While looking at a newly organized closet or room can leave you feeling great, keeping things neat can be a true test of willpower. What you choose to buy and bring into your home can undo all your organizational efforts in a hurry. If you're determined to keep your home organized this year and to stop impulse shopping, here are 5 tips to consider.
1. Think Before You Buy While this might seem obvious, impulse shopping gets easier all the time. From the ease of using Paypal to the deals on Amazon to the wonderful boutiques popping up everywhere, it’s easy to find well-designed things. And while that’s not bad, it helps to pause a minute before paying. Do you really need that new vase or your 15th black sweater? If the object of your desire is one-of-a-kind or thrifted, are you just thrilled by the find? Is it cheaply made and likely to need replacement soon? Is it so trendy that you’ll hate it next year? Where will you put it in your home? If it’s a seasonal item, where will you store it when the season is over? By reflecting briefly, you might pass over a purchase that was destined to become household clutter.
2. When you go to big box stores, make a list. Then stick to it. This is a hard one for me — I may shop thoughtfully at other times, but put me in a Target and I start throwing things in the cart I never knew I needed. Making a list will force you to think through what you really need and what you actually have room to store. It’s too easy to load up on great finds at Target and Costco without thinking about where they’ll go and if they're necessary. While these finds are sometimes worth it (and often the joy of shopping at these stores), resist the urge to stockpile cheap trendy shirts and discounted entertaining pieces.
3. Don't Shop to Alleviate Boredom. An afternoon spent antiquing or checking out boutiques with friends is a great way to spend time. But if boredom has you perusing Etsy for hours after work or buying things as a way to pass time, look into starting a new hobby or activity. Even rearranging the things you already own can ease restlessness.
4. Buy Natural Materials Whenever Possible. Eco-friendly objects might be pricier, but you’ll probably think twice before replacing them and enjoy them more while you own them.
5. Beware of Sales. The prospect of a discounted find can lure even the most reluctant shopper. And while sales often allow us to buy things we might not be able to afford (I know more than one person whose Knoll furniture came from the annual Knoll sale at Luminaire), resist the urge to buy twice as much as you would have otherwise or to blow your budget because you couldn’t pass up a deal. This is especially hard when internet shopping, where there's always a sale somewhere.
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What works for me is procrastinating...errr...using a (mental) wishlist. When I see something I want but don't need, I promise myself to get it later. Odds are that I'll forget about it or decide against it later. Bless my faulty memory!
6. Keep receipts and return things.
If I feel the slightest twinge of buyer's remorse after I get home, I go back and return it. No-hassle returns is one of my favorite things about America. Seriously, no other country on earth is as gracious and friendly about returns. Even 6 months later, you can waltz in and at least get store credit.
"Step away from..." mantra, repeated over and over. As in, "Step away from the Kudu horns", repeated over and over just yesterday in Lillian August in Norwalk. They just looked so cool and reminded me of a great trip taken to South Africa.
I *try* to stick to these "rules", too:
1. One in, one out. For every new thing that comes in, one old thing needs to go out (this works well with kids' toys).
2. For each new item purchased, also acquire its "home", i.e. for a new article of clothing, buy its hanger; for a new bunch of crafting supplies, find a designated box or basket at the same time; for new sporting equipment, get the rack or hook or cabinet or bag that fits perfectly with it.
Easier said than done...
Sometimes just 'owning' something for a little while in the store is enough. Those wonderful sequin jeans - try them on, love them, and carry around for a bit, trying to decide where in the world I would ever find them appropriate. Put them back on the rack and move on. This works for those thrift store steals, too. That few minutes in the cart is enough.
Yes, and returns. Sometimes I do take things back. If asked why, my answer in something like 'What was I thinking!?'
There are always things I 'need' usually dress clothes because my work is casual. It's easy for me to find nice pieces I 'like' but now I use the rule that I have to 'love' it. Even if things are on sale I would rather buy a few pieces I love and will wear a lot then have a bunch of stuff from the $10 wrack I will thrift in a year.
"Don't Shop to Alleviate Boredom."
Oh, that's a big one for me - patrolling eBay in search of Lord-Knows-What....
...but oftentimes, it's just as interesting to put a coveted item in my "Watch List" - I'll later look back at the closed auction and think to myself "Oh, I'm glad I didn't get caught up in the bidding - Look how much it went for!"
Things my mother taught me:
* Only buy it if you love it
* If you think you love it, leave it and continue shopping. You might find something you love even more....and if you don't, then you've had time to think about the original item. Do you still love it? Is it worth the money?
Also, I always seem to 'own' things while in the store and end up putting them back. I've had a £20 gift voucher for a home store for months now and I can't seem to spend it. I want to make sure I get something really great (or something that's actually needed). The sales people must think I'm crazy because I keep coming in, carrying throw pillows around, then putting them back and leaving without buying anything.
I once took a shopping hiatus for a year. I didn't spend money on anything but food, utilities and rent. It was not, by any means, a year where I felt deprived. Instead, I learned how little I needed to be completely happy and live well. It really taught me a lot about thinking before purchasing, and I'm much less likely to be seduced by sales or impulse buys now.
Great tips.... I like to shop for other people too... sometimes the hunt for a particular item that someone else would like is part of the fun!
im a somewhat reformed impulse buyer. i was never terrible, but i still have a basket of purses i dont use, makeup i dont like, etc.
my best remedy has been putting it down, and if i still want it a day or a week later, then ill go buy it.
past that, i make myself think if something is different enough from what i already own to make its purchase worthy.
Another thing that can help - not just the clutter but also your finances - is to make a budget and stick to it. If you've only got a certain amount to spend each year on certain things - like electronics, clothes or home accesories - you will think more about the things you want to buy and shop less on impulse.
• When I began working at the age of 15 I had the freedom to spend my money on frivolous items, but my folks taught me this: when deciding if the item is really worth the purchase, calculate how many hours of work it costs you. Even moderately priced items may not seem so bad, but when broken down into half a day's work, you might rethink the purchase!
• For every item brought into your home, take one out. Naturally, this does not work if you are building a collection of something, but it helps keep you on track when replacing worn out clothes, shoes, wooden spoons. Even if you are not replacing an exact item there is certainly something you haven't used or looked at in at least a year that could be donated.
I've been a terrible impulse/boredom buyer over the years, and have been trying to curb that in the last 6 months or so. I now go with the "must love it" policy, too, particularly with clothes. And as far as home decor goes, our house is pretty much full. There's really not room for one more piece of furniture or one more piece of wall art without things becoming cluttered, physically or visually. If I cannot tell myself exactly where the item I'm considering is going to go, I pass on it. This policy has saved me a ton of money already, because the urge is still there. :o)
As a lifelong antiquer / thrifter, I have had to adopt the following mantra: "Just because I love it doesn't mean I have to own it."
After living this for about 10 years, it is now pretty easy to make a distinction between “I love this” and “I must acquire this.”
And amazingly, online "window shopping" (craigslist, ebay, stores...) has been a godsend for me. The process of looking for and finding great things is so satisfying in itself. If I spend a few hours a week doing this, I’m just as happy.
More for saving money (which I'm good at) than reducing clutter (which I'm awful at) - I have 2 accounts at ING Direct, one is my regular savings account, and one is named "Things I Didn't Buy." Whenever I successfully talk myself out of buying something, I transfer the amount it would have cost from the regular account into the "TIDB" account. Over the years, I've gotten a lot of satisfaction from watching that account grow, and from knowing that, if I one day change my mind and decide to buy that Eames lounge chair, the money's there. For the moment, it's a nice emergency fund that I built up without feeling like I was sacrificing.
@themegnapkin- That is BRILLIANT!! I'm going to set up a similar account in ing tonight.
@Trish1980 --
My problem is that after a major afternoon of spending downtown, it's much simpler to wave down a taxi for the ride home with all those shopping bags...
...and nowadays with so many "Spend $XX - Get Free Shipping" promotions - buying more than I intended is easier to justify.
:-(
Once I got better about distinguishing my wants from my needs (which is really about self-control), it became easier to walk away from things that could have easily been impulse purchases. I try to walk away from anything I don't really need, and if I'm still thinking about it when I'm done shopping for the day, I go back for it. If I don't care enough to go back for it, I obviously made a good choice in not buying it.
know thyself!
After many sessions of mindless buying followed inevitably by deep regret, I realized that whenever I would hum a tune while shopping, it was going to cost me mucho mucho dinero. I must have a Musak memory tape somewhere in the back of my brain, and it plays like an endless Moebius ribbon... My humming is a sign that my weird, brainless personality is stepping in and will soon forget how much I don't need what I am about to put in the cart. This stupid creature knows no limits and ignores my budget. This has happened over and over again and I'm always on the lookout for the humming. When I am fortunate enough to catch it in time, I just put everything down and run for the door. However, if you happen to cross my path and I seem to be in the transe, please shake me out of it before I reach the cashier or escort me gently to the door. Thank you very much.
We are a big fan of saving receipts and when one 'thing' comes in, 2 go out! - Jackie www.color-coded.net
My default option is not to buy, but I ask myself "Will I regret not buying this?" It's a way of deciding whether I will even be thinking about the purchase two or three weeks later and wishing I had bought it. Works especially well when traveling and there's no possibility of returning later to buy it.
And I keep all my receipts !!
I have a don't buy junk from China rule that reduces my spending considerably. In reality, not buying anything from China (and other similar countries with lax environmental standards) is impossible so in practice this rule translates into only purchasing items that I love, are made well, and will stand the test of time.
One thing that helped me was to put a little sticky note on my credit card that had my goal written on it. Once I was in line to pay for a pair of pants, pulled out my card, saw the note, and promptly left. It's helped me more than once.
skidou- you just made me laugh out loud!!
I'm glad I hardly ever see things I like or need.
I had a friend who kept his credit cards in water that was kept in the freezer. If he wanted to buy something, then he'd put the ice in the kitchen sink to melt. The amount of time it took the ice to melt so that he could use the credit cards often allowed him to realize he really didn't want to buy the merchandise. Even so, eventually he went bankrupt.
I am a big fan of the amazon wishlist. That way I don't feel like I'm going to forget anything, but when i feel the wish to impulse buy online (my main problem) I add it to my amazon wishlist and wait a few days to look at it again. If I still want it, I wait a few more days and consider carefully. After a few waiting periods, if I still want it, then I will buy it.