So is it an elitist concept for high earners who have no other worries?

This is appetizing and can be prepared quickly. Meatball eyes with a little tomato sauce are also very suitable for a Halloween buffet, but are comparatively harmless. Simply put two half olives on each meatball and garnish with red tomato sauce if you like.

Halloween recipe idea 7: Halloween drinks with a scary factor

To round off the Halloween buffet, the drinks should not be forgotten either. For example, you can serve juices that have been poisonously colored with food coloring in a test tube. Add a few gum worms or spiders to the punch bowl or let them in "ice cold hand" swim in it.

Halloween 2013: Everything about carving pumpkins, costumes and scares

Whether it’s a climate crisis, plastic in the sea or an overflowing wardrobe: There are a number of good reasons to check your own habits. Many therefore discover for themselves the renunciation of consumption. Here’s how to do it.

Germans dispose of more than a million tons of clothing every year. And nearly 13 million tons of food. We drive too much and eat too much meat. Even if many of us don’t want that at all. That is why more and more people are discovering the desire to do without.

They quickly find themselves in a dilemma: You want to do good, but not everyone wants to turn their entire life upside down. So what’s the most sensible way to do it? When is the best time to start? And isn’t that all elitist self-importance by high earners?

At least it can’t be ruled out, says Dr. Edgar Goell. The sociologist, however, limits: Buy little, but high quality – that is not luxury behavior. It is conscious behavior.

In an interview with t-online.de, Göll reveals how to say goodbye to consumption.

Dr. Edgar Göll: The sociologist heads research at the Berlin Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment (IZT) and teaches at the Free University of Berlin. Among other things, he previously taught and researched in Madagascar and Egypt. Today, Göll largely refrains from air travel and no longer flies at all within Europe. Göll says: “Flying has clearly become a no-go for me.” (Source: Edgar Göll)

t-online.de: Flight shame, minimalism or life without plastic – the farewell to consumption has moved a bit more towards the middle from the edge of society. How come

Edgar Göll: Let’s see what kind of society we live in. In our countries, growth and consumption are the goal – albeit often unspoken. Hardly anyone thinks about it: What do I really need? What makes me really happy? This can be seen in the consumer behavior of many people. It’s like a frenzy. You buy something new and after a while you realize: I still need something better, bigger or faster – at least something else. We do not reflect on this behavior. Incidentally, this is also shown by happiness research. Of course, we need a certain amount of consumption. But everything beyond that with which we fill our house or apartment no longer brings any luck – at most for a short time. And that’s it then.

This knowledge seems to be gaining ground. Authors, influencers and start-ups meet the apparently high demand. Ironically, abstaining from consumption has become a business. Anyone interested in the topic can quickly feel overwhelmed. What are your best tips to get started?

Experience and research show: Small steps that are really feasible are the best way to make progress – similar to dieting or a resolution for the new year. These steps are self-reinforcing. If you set yourself a realistic goal that doesn’t hurt so much, you’re not really missing anything. For example, you can forego long-distance travel, but continue to travel in a different way. Or you find out how well you are doing more exercise or a different diet. There are many options – but they can also be overwhelming. But it is important to take this first step at all – preferably one that brings noticeable success.

Order something quickly: sales from online shopping will rise to almost 60 billion euros in 2019 – in Germany alone. That is more than 700 euros per person. (Source: Christin Klose / dpa)

And when do I take this first step? Tomorrow or today?

For best today. But try to feel: What is really important to me? What can I do without and what not?

So do I take the first step in my own head?

Exactly, because your own attitude towards yourself is very important: What do I really need, what makes me happy? And then giving up is often no longer a major effort. By the way: Due to our high consumption, we are already doing without many things. For example, for leisure, for time to relax. We have to learn to stop again.

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So we’ve been doing without the whole time – just not very smart and sensible. They also say that giving up doesn’t have to hurt. That is surprising at first. Because I’m missing something that I want.

To hurt is probably too martial. But there is a certain irritation with changes. You overcome your habits and routines. To steer this familiarization process, which then runs in one and which has been developed over years, in a different direction – that is difficult. It is work on yourself, a step in development. That is what is often so difficult. Because many of us have forgotten to act independently as individuals. Under certain circumstances, therapy can also be helpful.

Of course, not everyone will go into therapy to live without plastic or to leave the car behind. Would incentives also help to reconsider or change certain behaviors?

That is a very important point. You can try to change your behavior in certain areas yourself. And many of us do that too. But if you really want to change certain behaviors in a stable manner, it is almost essential that you get support – from family, friends, neighbors or, in extreme cases, from a therapist. Some people are surely overwhelmed quickly alone.

Christmas decorations at the Berlin luxury department store KaDeWe: On average, every German spends 475 euros on gifts. (Source: Jens Kalaene / dpa)

This is now the closer environment. How does it look on the whole?

We live in a society in which there are extremely many incentives to consume, to let yourself go and do what others do. To set yourself apart from that, you also need incentives. These can be price incentives, for example. Politics could make certain modes of transport cheaper. Or it can support organic farmers more.

Transportation is a good example. Especially after shorter domestic flights, one hears again and again: If the train were cheaper, I wouldn’t fly. As a scientist, do you believe such sentences?

We even know that there is something to it. Because British researchers have looked at: When and how do people change their behavior? It turned out that if certain environmental conditions are right, it becomes easier to change behavior. It doesn’t necessarily have to be big funding. It is enough to support the change on a small scale. It starts with shopping or at the school kiosk: where the fruit is and where the sweets – that alone makes a difference in consumer behavior. This is how I change without having to think about it much. And ecological, sustainable behavior is made easier for me. But that happens in far too few areas.

You have already mentioned New Year’s resolutions for which the timing is of course clear. But in general: When is a suitable time to start? For example, are there situations in life that are particularly suitable?

Lent, for example, which for many means to stop consuming for a while, is a collective activity in some religions. It doesn’t make you feel alone. That makes fasting easier. So there are times that make behavior change easier. In addition, there are situations in every life in which changes are pending anyway. Moves, for example. Such a phase also facilitates changes in other areas. You are then challenged again anyway, and you may question yourself and your habits. Starting a family is also such a – very far-reaching – change. It changes the relationship to the world for many people and makes it easier to resolve to do certain things differently. Many then stop smoking, while others change their diet. Or you can buy a dog for the family. And you are already forced to go for a walk. So there is the possibility to use circumstances or changes to develop yourself.

This initial compulsion to go for a walk gradually becomes something that is taken for granted. After what period of time do I no longer have to think about my consumption or renunciation, but it has become part of my flesh and blood?

The simple answer is: it varies a lot from person to person. It is also important not to set too big a goal overnight. If you want to forego meat, for example, you can take a different approach. For example, instead of eating pork on a regular basis, you might occasionally eat some chicken. In a sense, you can build a bridge into the future and in the meantime see how you are doing. Often you will notice that certain new behaviors are also good. And that makes the change easier.

Queuing for the new iPhone: those who limit their consumption can experience addiction symptoms. (Source: STPP)

But it’s not always good at the beginning. One of your colleagues says: If you tried doing without, you could experience addiction symptoms. Because our consumption is largely a reward. If it does not happen, we feel bad. How do I handle this?

Here, too, it depends on the individual and his environment. But here it gets more complicated. Because here the question arises as to what reasons this addictive behavior had. Often it is unsatisfied needs that one tries to satisfy via a detour – cigarettes, alcohol, sweets or other things. So a substitute satisfaction. Whoever wants to overcome this has to realize: What situation am I in? When do I reach for these things that I actually don’t want? This is the beginning of a real change. Some of these things may not necessarily be turned off completely. Nevertheless, a weakness is not at all objectionable. So if you want to forego meat and then eat a bratwurst, you shouldn’t blame yourself.

Refraining from consumption often means: I no longer buy the cheapest product, maybe even avoid certain shops or chains. So doing without it can be quite expensive. So is it an elitist concept for high earners who have no other worries?

It can be. You can see who is commenting on this topic: These are people from the middle class and with a certain education. People who can afford this lifestyle. But you can also observe something else. Occasionally, people with less money can be seen buying things they don’t really need. And so cheap that these things end up in the basement after a short time. Or on the garbage. Generally this is "Cheap is also possible"- Attitude probably fatal – also in financial terms. Because we clearly know that in many cases – washing machines and other appliances – the cheap is not the better. The service life is usually much shorter here. I would therefore say: Buying less and high quality is not a luxury behavior, it is conscious behavior.