https://www.notneedingnew.com/blog Anna Kilpatrick on second-hand style, living with less and the joy of enough.en-gb https://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/not-every-child-is-an-a-grade-student-why-we-must-not-make-bcd-shamefulhttps://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/not-every-child-is-an-a-grade-student-why-we-must-not-make-bcd-shamefulThu, 16 Oct 2025 08:00:00 +0000If everyone MUST get an A grade, what do grades even mean? A discussion on the stress trap that we are taught to accept from a very early age. https://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/whats-wrong-with-dream-bighttps://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/whats-wrong-with-dream-bigMon, 28 Apr 2025 08:00:00 +0000Before we even get started on this, I want to make it clear that I am not anti-ambition, or progress, or the life-changing power of economic and social change through hard work. I am questioning why we are so obsessed with MORE. https://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/forget-fashionhttps://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/forget-fashionThu, 20 Mar 2025 08:00:00 +0000This sounds like a ridiculous thing to say, coming from someone who cares quite a bit about how she presents to the world, but I have a point to explain, and short titles that make use of alliteration are always a bonus. https://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/not-needing-new-on-podcastshttps://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/not-needing-new-on-podcastsSat, 15 Mar 2025 08:00:00 +0000I thought it would be a good idea to have a place where the podcasts that I have been a guest on, can all sit together and you can click through for a listen! https://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/get-a-doghttps://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/get-a-dogFri, 31 Jan 2025 08:00:00 +0000When the days of baby-head sniffing are over, what fills the void? This post explores that deep-rooted need to nurture that many of us feel and why it so often leads us to get a dog. https://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/christmas-pasthttps://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/christmas-pastTue, 24 Dec 2024 08:00:00 +0000Even as an adult, the magic of Christmas endures. Join me on a journey back to the 1970s to a house in Oxford, with a sock for a stocking, a magical sparking wheel, and the smell of a satsuma in the morning. https://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/gus-recipe-for-dhalhttps://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/gus-recipe-for-dhalSat, 23 Nov 2024 08:00:00 +0000This is my all-time favorite meal! A delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make dhal recipe that's packed with sweet potato, mushrooms, and pak choi. Learn how to make a big batch of this low-cost, vegetarian comfort food. https://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/reclaim-the-shamehttps://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/reclaim-the-shameThu, 07 Nov 2024 08:00:00 +0000From being jeered at for my jumble sale jumper to finding the joy in second-hand things, this poem explores the hypocrisy of shame. It's time to reclaim our stories and reject the notion that "new" is the only thing of value. https://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/comparison-is-the-thief-of-joyhttps://www.notneedingnew.com/blog/comparison-is-the-thief-of-joyFri, 26 Jan 2024 08:00:00 +0000I drove home from a wonderful night with friends feeling like a failure. This post explores the painful trap of comparison, why we fall into it, and how we can learn to appreciate the joy of having enough.