Tara Button - A Life Less Throwaway: The Lost Art of Buying for Life

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It takes a village to birth a book, so Im about to thank a village-worth of people for being the best midwives, consultant specialists and book-sitters.

Huge thanks to Esmond Harmsworth for coming to me with the seed of an idea that it might be worth writing the BuyMeOnce philosophy down and tirelessly helping me through the process. Also to the wonderful Carolyn Thorne for immediately understanding and connecting with what I wanted the book to be and steering it masterfully towards publication. To Elizabeth Henry for murdering my darlings so I didnt have to. Thank you to the HarperCollins team: Isabel Hayman-Brown, Isabel Prodger, Steve Leard, Zoe Shine and Jasmine Gordon for all the heaps of work I know goes on behind the scenes.

There were many people generous enough with their time and expertise to add the threads of their thoughts into the tapestry of the book.

Theo Davis for his insights into the mind of a salesman and for the eighteen hours he spent dreading my hair in university, only for me to decide dreadlocks werent really me. It was an excellent lesson in self-knowledge. Lynne Drummond for squeezing me into her schedule before her holiday to be interviewed about the complexities of hoarding. My darling sister Juliet for all her brain-picking on how to purchase for a BuyMeOnce baby. You are a real inspiration. One day Ill be able to pack as lightly as you do. Tom Lawton and the engineers in various fields who have taken the time to talk me through the challenges they face and some of the misbehaviour their industries are perpetuating. Thor Johnsen for letting me pump him for information on the world of big business, for being so candid and for being one of the good guys. Helen Craven and Chlo Brotheridge for their wonderful hypnotherapy insights. Ben Shires for being so determinedly himself and being my style inspiration. Geoffrey Miller, firstly for writing such an excellent book Must Have which was so engaging and made sense of so many of our strange buying habits. Also for being so sweet and encouraging when we met in Cambridge being disruptors. Tim Cooper and Christine Cole at PLATE (Product Lifetimes and the Environment) for their encouragement and helpful answers to random questions. Jeremy of excellent beard fame, who was my research guru at the British library, you always found just what I needed and always found a way to get it to me. Granny Ruth, for endlessly fascinating stories of how the world used to be. A heartfelt thanks to the BMO customer quoted in the book. Please do keep writing in and letting us know your thoughts.

Only a few people saw the book before publication, but everyone who did, helped to make it better. Laura Mucha, my brilliant book buddy helped me make sense of my own thoughts, kept me semi-sane by getting me dancing on a roof in Turkey and willed me on through sheer personality, Im not sure the book would have got finished without you. Amanda Saxby, you were on the front line of my dyslexic grammar, meandering thought trains, leaps of logic and rambling asides. HarperCollins will never know what a debt they owe you for protecting them from the worst of my literary sins. My best maids, Tasmina Hoque and Clara Courtauld for being encouraging and insightful early readers and Helena for providing me with two of my most extravagant over-spend anecdotes. Sally Nicholls and Marianne Power for being such wonderful literary sounding boards, and answering panicked emails about blurbs, voice and dastardly deadlines. Caitlin Moran for tweeted encouragement and allowing me to use your words on the cover. In fact, thank you for all your words and for all the wit and wisdom I have absorbed from them over the years. To the Creative Writing for Young People course at Bath Spa especially Julia Green and Nicola Davies. This is not a childrens book, but it wouldnt have been written half as well if it hadnt been for some of the foundations of the writing craft that was instilled in me by your teaching. Evan Zislis, for being so generous with advice and endlessly enthusiastic on his mission to declutter the planet. Jonathan Wise for opening my eyes to the urgency of the situation we face. To all the great brands and companies who are showing the world that its possible to be planet- and people-friendly and still turn a profit. You are the ones who will turn things around.

None of this book would have been possible if I hadnt been able to completely rely on the core BuyMeOnce team to carry on being brilliant while I sat in my shed writing. To the amazing, irrepressible and irreplaceable Lily, James, Amanda and Joe thank you. Also thanks to Lucy Robinson for unfailing cheer and PR wizardry.

Finally, to my tribe. To Mark for being my first and most encouraging reader and making the whole BuyMeOnce dream a reality. To Mummy, Daddy, Jules, Kir and all my lovely Buttons, Hayes, Milligans and Taskers for the support and love that is so palpable, even when it comes from across oceans. To clan Cohen, especially Barbara for welcoming me into your wonderfully vibrant family. Prim girl, you helped more than youll ever know. Keep being you.

And especially my darling Howard who had to plan our wedding and cook the dinner while his future wife became increasingly nocturnal and frazzled as deadlines approached. Thank goodness for you. I love you.

This is not an exhaustive manual, but should help you care for the majority of items in your home. I recommend supplementing it with YouTube videos from manufacturers and the public which give clear visual instructions for some of the methods here (just dont get sidetracked by the cats).

Heres a list for quick reference:

Household maintenance (see below)

Caring for leather products (pages 2413)

Caring for clothes and fabrics (pages 2437)

Repairing clothes (pages 24850)

Caring for kitchenware (pages 25055)

Troubleshooting home appliances (pages 2557)

Maintaining appliances (pages 2579)

HOUSEHOLD MAINTENANCE

Ive written the following list to help you with the maintenance tasks that will have the most impact on the longevity of your belongings.

Every day

Wipe up spills.

Act fast on furniture or clothing stains.

Update software if needed to prevent hackers.

Every week

Vacuum, dust and clean the house and furniture.

Condition regularly worn shoes.

Clean clothes as necessary.

Every month

Descale the kettle (see ).

Descale the coffee maker (run through with a half and half mixture of water and vinegar three times then rinse).

Clean out the dishwasher filter.

Condition regularly used leather bags.

Fix any garments in the mending pile.

Condition shoes worn less often.

Every three months

Oil wooden boards and spoons.

Put vinegar ice cubes in the garbage disposal unit.

Check the smoke alarms.

Check the water softener (if you have one).

Every six months

Deep clean the house.

Vacuum the mattress and launder the pillows and duvet.

Polish wooden furniture.

Turn the dining table around.