As I get older, I definitely buy less stuff. Partly because I’m lazy, partly because I never seem to have enough money but also partly because I find I’ve come to question myself with almost every purchase. Why? Well, I’ve spent a lot of time decluttering and taking things to charity shops, I’ve cleared out lots of houses that I’ve lived in and done too many tip runs to count. Plus, fast, disposable consumerism terrifies me. It’s so destructive to peoples lives and the planet. If something is cheap to buy, there’s a price being paid somewhere by someone. So when I heard about the Traidcraft #justfriday campaign as an alternative to the soul destroying black Friday, I knew I had to write about it.

Now it’s no surprise that I don’t enjoy the run up to Christmas shopping madness. I have tweeted a number of times of my absolute disdain for Christmas shopping. I hate everything about it with the exception of making people I love and care about happy. That being said, I think we could all think about where we spend our money and the impact our consumer power has.

Traidcraft’s ‘Just Friday’ initiative is designed to make Black Friday light again. The thinking behind the campaign is that if people took a moment to stop, breathe, and buy mindfully and ethically, they could use their spending power to help people across the world.

Larry Bush, Traidcraft’s Marketing Director, says:

“Imagine if just 1% of the £1bn that retail analysts predict will be spent on Black Friday was spent with ethical, Fair Trade organisations like Traidcraft and People Tree? Even this small percentage could help us improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across the developing world and make a huge difference to someone’s life – and you’ll be buying a beautifully handmade, unique gift for family and friends.”

“So on Black Friday, one of the most chaotic days on the shopping calendar, we’re offering an alternative with Just Friday and asking people to take a few moments and think about their buying choices.”

Imagine that! When you see the amazing changes to lives of people around the world, all thanks to fairtrade products, you know that it’s a no brainer and fairtrade is so powerful. It makes a massive difference, not just to the farmers and growers, but the lives of their families, the communities in which they live and beyond. And it’s all within the power of your credit card. So why not add a bit of light to Black Friday and spend your money where it’ll help improve lives.