Less is more this holiday season as many shoppers prioritize the environment over prices. According to a Tesco poll, more than a third of people desire to be more environmentally friendly and research from American Express reveals that individuals are willing to spend more on “green” gifts. So how can we change our current shopping habits into more sustainable ones?

Sticking to your neighborhood’s independent stores is one option. For Sian Conway-Wood, author of “Buy Better Consume Less”, this allows money to stay in the local economy and leads to a more deliberate approach to shopping rather than reacting to huge retailer marketing. Numerous websites sell products from a variety of independent sites with ethical goals, so there’s no need to spend time chasing down different providers. Another alternative is to purchase previously owned items. The rise of promoting the reuse and regeneration of things such as clothing and furniture to decrease pollution has resulted in a slew of new ways to shop for pre-owned clothing. When it comes to food, don’t binge and eat less. While turkey is the traditional Christmas dinner meat, there are concerns about how deforestation-linked soya is utilized as livestock feed. The vast majority of soya is cultivated in Argentina, Brazil, and the United States, where there is a risk of deforestation as a result of its production. Preparing your own with seeds and grains, on the other hand, will suffice.

It can be tough to keep ourselves from overpreparing for Christmas, but the best sustainable method is to buy fewer items. After all, the spirit of Christmas is about sharing wonderful moments with our loved ones, not about blowing our budget.