These days not everything is built to last, and many of us don’t think twice before throwing out items that have suddenly broken or when we have appliances that we don’t know how to fix. Everything from shoes and clothing to electricals and personal items, even household possessions such as sofas and chairs, everything we own has a shelf-life, and the amount of wear and tear these items experience dictates how long we get to enjoy them for.

The truth is, if we all altered our mindset and moved away from landfill culture and embraced a “repair don’t replace” lifestyle, then we’d all save a little more money and the planet would benefit too!

Here we’ll explore some quick fixes for items you can repair instead of replacing. Read on to find out more.

Your household appliances

When your fridge breaks down, your dishwasher is no longer performing the way it should, or your oven has gone kaput, the subsequent expense of replacing these items can be financially crippling. Thankfully, there is another option! By opting to repair these electronic appliances yourself, you can save yourself time and money searching for a replacement. A quick search online will help you find appliance parts, and a quick chat with a local repair person will give you the information you need to fix your appliance. Alternatively, you can source the parts and have an expert repair your household electricals for you.  

Your shoes

Your trusty pair of winter boots are supposed to last you more than one winter! Even if the sole is coming apart from the shoe itself or the heel is looking a little worse for wear, don’t throw these shoes away! Reaching out to a cobbler (yes, they still exist!) will help breathe new life into your favourite shoes and potentially replace those worn away features and replace them with newer, better quality pieces. A trip to the cobbler may be a little more than you were expecting, but it’ll be much more cost-effective than buying new shoes every six months.

Your clothes

The effect of the fashion industry on the planet is eye-opening, with fast fashion, in particular, raising questions over its environmental impact and its ethical practices. If we all learned to look after our clothes a little better, avoided the purchase of new clothes for every occasion and stopped throwing away items that have missing buttons, broken zips or holes, then the planet and our wallets would be happier places! Learning some simple sewing skills can help keep your clothes in good shape and following the care instructions on the label will ensure they last longer.

And finally, household furniture

You might be in love with your current sofa, but if the frame is damaged or the upholstery has seen better days, it’s tempting to move on and purchase a new, expensive suite. Sofas are incredibly costly, with many people purchasing furniture on a pay-per-month agreement. Furniture isn’t really worth getting into debt over, not when you can reach out to an upholstery shop or a furniture restorer and ask for help! A few adjustments and replacements could see your old sofa look just like new.