted by the excitement of the day.
I hope this helps!
I wish you luck on your sustainability journey, and hope you are able to use these ideas to have a more sustainable holiday season than the one before. Small steps can make a huge difference, so do what you can and leave the rest for another time.
As I’ve been moving toward a more minimal and sustainable lifestyle, I’ve found one of the hardest things to navigate is holidays; specifically, gift giving holidays.
For a while I’ve told people not to get me gifts for holidays, but my friends and family don’t like that. In some cases it genuinely hurts them not to. People love giving presents. It makes them feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside when they see joy light up the recipient’s face, or when they feel they’ve provided them with something nice.
I completely understand, as I also love giving gifts! I think some context may help.
The aim of asking people not to get gifts is to avoid a few specific things:
The environmental impact of consumerism
Supporting companies and products that don’t fit my values
Adding more clutter to my space, especially with things I don’t need, even if they’re nice
Guilt over decisions of what to do with a gift I can’t find room for or no longer use
If you’re in the position of wanting to give a gift to a sustainable minimalist, it can be difficult to figure out how to navigate these issues, but there is hope! I’ve come up with several ideas for gifts they will be thrilled to receive.
*If you’re a sustainable minimalist and like these ideas, share them with your friends and family, and let me know in the comments!*
Experiences can mean so much to a person. If you are near each other, you can go somewhere together, but you can also send them on adventures alone. Someone gifted me an hour long massage once, and you better believe I enjoyed the heck out of that. You can go all out and take them on an all expense paid vacation to Vegas if you want but that might not be the most practical. Tickets to a basketball game, museum, or concert work well, or even just taking them out to a nice dinner or wine tasting. Think of what they like, but don’t get to do very often.
One of the best things you can give someone is quality time. Give them a call or video chat if they’re far away, arrange a hike or just stop by. Rent some of their favorite movies, or ones they’ve been wanting to see, and make a day of watching them. Take them to the tree lighting in your city’s center, or take them out caroling.
Even better, if they have something they’re working on, help them out for an afternoon! Offer to help them finish painting their bedroom or weed their garden. Help them move, clear out their garage, or wash their car. Doing something like this can mean so much more than a traditional gift could, and is much less expensive. Doing things like this together can make some real lasting memories.
I know, I know. It may not be the most glamorous, but money really is the safest and most practical gift to get someone. Especially for environmentally conscious minimalists, it can be one of the most appreciated gifts as well. Most people have things in their lives they’re saving up for but can’t afford quite yet, or things that they want to do that don’t fit into their current income. Having a little bit extra can make a big difference.
This doesn’t have to be a wad of cash handed to them either. You can combine it with an experience gift or a “time and effort” gift for maximum benefit. I’m also fond of the out-of-the-blue Zelle notification that there’s $30 being deposited to my bank account.
When sending money, digital payments are preferred. Be sure to use something that doesn’t charge fees like PayPal (friends and family payments), Cashapp, or Zelle. Checks are second best because they are recyclable and renewable, but still waste trees. Cash isn’t great because it uses non-renewable materials in its manufacture. Gift cards are plastic (and limit where you can spend the money), so those are a no-go.
Also falling into this category would be making a donation in their name to a charity or cause they support, or naming a star after someone (yes that’s a real thing).
Digital Gifts
The fractal my brother sent me
Digital gifts can come in many different forms depending on what kind of person you’re working with.
Ecards
Ecards are the simplest option and come in a ton of different forms. They can be funny, meaningful, or just plain weird. If you had thought about getting them a physical card, get them an ecard instead.
Digital Artwork
If you’re an artist yourself, you can create a piece of digital artwork for them to use as they wish. My brother sent me a “fractal” for my birthday one year and I still have it as my desktop background to this day!
Software Subscriptions
Another option is a subscription to a service they use, or want to use. If they watch a lot of YouTube you could get them a subscription to their Premium service. If they listen to a lot of music, a subscription to Pandora One or Spotify Premium would work. Those interested in literature or self help may enjoy an Audible subscription. Software and software subscriptions, like Adobe Creative Cloud for graphic designers and Davinci Resolve for video editors, are also great ideas, though expensive.
Physical Gifts
If you do decide to buy something physical, be sure to take into account their values around things they own. What do they care about specifically? Some people who are waste conscious may have a strong distaste for anything that comes in plastic packaging, and others may be okay with it as long as the plastic is recycled and recyclable.
Generally, here are some guidelines to follow:
Pay attention to the materials used in the item. Most environmentally conscious people will want to stay away from plastic and plastic derivatives, including in the packaging of the item.
Do some research on the company that produces the item. Are they making efforts to offset their carbon emissions? Are they known for dumping toxic waste in our waterways? Do they treat their employees well?
If the person in question lives in a small space, think of the size of the item. Will they be able to fit it in their space? For minimalists this is especially important. When you walk into their space, how cluttered is it? Do they have many decorations? If not, make sure to choose something low profile that won’t impede on their need for open spaces.
Keeping those things in mind, here are some ideas of physical things they may enjoy!
The most obvious thing in this category is food (and drinks). Everyone likes to eat! Take them out to dinner, or get them a (recyclable) gift box of their favorite candy. One of my favorites is one of those giant multi-section tins of different flavors of popcorn.
Hobby Supplies
If your giftee is a gardener, seeds for their garden are a great addition. If your gift will be during the winter months, stick to seeds versus starts. To be a true consumable gift, make sure the plants are annuals (will not come back year after year).
NOTE: Houseplants are not consumables because they will be around for a long time. Gifting a houseplant can be like gifting a pet, so be careful with this. If you do choose to gift a houseplant, pay special attention to the growing instructions. Make sure it’s manageable! Probably don’t gift them an orchid (unless they’ve specifically been talking about wanting one).
If your giftee is an artist, you can get them things like sketchbooks, colored pencils, paint, canvases, and anything else they would use to explore their craft. Stick to things you already know they use, including the brand. I can tell you as an artist myself that Prismacolor colored pencils are not the same as any other brand, and it can really mess with your flow to try to switch.
For this you’ll have to do some sleuthing. Did their favorite spatula just get demolished in the dishwasher? Did their roommate’s dog chew up the remote to their electric blanket and they can’t seem to get a moment to replace it? Have they been talking about needing a new sweatshirt but haven’t wanted to spend the money?
A lot of things in this category may be expensive, and may tend not to end up on their wish list because of that. Minimalists, environmentalists, and waste conscious people all tend to consume less, but consume very high quality when they do choose to. Consider getting together with a group of their friends or family and all pitching in to get them what they really need.
Clothing in general falls into this category, but be careful! Ideally, they’ve shown you a specific item online or in a store they want, and you know the exact size to get them. If you’re choosing yourself, make absolutely sure what you’re getting fits with their style and values. Check out the materials used in the fabric especially. Think renewable organic fabrics, or recycled fabrics if going for something synthetic. If you’re not sure where to start, you can check out my shop here. All of the items there fit the above description, and are printed on demand to reduce overproduction.
Make sure if you decide to wrap your gift that you wrap it in something recyclable, and preferrably recycled. Old newspaper is a good start. Stay away from shiny or glossy wrapping paper, as while those are sometimes recyclable, they still add new plastic to our ecosystem. For sealing packages, use things like cotton yarn instead of tape or plastic ribbons.
EcoCult mentions using the shiny inside of old chip bags as wrapping paper (see their article here for more ideas). Your giftee may be more excited about something wrapped in your trash than you can imagine!
In Conclusion…
From my perspective, if you are out shopping and see something that screams the name of your minimalist friend, get it for them, and save it for the holidays if you want to. They will most likely love and appreciate it! What I think most are trying to avoid is the consumerist nature of being on a Christmas list and people feeling obligated to buy them something.
Hopefully this post has given you some ideas of what to get your loved one. Did I miss anything? Did the person you’re shopping for appreciate the thought you put into their gift? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Fall is here and Halloween is closer than you think!
I love Halloween. The anticipation of cooler weather, cozying up with a cup of cider watching the rain and leaves fall, baking butternut squash and yams, the smell of cinnamon and the crispness of the air… lovely.
New styles and designs are coming out every few days, with halloween-ie designs all being launched by the end of the first week of October.
Production takes a bit for these, so order early if you want to wear them before the holiday.
The deadline to order for delivery before Halloween is…
I have always dreamt of having a business with a purpose.
When I was a kid, I had a huge binder full of sketches of dresses, shoes, and outfits. With the imagination only a small human can muster, I would lay on the living room floor and design fluffy coats for dogs that protected them from the rain and snow, enormous sun hats to keep the wearer from getting too hot, and full maxi dresses in red plaid with extra large pockets to hold all the things you may need. As I got older, I stopped creating such fantastical designs, but continued with my passion for purposeful design.
My dad owned a screen printing business when I was very young. He still has a picture of me sitting on the garage floor, pretending to print by pulling a squeegee across a tiny empty screen. I helped with various aspects of this business until he sold it in 2017. I learned a lot while working for him, and in the jobs I’ve held since (all in the decorated apparel industry).
In 2019 I started kwindie as a way to bridge the gap between my friends and family, and the quality decorated apparel they needed for their groups and events (a void left when my father’s business sold).
The one thing I’ve found while working this long in the apparel industry is that it’s incredibly wasteful.
There aren’t a lot of people or companies looking into making things more efficient, as far as I can tell. There isn’t much profit in that yet.
That is what I hope to change.
First and most importantly, I’ve started offering quotes for recycled apparel along with any quotes I send for conventional apparel options customers have requested. There are a lot of really great options out there, and while some customers don’t want to pay the little bit extra for the more sustainable option, many do!
Next, I’ve started my Leafe concept (see my Etsy shop here). All Leafe items in my shop are at least 40% recycled, and 15% of profits are donated to environmental organizations. Everything in my shop is made to order, which reduces the potential waste of bulk printing and fulfilment. I believe a slightly longer delivery time is worth the sacrifice, if it means less material enters our landfills. For more details on this, go to: kwindie.com/leafe
The goal of these practices and systems is to drive demand for recycled plastic, and give larger apparel companies a reason to find profit within more sustainable products.
I am also moving my business to a more sustainable model as a whole as well, and reducing my footprint as much as possible as a business owner. It’s surprising how many things contribute to climate change, even within my tiny, online-only presence. I’ll make a separate post on that soon.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story! Please take an opportunity to share my website and Etsy shop with your friends, as every sale not only helps my business to grow, but also shows the apparel industry that people want more sustainable options available to all people.
