Buying less

Last week I posted an article about how doing less is not such a bad thing.  I hope you had the chance to reflect on the article last week.  It was a lot to take in and reflect upon.  Doing less conflicts with what we have been taught since childhood.  Do more.  Get ahead.  Make more money.  More is more.  But these “truths” were truths for the person giving the advice.  But are they a fit for our lives and what we believe?

Let’s look at the first healthy habit that Ms. Wales discusses.  

Buying less:
How many times have you gone to the store to pick up “just a few things” and left spending $100 more than you planned?  Happens to us all the time.  We get to the store and we are lured by the flashy ads and our senses are overloaded by the colors and textures of the products.  We see an item and visualize it in our homes or mentally find the “need” for it.  So in the cart it goes.

When you get home, does it have the same flash as it did in the store?  If so, great!  But oftentimes it does not.   And what is the emotional effect of that purchase?  Guilt?  Shame?  Stress?  Worry? 

You have certainly heard the money saving question “do you want it or need it?”  If you find yourself going down the “need” it path when you know you really don’t need it, ask yourself this; “where will this fit in my home and what will go out to make space for it?”  Make this a habit and you will save yourself money, space and free yourself from clutter one thing at a time!

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