Reading an article on clutter-elimination when I came across a really good point: “saving” things can be totally wasteful. Sometimes we go out and buy more before we’ve finished the last bit… but why?
Seriously…. Why do we have things if we don’t intend to use them? Your inherited china aside (I can hear you objecting way over here in cyberspace). When you commit to only bringing home the items that you love and want to use til they’re gone, you eliminate waste (cinch it!!) and clutter at the same time. You won’t have gobs of saved or salvaged “this” or “that” piling up, just your one bottle of “this,” or your short stack of “thats” which you use on a daily basis.
I’m not talking about being frugal to the point of cutting open your toothpaste to scrape; but instead I’m challenging you to refrain from hanging on to old perfumes (they do go bad by the way; and really how many special occasions do you have in your life?? Hint; just get a new sample at Sephora if you must) or your favorite stationary (as mentioned in the article) just because you don’t want to use it up.
Or if, like me, you have the worst case of “gotta-have-it” and are constantly purchasing new items before you run out of the old ones… You’re wasting more than products, you’re wasting…
Okay now this is actually something I have struggled so hard with for… ever. Truly not because I wanted to conserve, but because I am HORRIBLY impulsive and would always want something new. So for the last year and a half I’ve been working to reduce my waste (and my credit card bill) by waiting until I really have used something up (all of it!!) before buying anything else. Again, not talking about toothpaste… or toilet paper… be reasonable!
I’d encourage you to do the same if not for anything other than feeling like you accomplished/completed something.
Give it a try and let me know how it works for you.
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