The Weekender: October 5 – 7

WELCOME to October, folks! Visit your local op shop this weekend in support of ‘Buy Nothing New Month’, meet a local author at Federation Square, or get your computer checked for free at a Technology and Computer Market. Diane Leow has more.

Buy Nothing New Month
October 1 to 31

Shopping is an alluring activity, especially when our wardrobes seem drab and so-last-season. Buy Nothing New Month is an initiative started in Melbourne but it’s quickly growing worldwide. It asks us, as consumers, to stop and think before going out to buy something new we may not need. Perhaps we could find what we’re looking for at a local op shop, borrow it from a friend, or swap with a neighbour. By not buying anything new – besides essentials like food, hygiene and medicines – perhaps we’ll start to think about where our stuff comes from, where it goes when we throw it out, and new ways to reuse our “stuff”. It may end up being good for your wallet and the planet! For some tips on Op-shopping in style, take a look at the video above.

Grab a delicious, flaky gozleme or other traditional Turkish delicacies at the CERES Organic Food and Craft Market this Saturday! Photo: Aaron May via Flickr

CERES Organic Food and Craft Market
Every Saturday, 9am-2pm

The CERES (Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies) Organic Food and Craft Market aims to educate consumers on where their food comes from and encourage visitors to purchase food that’s travelled metres, not miles. Most produce is sourced from the CERES farm itself, or backyard producers in Melbourne.

If organic food is not your cup of tea, pop down to the market anyway to try traditional Turkish food served up by the CERES catering team. The team is run by local Turkish and Kurdish women from the Alevi community and helps provide regular employment opportunities within the enterprise.

You may unearth a treasure of two at the craft market as well. CERES supports local artisans and does not allow the sale of mass-produced and imported goods, so all stallholders will have something unique to offer.

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Fed Square Book Market
Every Saturday, 11am-5pm – Federation Square

While Borders is no longer in operation and your university library may start to fill up with students starting their exam revision, why not head down to the Federation Square Book Market. Over 5,000 new and pre-loved titles are on sale each Saturday, plus you may get to meet some of Melbourne’s most experienced book dealers, authors and illustrators.

Recycle your old computer, or grab a bargain at the Technology and Computer Markets. Photo: Leif K-Brooks via Flickr

Technology and Computer Markets
Saturday, October 6 to Sunday, October 7

Want to get your computer tested (for free!), need a place to dump your old laptop/mobile phone, or want to pick up an electronic bargain? Look no further than Melbourne’s Technology and Computer Markets, where stallholders gather to to hawk anything and everything related to technology – accessories, games, software and more.

The Technology and Computer Markets operate every weekend. This week, markets are open at Bundoora, Braybrook, and Geelong. For more information, do head over to their website here.

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