We all already have many things in our lives and yet we keep wanting more, getting more, buying more.
I am talking to myself as much as I’m talking to you today. My areas of challenge are stationery and handbags. Thank goodness I do use my stationery and also Kendra considers my stash a “shop” from which to get gifts for her friends. Also, Yaga has been very useful for me to sell my handbags when I feel a hankering for something else.
Recently Emma Edwards (yes, the Broke Generation) said either on her podcast or in a reel that we’re in a society where you can’t even wear something without people asking, “link?” When did we become so consumption-focussed that we can’t just appreciate what someone is saying without wanting to buy the clothes she is wearing too.
For the record, I don’t mind when the very occasional person asks where I bought a particular thing, if I can remember. That’s not the point of this post.
The point is that all of us should complete the cycle we already started before consuming something else, as far as possible.
Here are 5 places to start:
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Books
Bookstagram has many cute memes about people buying and buying and buying books and never reading them. These are sometimes funny but to me it all feels like waste. Think about how many books you read a year or a month. If you have shelves and shelves of books, and you keep buying more, you’re not getting through your old books at all.
I just counted – I have 15 fiction and 5 non-fiction on my Kindle shelf, and about 10 books on my physical shelves. That amounts to three months of reading for me. I read from my physical and Kindle shelves every month, in addition to borrowing books from Libby and Everand. Also if the books keep coming too fast, I pause my Everand subscription like I did in June this year for 3 months.
Action: put a pause on buying for a season, or challenge yourself to read two books you own every month.
2. Food
My one aunt used to go to the shops and buy the same list of things every week regardless of whether they actually used up those items. Many of us do the same. I even had to write on our shopping list – NO MORE BREAD – for two weeks because our freezer was full of loaves.
We use up things in the freezer every 5 – 6 weeks and it does two things very well – we finishe all the forgotten food in the freezer and I get creative with what’s left. Some nights the kids will eat something and we’ll eat something else to use up “two portions of this” and “two portions of that”.
Action: stop buying pantry items like rice, pasta or cans and freezer items until you use them all up.
3. Clothes
I used to be really bad at this before I kept a list. There are things that I think each of us always thinks we need but we don’t. It could be smaller items like socks (for me!) or something like jeans or black t-shirts.
I now keep a note in my phone of actual items I need and when I’m in store and think “I’m sure I need more underwear”, I check my notes app and 99% of the time, that is not on my list. It helps that I’m strict with one in, one out, so I know that if I buy the two black t-shirts and I get home and have enough, I’ll have to get rid of two other t-shirts đ
Action: start a list in your phone “clothes I need to buy” and add to the list as you declutter your wardrobe. Be specific because it helps, like 3 pairs of cushioned sports socks, or 2 pairs of secret socks, so that you’re not confused in the store.
4. Digital downloads
Everyone puts out really cool things (I do too!) but if you’re not going to use it, don’t download it. Or download only what you need. I’ve spoken many times on Instagram about Audrey at Oh so lovely blog. Audrey puts out about 80 (80!) versions of a monthly calendar every year. While it’s tempting to download many versions, I know what I like for colour and style, and what I need – one for each of my work desks (home and office), one for my wardrobe and one for the kitchen, and so I download just the 4 – 5 (sometimes a spare if a child wants to get organised too) every year. Thanks Audrey.
The trick is to use what you download, and don’t just waste space on your digital devices.
Action: look through your downloads folder, keep what you use and delete the rest. It will free up your mind and your storage.
5. Anything else you already own but don’t use
You and I both have notebooks, bowls, candles, body lotions, soaps, etc. that we are not using. Why not?
This year I’ve had a beauty/ body/ bath project, Use up 24 in 2024, and I’ve used up 50 things already. It feels great. Just this morning I took out a new hand lotion for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and noticed I no longer have a stash of body and hand creams – yay. That cupboard was full of spare everything at the beginning of 2024 and now there is very little. I can’t wait to get back to how I used to live pre-pandemic with one item in use and sometimes one spare, but not more than that one in storage, except if I managed to get a 3 for 2 on my sulphate-free shampoo đ
Action: use your stuff, whether lovely body oils, lotions, lipsticks, etc. and also light the candles and use your nice bowls. If things don’t suit you, donate them or repurpose accordingly (e.g. shampoo can be used as handwash or in your toilet crock). Either way, challenge yourself to not buy more of something without finishing (or mostly finishing) a category of items.
