Your Clutter is Costing You Money
Creating a simpler life with less stuff to manage has a few moving parts, but we often only focus on one of them: decluttering. But have you ever thought about how all that clutter got there in the first place? We bought it and welcomed it into our homes!
In our culture, there are very normal patterns and rhythms of months, seasons, and holidays, where we bring things IN to our homes. Unfortunately, we don’t have a similar rhythm to taking things OUT. Our homes become overstuffed, because with each rotation of the planet, birthday presents and Christmas presents come in… Random Target purchases arrive… And just a “few” more things to brighten up the season show up.
It’s the Marketers’ Fault
Not only do all of these purchases clog up your house, you end up with duplicates of items, things you don’t need (or maybe even want), and are spending a lot more money on than you’d like to admit. Learning to live simpler with less can actually save you money!
Even if you aren’t a shop-a-holic, you aren’t immune to the constant marketing you are exposed to. Things are displayed a certain way to make you want to buy them, online ads are targeted to you based on your browsing history, and heck - even social media is marketing to you nonstop! There are influencers and bidding-war groups. There’s so much psychology that goes into marketing to get you to buy more stuff - and I’m here to help you stop the madness.
If the idea of decluttering your overstuffed home is overwhelming, this is the perfect place to start! It’s time to become more aware of the things you are bringing into your home, and learn to determine if you really do need three different scents of dryer sheets.
25 Things You Can Stop Buying
Here is a list of items that I’ve stopped buying unless absolutely required. Use it to find some perspective on all of the unnecessary items we bring into our homes, choose a few that you can live without, and keep it as a reminder that we are being marketed to all. the. time.
Kids’ Stuff
New books. Go to the library for an unlimited number of books you can read again and again.
New clothes. How many outfits have your kids grown out of before they could wear them out - or even put them on?! Thrift and consignment shops are full of great quality kids’ clothes for less. Another way to minimize the kids’ stuffed closets? Implement a capsule wardrobe to save your sanity.
Gifts. Why not give your children experiences, rather than toys? Have a fun party instead of a pile of gifts. Ask guests to not bring presents, but if they are so inclined, they can bring $2 towards something your child is saving up for, or for a charity donation.
The Kitchen
One-purpose gadgets and appliances. Will it really make your life that much easier? I’m looking at you, hard-boiled egg slicer and garlic press!
Drinkware. Another travel mug? Novelty water bottle? Stop. Buying. Mugs.
Food that’s on sale… that you wouldn’t normally buy or don’t have a plan for. I promise, BBQ sauce will go on sale again.
Meal subscription kits. They may seem to make your life easier, but they come with a lot of packaging and waste. Try my Mix and Match Meal Prep for a super low-key approach to meal planning instead.
Cleaning Products
Fabric softener and dryer sheets. If you must “soften” your clothes, try a wool dryer ball with essential oils.
Multiple stain removers.
A different cleaner for every room and surface in the house. Contrary to what the cleaning brands tell you, you don’t actually need a separate product for floors, toilets, counters, the bathtub, walls, etc. And those expensive (and wasteful) cleaning wipes? I’ll pass. For most things, an old rag and an all-purpose cleaner will do.
Around the House
Home decor and seasonal items for different holidays. Try these ideas for welcoming a new season without more things.
Candles. I love a good candle, but if you keep buying new scents and end up with a dedicated candle cupboard, it’s time for a new approach. I love essential oil diffusers because I can change the scent on a whim, and take it from room to room. Plus, those tiny essential oil bottles take up zero space, and can be used to freshen laundry and you can use them in homemade cleaning products as well.
Tons of pens, sticky notes, notebooks, craft supplies. Use what you have! Be honest: a pen-drawer sounds ridiculous once you say it out loud.
Extra linens. Does every bed need a spare set of sheets? The chances of the entire family needing a midnight linen change are pretty slim. One spare on hand is probably all you need.
Magazines. They are fun to flip through at the salon, but tend to sit around the house far too long. Plus, they are filled with ideas of more things to buy!
Souvenirs from trips. They cost too much, collect dust, and generally serve zero purpose (other than to make the resort money).
In the Bathroom
How many backups do you need of hand soaps and hand sanitizer?
Multi-packs of facial masks drive me nuts. So much packaging! You can buy one jar that lasts forever or make your own at home.
Makeup in general. We are creatures of habit, and most of us tend to wear the same shades of lipstick/gloss, eyeshadow, and nail polish over and over again. Variety is fun, but when was the last time you actually USED the purple polish? Can you pare down your collection to what you used this past year? And on that note - bacteria will set up shop quickly in makeup - so toss it if it’s more than a year old.
Lotions and potions and creams for all of the things. Do you need an SPF 30, 40, 50, and 60?
Makeup and lifestyle subscription boxes. These literally are designed to bring stuff into your home that you wouldn’t have purchased on your own. Enough said.
Clothing
Sale items. Just because it’s on sale doesn’t mean you have to buy it. In fact, it will more than likely go unworn and forgotten, because you didn’t need it in the first place.
Amazon deals (and not just clothes). Did you know that a large amount of Amazon returns get destroyed and just thrown away? It’s impossible for them to keep up with the returns, and throwing the items out is cheaper than dealing with it.
Coats. Depending on where you live, you may only need two or three jackets! Can you have just one coat for each season or type of weather?
Purses and backpacks. Like jackets, you can only wear one at a time! If you buy quality bags, they’ll last a long time - and you can even switch out one or two between seasons. But my friend-who-shall-remain-nameless who has two totes of old purses? This is what my nightmares are made of.
Let’s Make This Easy.
Listen. Having shopping as a hobby is a pretty bad idea if you want a simpler, easier life. Trust me - you CAN live without that THING. It’s not a life emergency to buy the newest scent of dryer sheets. But we have been marketed to, and conditioned, and buying has become a habit. And have you noticed? Most purchases don’t live up to the hype.
I don’t expect you to take this list and start cutting everything out of your life. So here are three tips to help you retrain your brain around how you buy things and bring them into your home… so you can stop creating more stuff to manage, clean, and organize. Oof.
Don’t buy things you can’t afford! It’s just not worth it to try and look or “be” something other than who you are.
Do a no-spend month. You can only buy the absolute necessary food (and toilet paper) you need.
Create a waitlist for items you want. So when you come across that amazing throw pillow at Target, rather than put it in your cart, add it to your waitlist. Then give yourself a time limit: 48 hours, one week, a month - whatever. After the time has passed, if you still want the item, buy it! At least you’ll know you will appreciate it.