We know it’s a problem, we just don’t know how to stop. Here’s how to start...

In this episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs, I’m talking about how to quit Amazon — or at least drastically reduce your reliance on it — in a way that’s actually doable.

We dig into the real costs of convenience, from environmental harm to the engineered scarcity of Amazon’s business model. But more importantly, I’ll walk you through how my family has shifted away from using Amazon — and how you can, too.

The goal isn’t to overhaul your shopping habits overnight. It’s about slowing down, paying attention, and finding new ways to shop that feel better for you, your wallet, and the world.

Takeaways

• Why reducing your Amazon use isn’t about guilt or going without — it’s about spending in ways that feel better for you, your values, and your community.
• The real cost of convenience: how Amazon’s business model fuels overconsumption and the plastic waste crisis.
• What “free shipping” really means — and why small businesses can’t compete.
• Practical ways to untangle from Amazon without making life harder.
• The three mindset shifts that helped me: Pause, Buy Local, and Shop Secondhand.
• Small, intentional changes away from Amazon support your local economy, reduce waste, and align with the kind of world you want to help build.

One Small Shift

Try a “pause rule” for online shopping — only place orders on a set day each week (or month) and let your cart sit until then. You might be surprised how many things you no longer want or need.

Resources

• Buy Less, Buy Better: My Favourite Canadian Brands
• Well.ca - Shop Canadian Brands
• Bookshop.org - Support Independent Booksellers
• Facebook Marketplace
• Buy Nothing Project
• Poshmark (invite code SUSTAINABLESRB)
• DePop
• ThreadUp
• Kijiji 
• LEND-IT.CA
  
  

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Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio

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