How to buy things, without buying into consumerism

I mentioned in an earlier post that shopping is a passion for me... Let me clarify, however, that I approach "shopping" in a holistic way in order to avoid "consumerism"... Before I go shopping, there are always three questions I ask myself in order to avoid contributing to rampant consumerism:

1. Do I really need this item?
2. If I didn't have a credit card, would I pay cash for this item?
3. How is buying this item going to help my fellow countryman?

Answering these questions honestly means I whittle away the "stuff" that ends up being clutter, and I save money by only buying that which enhances my life and my local economy. It also means I tend to make choices towards organic, home-made and locally produced products. A three-way-win for shoppers everywhere.

So in accordance with these rules, one safe destination for shopping is Femail Creations - handmade creations by women for women.

As I am supporting a friend through breast cancer at the moment, any company that offers $$ towards the breast cancer research is a winner in my book. Femail Creations was already one of my favourite online destinations for shopping for girly stuff, but now it has gone stellar in my eyes... 10% of sales go to the pink ribbon coffers, definitely meeting criteria #3 in my shopping rules.