Make do and mend: a newly thrifty consumer?
30 Mar 2016
From couponing to checkout codes, darning to shabby chic - a new project at the University will look at thrift in the 21st century
Sociologist Dr Helen Holmes will examine how a period of austerity has resurrected the romanticised wartime notion of ‘make do and mend’, both through necessity and lifestyle choice.
The project will examine household habits over three years, painting a detailed picture of how we upcycle, reuse and repurpose items in the 2010s. People will be asked to contribute their stories and photos through the project website.
Helen, a researcher in the Sustainable Consumption Institute, said: “Thrifty consumption has experienced growing popularity over the last few years and with this new research project we want to get a better idea of how thrift, as a concept, has been mobilised by households during the recent period of austerity.
“These habits can tell us a lot about society. This piece of work will focus on how thrift is brought to life through everyday practices, objects and time within the household. Likewise, we want to know more about how objects are given a second lease of life and what implications this has for waste and sustainability.”
Examples of ‘modern thrift’ include buying in bulk, couponing, waiting for the best deals or buying reduced items. Other examples can include the imaginative repurposing of furniture and household items such as turning an old cd rack into storage for children's shoes or using a pair of step ladders as an alternative to a book shelf.
People also learn new skills at times of thrift such as jam-making or darning to make use of ingredients and prolong the lives of items and materials which might otherwise be rendered waste and obsolete.
Households in the north west of England are being invited to share their stories and photos of thrift in the home as part of the project, which will take place over the next three years, culminating in September 2018.
Want to get involved?
For more information about the project, including how to get involved and collaborators, visit: