Christmas is coming; buy, buy, buy. Never mind about a budget. Pay later, pay next year or the year after. Shop til you drop. They make it, we need to buy it. Or do we?
People are increasingly concerned about rampant consumerism and the environment.
They might not know their carbon footprint or fret about food miles, but they realise the planet only needs so many cheap plastic toys and that driving a large SUV to the gym might not be the best way to keep fit.
Lots of us are quietly doing our bit for a healthier lifestyle, beavering away at home keeping chooks and bees, growing fruit and veges, preserving, baking, repurposing items others have thrown away and generally trying to be kinder to our planet.
But as an island of self-sufficiency in a consumerist world, you can sometimes feel a bit lonely.
And that's where the internet comes in.
Here you can find a community of like-minded people who are keen to learn and teach (also plenty of crackpots, but as in any community, you learn who to avoid).
If you are a keen go-ahead type, the Transition Towns website might be for you.
At www.transitiontowns.org.nz you will find all you care to know about climate change, peak oil (and peak everything else), and how communities can adapt to the changing times.
Transition Town groups are forming around the country, and you can join one or form your own.
But I am not a joiner-upper and I don't really think the end is nigh. I just like to quietly potter around at home, making cheese, spinning wool and trying to make soap.
And for people like me there are plenty of less evangelical sites.
It's easy to pass the time at my current favourite, frugalkiwi.com.
Here you will find instructions on home-made shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste (all largely based on baking soda) as well as advice on keeping bees, cheap recipes, gardening and much more.
It's all written in an entertaining style - and Melanie answers you when you post a comment, too. It's a bit like having a friend around for a chat.
Then there's greenurbanliving.co.nz - full of information and helpful advice on greener ways to manage your house and section or how to keep your chooks laying through winter.
You need to subscribe to this one to get the best out of it, but it's only $35 a year.
At good.net.nz you can find Good magazine, "New Zealand's Guide to Sustainable Living", with lots of articles and blogs on (surprise) sustainability.
Looking overseas, try www.greenlivingtips.com or www.thegreenguide.com for some fresh ideas on healthy living.
Just don't expect them all to be relevant in this country.
I know it's almost summer, and not the time to be staring at a computer screen.
But if you have a question - or a great success - it's nice to know there are like-minded people out there who will be interested.