Three Things I Learned to Stop Buying
What Three Things Can You Do without?
There are a lot of good things about minimalism. One of them is being minimalistic in what we buy. Controlling our purchasing brings many benefits. Not to our pocket book or bank account. It brings us peace of mind and keeps our personal space form getting too crowded and distracting. These three habits have helped me to control spending.
Owning DVD’s
You could also put in this section cd’s as well. Since streaming has become so prevalent there is little need anymore to own a movie or album. Since film and music is streamed right into our homes, there is little need to bother with ownership of dvd’s or cd’s now.
Also, most of the modern films and music is available through your local library. We all pay taxes for the privilege, so why not take advantage of this service our government provides.
Your enjoyment fades after a while, and so the kick you would get fades too. Any given film has a shelf life or limit to how often viewed before it is stale.
Things When on Sale
Let me qualify that phrase. I mean buying extra of a product when it is on sale. Buying salad dressing when it is on sale. Extra toilet paper on sale. Extra oranges on sale. Or extra kumquats on sale. Buying extra of a product when it is on sale is a not go for me now. What I have found is it leads to overconsumption. I would end up buying several bottles of salad dressing. The dressing would get used but I would have several bottles in my fridge for too long.
Or in some cases I would buy let’s say two bags of rice, or some kind of pasta. I would use one and put one away somewhere — in a cupboard. The first bag or package would get used but I would forget I had the second package and buy more when I saw it on sale again. And this series would repeat several times. I end up wasting money because the older product would go bad, or would no longer fresh.
So now when I goto the grocer I focus on what I need at that time. I make a list and stick to it.
Shopping When I am Bored
Recipe for blowing your budget on items you can do without. During the pandemic especially we all had an excess of spar time on our hands. It is hard for me to admit. Many timesI got my dopamine fix from Facebook or Tiktok my next step would to go shopping. I would wander to an online shopping site and buy items I already had plenty of. I purchased books I did not need. I would buy personal products I already had enough of. I would buy gift items well before I would need them.
This is a tricky area though. Not every day is challenging. There is not enough excitement to keep anyone occupied, so we do not reach that point of boredom. Being aware that I am bored or over hyped on dopamine is key to avoiding this trap.
The trap of course is needing constant stimulation. Buying new things makes us feel good. The rush we get from a new purchase is hard to pass up. We all like to feel good.
I work to control this by limiting my social media intake now. Also, learning to appreciate the simpler things helps too.
Thank you for reading
