Alternatives to clothes shopping are popping up to smartly satisfy what women want.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis averages each American will spend roughly $1,700 on clothes shopping each year. And, American women will spend double the national average–putting $3,400 annually towards new clothing purchases.

There is no argument against the modern closet overflowing, overstuffed and over-cluttered with too much clothing. In fact, I’ve never heard a friend say she wants more clothing. Certainly we’ve all moaned about having “nothing to wear,” but when most women only put on 20 – 30 percent of their wardrobe, it’s hard to imagine more is what we need. The general trend is advancing towards hosting a minimal, well-curated wardrobe, and some companies are tactically giving us exactly what we want.

Check out some successful alternatives to clothes shopping new below.

Bib + Tuck

Bib + Tuck is an online swapping site where you can virtually swap clothing from a well-curated community. Inside the closets of celebrities, artists, stylists, editors, bloggers, journalist, and everything in between, you can bib (meaning to give) and tuck (meaning to take). The name comes from the old English phrase, “To wear your best Bib and Tucker.”  The site’s model is based on the user being both a bibber and a tucker, but you can also buy “bucks,” the communities currency.

“I think there is a big divide between buying new and buying at a secondhand marketplace. Bib + Tuck exists to bridge that divide.” says co-founder Sari Azout.

Bag Borrow or Steal 

Ever wanted a meticulously crafted designer bag, just for a little while? The option is out there. Bag Borrow or Steal allows you to rent, or ‘borrow,’ designer handbags at a monthly rate. You can accessorize on a month to month basis, and send it back when you are done. “This is a great way to experience high fashion at a fraction of the cost,” says Bag Borrow or Steal user Deb. The site also offers a smaller, but equally curated selection of jewelry and sunglasses.

Rent The Runway

Rent a high fashion dress for that extraordinary occasion through Rent The Runway. They offer an enormous selection of evening, party, and designer dresses which you can rent on a four- or eight-day basis. Rent The Runway also encourages users to upload a photo of themselves wearing the dress. So each gown is packed with special stories from their nights-out.

featured image from Bag Borrow or Steal, images from the companies

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For all those environmentalists, humanitarians, and general do-gooders of the world, the future can seem wrought with strife. An overpopulated planet battling for scarce resources while the wealthy consume far and beyond their fair share.

But EcoSalon’s own Beth Buczynski presents a far more positive outlook in her new book “Sharing is Good. How to Save Money, Time and Resources through Collaborative Consumption.”

Buczynski highlights how human nature is actually built on the simple concept of sharing all the way back to the age of hunting and gathering, although our true nature has been clouded by visions of the individual and over-consumption. Her book is a welcomed return to collective consumption or the  value in sharing, reminding us that united we stand while individually we may falter when it comes to consumption.

Sharing is nothing new, according to Buczynski. Look at concepts like Ebay, Netflix, and public libraries, but now with more than 7 billion people living on Earth, it’s more important than ever. Collective consumption through sharing reduces our impact on the planet by reducing our individual consumption and it saves us money. For example, car-sharing, co-working (sharing office space), microlending, and sharing a nanny saved Sharable co-founder Neal Gorenflo $17,000 in household income in one year. That’s motivation enough to dive into collective consumption, and the book gives you the tools to do so.

My favorite aspect of the book is the painstaking detail it goes into to provide readers with avenues for sharing. It outlines resources in nearly every genre of collective consumption from goods to transportation, services, and travel.

You’ll learn how to share couture fashion, books, video games, meals, and cars. Gardeners can even borrow yard space and then share the produce loot once the garden has sprouted. EatFeastly.com connects passionate cooks to hungry eaters and ShareMyStorage.com is a social marketplace that connects those with spare space to those who need it. As an avid globe trotter, I can’t wait to take advantage of travel sharing programs like AirBnB and Couch Surfing.

Sharing is nothing new, but the advent of social media and thoughtful startups looking to capitalize on this growing marketplace have meant the concept of collective consumption is our answer to thriving in a world of overpopulation and diminished resources.

Find the book here on Amazon.

Disclosure: This book was supplied as a complimentary product for the review; no other compensation was provided.

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Alicia Silverstone Launches Breast Milk Sharing Program

Images by: New Society Publishers and Christina Gressianu.

The post United We Share: Collective Consumption For the Greater Good appeared first on EcoSalon.