Three simple ways to own less stuff

If you’ve been through the rigmarole of your child growing out of a bike, having to sell it and find a new one (or watched them ride a bike three sizes too small for them, like a circus clown) – only for them to, yes, grow out of that one in no time, you’ll understand why a bike subscription is a genius idea.

Pay a monthly subscription (from £4.49) to join Bike Club and you/your child can choose from a selection of top brands online, including Isla, Frog and Strider. The new wheels will be delivered to you, your child can ride their bike until they outgrow it – and then you can exchange it for a bigger one (for free after 18 months, or at any time for £19.99). Paying a monthly subscription means you spread the cost, rather than having to shell out a lump sum for every growth spurt.

You can get scooters, balance bikes and pedal bikes, and the scheme covers children from tiny to teenage (14 years old). And what happens to the used bike? It goes off to be refurbished, ready for anyone who’d like to buy a reduced cost ‘reBike’. Waste not…

Find out more about Bike Club here. 

Got an event coming up that requires a fabulous outfit? 1. Lucky you. 2. Think rental. Gone are the days of shelling out on a sequinned jumpsuit for that big party or panic-buying a maxi dress for a wedding, only for it to languish in your wardrobe never to be worn again. 

John Lewis Rental couldn’t be simpler. Choose the item(s) you need from 30 top brands, including Biba, Olivia Rubin, O Pioneers, & Other Stories and Saylor, and it’s yours for up to 20 days. The outfit of dreams will be delivered directly to your door, you go out looking exceptional and later you send it back using the pre-paid label. It’s not just dresses that are on offer – there are jumpsuits, skirts and even skiwear.

Find out more about Rental here. 

Desperate to declutter? Now is your time. Sign up to My John Lewis then take five items of pre-loved clothing to a John Lewis store and receive £5 off your fashion or homeware purchase that day when you spend £20 or more. Not only will you save money, you’ll also give those clothes a chance of a second life and keep them out of landfill – more than 300,000 tonnes of textiles end up in landfill each year. 

FashionCycle is a new sustainability initiative that takes shirts, T-shirts, jumpers, trousers, shorts, dresses and some childrenswear. Donated items will either be used for onward selling in charity shops, selling to secondary markets or, if they’ve reached the end of their wearable life, put through a sorting machine that separates out the different types of textiles for recycling. Smart.

Find out more about FashionCycle here.