The Buyerarchy of Needs

I first found the Buyerarchy when perusing the Creative Reuse: Art From Trash face book page (CRAFT). The chart (which is a nod to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) delineates all the options one has before one makes a purchase, working from the bottom up so that buying is the last option.

I was three-quarters of the way through my most recent “rethink waste” project when I realized I had been following the Buyerarchy of needs without even realizing it! The project was reviving an old dresser from 3 coats of gnarly paint to no coats, all wood. Turns out, I avoided 3 purchases as a result of the Buyerarchy…

First, because I chose to ‘use what I have‘, I didn’t have to buy a new dresser. Refurbishments with furniture tends to be less expensive than buying new. Refurbishment in this degree might also qualify as ‘make‘, as the dresser was “S and S BAR’ed” in the process (Sanded and Stripped Beyond All Recognition). Second, I ‘borrowed‘ a sander to smooth the wood after I stripped the paint. It is unlikely that I would ever use an electric sander often enough to warrant private ownership. And finally, I used ‘thrift‘ store rags to catch the falling paint and floor clean up.

During the restoration process, I realized use of this chart is ever present in my decision making, often unconsciously. Has anyone else surprised themselves with use of the Buyerarchy?

{Thanks to guest blogger/photographer Krystal Collins: CollinsRocksMedia}