Friday 10 May 2013

Decluttering and buying less



I've been working hard on decluttering my house recently, because we need to move to another city in time for me to start a new job at the beginning of August. The photo above shows the latest bag of clothes destined for a local charity shop.

I am also trying really hard to buy less stuff. We can't afford to keep wasting money on things we don't really need.

It's fun to find bargains. But I also think that thriftiness involves buying less stuff. So every time I spot something I fancy buying, I ask myself the following questions:


  1. do I really want this item?
  2. will I still want the item by this time next week?
  3. do I actually need this item?
  4. is there room for it in my life and home?
  5. do I already have something that will serve a similar purpose?
  6. can I justify the purchase to my husband?
  7. can we actually afford it?
  8. what else will I have to not buy so that I can pay for this?
  9. is there any chance that I will want to get rid of the item 6 months after I've bought it?

Here are three examples of how these questions work in practice:

Example 1: I've been coveting Pandora and Troll bracelets. They look so pretty on other people's wrists. But they are also expensive, even if you take time to shop around and get the best deal. So questions 7 and 8 are the really significant ones in this case. Question 5 also comes into play - I already have bracelets that are pretty and don't get worn very often.

Example 2: I spotted an Ercol Windsor sideboard in a charity shop recently for a bargain price. It was gorgeous, just my kind of thing. But I had to admit that we didn't actually need a sideboard, and there isn't room for one in our current house. Also, there was no way I would have been able to justify the purchase to my husband, not least because it would be yet another large item to find space for and possibly have to put in storage when we move house. So with a regretful sigh I left the sideboard where it was.

Example 3: When it comes to clothes and handbags I tend to gravitate towards particular styles and end up with too many similar items. But now I am really strict about asking myself questions 1, 2, 3, 5 and 9 from the above list and this has helped to stem the flow of new stuff into the house.

12 comments:

  1. This is genius!! I think I am doing this more now, but on more of a subconscious level. These tips are useful for when you're really tempted by something though! Great post sis!! :) x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks sis! I think it helps that whatever I buy now will have to be transported to my new home soon, so I'm trying to keep new purchases to an absolute minimum. And hopefully I have better, less shopaholic, habits in future.
      :) x

      Delete
  2. Great post! I need to ask myself these questions every time I want new beauty products! x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The key question for when I want new beauty products is 'do I already have something that will serve a similar purpose?' Quite often the answer to this question is yes and so I resist buying the new item. I have a huge backlog of partly-used beauty products to use up before I buy more new ones.

      Delete
  3. I should be doing something like this!! I've recently become unemployed so with only one wage, we need to be better with money!

    http://roomsofreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes we're on one wage too now, cos my husband stopped work to look after our little boy. At first, I carried on spending just the same but a series of scary credit card bills meant I had a major rethink!

      Delete
  4. If I'm not sure, I try to leave the item then if I still think of it after a couple of days and want it - then go back for it! Most of the stuff, you will forget about quickly

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes that's a good tip - I find that works for me too

      Delete
  5. Brilliant post! I think I need to ask myself these questions when considering buying stuff!x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you - let me know how these questions work for you in practice x

      Delete
  6. Really useful post. I've started using Springpad as a way of recording those 'lust' purchases that I really don't need. I usually find that once I can actually afford them, the idea has waned and then I just strike from my list instead of buying!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tend to write things down in my Filofax and/or add them to my Amazon wishlist and then only buy them if I still want them a few weeks/months later.

      Thanks for the tip about Springpad - I'll have a play with that too.

      Delete

I love reading your comments and will reply to as many as I can