Something odd has happened in the past few weeks. I've found myself being told all about this brand new concept of "thrifting, crafting and recycling" and it's all thanks to India Knight and her book, The Thrift Book: Live Well and Spend Less (as well as her column in the Times). People who had previously enjoyed a mental zoneout whenever I starting harping on about re-using and making do, are now telling me all about it as though it's a shiny new idea - a trend that's sweeping the nation. And thanks to the Credit Crunch, it may well be just that.
But, while many people are just waking up to this notion that our society is a little too throwaway, there are still many people who have a big mental shift ahead. And I'm not talking about people who habitually burn baby seals, I'm talking about people who already consider themselves fairly eco-conscious.
The Smiths* are already pretty green people - they grow their own food, use eco-friendly cleaning products and recycle as much as they can. But when it came time to get their duvet washed, they decided it was too much trouble to take it down the road to the launderette, and simply chucked it out and bought a new one.
Likewise, a friend was outraged that a new battery for her watch would cost her £12 so she popped into Marks and Spencer and bought a brand new one for £20. Presumably, when that one runs out in a year's time, she'll do the same again.
There are still plenty of people who would rather buy brand new furniture to furnish their houses, and who think nothing of chucking out things that aren't even broken, but when even green-minded people find the concept of using what you already have alien, we've got a bit of a way to go before the rest of the consumers catch on.
But what do you do to alter this attitude? In both cases I didn't feel able to comment on the wastefulness of their actions. After all, they were both so sure (and pleased) that they had saved themselves both money and time, that to start lecturing them on the evils of our throwaway society seemed a little - well - rude (though I admit, that usually doesn't stop me). And when you're talking about trying to undo nearly 40 years of cheap, convenience shopping attitudes, just where do you start?
So, are we ready for this new craze? Or is it going to end up being just another fad that consumers throw away as soon as the credit crunch eases?
*Names have been changed to protect me from being shouted at by people I've written about.
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