Is Shopping Your Weakness?

Last week I spoke to a group about decluttering and downsizing. Among other things, we talked about over-shopping. Ironically, the seminar was held in a mall and I had to walk through a high-end store to get to the classroom.

I’m sorry I didn’t take pictures of the huge posters hung throughout the store to promote their back-to-school sale. The slogans all referred to the fact that your life wouldn’t be complete without the items on sale.

Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like. – Will Rogers

Whether or not you are able to spend money on stuff, you choose the amount that is enough for you. You don’t have to buy things just to have stuff or to show others how well you’re doing.

Actually, if you don’t shop, you’ll do just fine.

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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Is Shopping Your Weakness?

Last week I spoke to a group about decluttering and downsizing. Among other things, we talked about over-shopping. Ironically, the seminar was held in a mall and I had to walk through a high-end store to get to the classroom.

I’m sorry I didn’t take pictures of the huge posters hung throughout the store to promote their back-to-school sale. The slogans all referred to the fact that your life wouldn’t be complete without the items on sale.

Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like. – Will Rogers

Whether or not you are able to spend money on stuff, you choose the amount that is enough for you. You don’t have to buy things just to have stuff or to show others how well you’re doing.

Actually, if you don’t shop, you’ll do just fine.

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter, facebook and pinterest

And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

Stop Wasting Money

Photo by winnond

Disorganization costs you money -

·  every time you overbuy and throw away food that goes bad

·  every timeyou buy duplicates of things you already have

·  every timeyou buy things you never use

Do you have multiple bottles of the same books or spices or craft supplies or office tools or files?

Do you own clothes that you haven’t worn that still have price tags hanging on them?

 

Is it hard to find what you’re looking for because you have to sift through clutter first?

Being organized just means having habits and systems in place so that you can find things and put them back quickly and easily. You don’t need expensive containers or elaborate methods; you just need to make some decisions about your stuff.

Before you buy anything, take a look around and see if you already own something that could fill the purpose. And when you do go shopping, take a list with you and stick to it. Keep your hard-earned cash, let go of the clutter.

Are you throwing money down the drain?

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter, facebook and pinterest

And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

Stop Wasting Money

Photo by winnond

Disorganization costs you money -

·  every time you overbuy and throw away food that goes bad

·  every time you buy duplicates of things you already have

·  every time you buy things you never use

Do you have multiple bottles of the same books or spices or craft supplies or office tools or files?

Do you own clothes that you haven’t worn that still have price tags hanging on them?

 

Is it hard to find what you’re looking for because you have to sift through clutter first?

Being organized just means having habits and systems in place so that you can find things and put them back quickly and easily. You don’t need expensive containers or elaborate methods; you just need to make some decisions about your stuff.

Before you buy anything, take a look around and see if you already own something that could fill the purpose. And when you do go shopping, take a list with you and stick to it. Keep your hard-earned cash, let go of the clutter.

Are you throwing money down the drain?

Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter, facebook and pinterest

And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

Don’t Bank on Resolutions





Photo by franky242

It’s almost New Year’s Eve, when scores of people make promises they have no intention of keeping.

Well, maybe they intend to keep them, but they don’t know how.

If you’re resolved to be more organized in 2015, there are some things to do now so you'll be successful:

·       Figure out what “organized” means to you

·       Decide how much time and energy you will devote to the task

·       Get acceptance from anyone who shares the space

·       Start small

This time of year you’ll notice advertisements for all kinds of bins, boxes and gadgets to entice you. Before you buy anything, purge what you don’t need, measure the space you have available for storage and measure the stuff you want to store.

 

Spending money on storage items that just end up creating more clutter is a waste of your time and your money. You can bank on that.  



Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter , facebook and pinterest

And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!





Don’t Bank on Resolutions





Photo by franky242

It’s almost New Year’s Eve, when scores of people make promises they have no intention of keeping.

Well, maybe they intend to keep them, but they don’t know how.

If you’re resolved to be more organized in 2015, there are some things to do now so you'll be successful:

·       Figure out what “organized” means to you

·       Decide how much time and energy you will devote to the task

·       Get acceptance from anyone who shares the space

·       Start small

This time of year you’ll notice advertisements for all kinds of bins, boxes and gadgets to entice you. Before you buy anything, purge what you don’t need, measure the space you have available for storage and measure the stuff you want to store.

 

Spending money on storage items that just end up creating more clutter is a waste of your time and your money. You can bank on that.  



Organized by Marcie^TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter , facebook and pinterest

And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!





Shopping Tips

Photo by adamr

No, I am not caving to retail pressure. I still contend that experiences and consumable gifts are best.

I do know, however, that a lot of you are going to be shopping next week, hoping to find great bargains.

Consumer Reports provides some tips to help you navigate the Thanksgiving shopping madness. (This is an article from 2013, so disregard the dates and listed “bargains.”)

Here are my favorite suggestions:

·       Not all Black Friday advertised items are great deals.

·       A low price on a lousy product is no bargain.

·       Before buying, find out the store’s return policy.

·       Make returns easier for recipients by including a gift receipt with gifts.

While you’re making your shopping lists, consider how you want to begin the season: fighting crowds for stuff or relaxing with a cup of coffee and a slice of pie?

Organized by Marcie TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter , facebook and pinterest
And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

Shopping Tips

Photo by adamr

No, I am not caving to retail pressure. I still contend that experiences and consumable gifts are best.

I do know, however, that a lot of you are going to be shopping next week, hoping to find great bargains.

Consumer Reports provides some tips to help you navigate the Thanksgiving shopping madness. (This is an article from 2013, so disregard the dates and listed “bargains.”)

Here are my favorite suggestions:

·       Not all Black Friday advertised items are great deals.

·       A low price on a lousy product is no bargain.

·       Before buying, find out the store’s return policy.

·       Make returns easier for recipients by including a gift receipt with gifts.

While you’re making your shopping lists, consider how you want to begin the season: fighting crowds for stuff or relaxing with a cup of coffee and a slice of pie?

Organized by Marcie TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter , facebook and pinterest
And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

Calendar Jumping



Photo by Feelart

I was at the grocery store today and heard Christmas music overhead. I shouldn’t be surprised; after all, Halloween is already three days behind us. Every year “Christmas Creep” seems to get earlier and earlier. Before you know it, we’ll be celebrating back-to-school sales with Santa.

What do you think? Should retailers hold back on the holiday madness until it’s closer to the actual holiday? Or do you enjoy hearing carols and seeing decorations for two months?

Organized by Marcie TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
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And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

Calendar Jumping



Photo by Feelart

I was at the grocery store today and heard Christmas music overhead. I shouldn’t be surprised; after all, Halloween is already three days behind us. Every year “Christmas Creep” seems to get earlier and earlier. Before you know it, we’ll be celebrating back-to-school sales with Santa.

What do you think? Should retailers hold back on the holiday madness until it’s closer to the actual holiday? Or do you enjoy hearing carols and seeing decorations for two months?

Organized by Marcie TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter , facebook and pinterest

And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

Meditations on stuff

Photo by foto76

I’m reading Stuff, by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee, a book about hoarding.

People have different feelings about their belongings. Those who hoard usually have difficulty with decision making and may feel compelled to keep things that the rest of us could easily let go.

Not everyone who has clutter, however, is a hoarder. In fact, just about everyone has some clutter in their lives.

Two articles I recently read, both of which are marginally about clutter and really have more to do with finances, also made me think about how people relate to their stuff.

In the Get Rich Slowly post In Defense of Clutter, the author says of minimalism

"We can all agree that our belongings or the desire for more of them shouldn’t control us. But neither should we hold ourselves to an ideal that might not be practical or sustainable for us personally.”

There seems to be a backlash against the simple-living philosophy by people who say the lifestyle isn’t warm or welcoming or congenial. Those people would never be able to live without the things they feel define them.

In the New York Times article, The Case for Spending a Little More Sometimes, the author encourages readers to live with less by buying fewer, better things. He says this

“Here is the issue: when we settle for stuff that we don’t really want, and instead buy [cheap] stuff that will be fine for a [short] while, it often costs more in the long run.”

 

What about you? Do you prefer to live in a minimal environment or do you like to be surrounded by stuff?

 

Organized by Marcie TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter , facebook and pinterest

And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!

Meditations on stuff

Photo by foto76

I’m reading Stuff, by Randy Frost and Gail Steketee, a book about hoarding.

People have different feelings about their belongings. Those who hoard usually have difficulty with decision making and may feel compelled to keep things that the rest of us could easily let go.

Not everyone who has clutter, however, is a hoarder. In fact, just about everyone has some clutter in their lives.

Two articles I recently read, both of which are marginally about clutter and really have more to do with finances, also made me think about how people relate to their stuff.

In the Get Rich Slowly post In Defense of Clutter, the author says of minimalism

"We can all agree that our belongings or the desire for more of them shouldn’t control us. But neither should we hold ourselves to an ideal that might not be practical or sustainable for us personally.”

There seems to be a backlash against the simple-living philosophy by people who say the lifestyle isn’t warm or welcoming or congenial. Those people would never be able to live without the things they feel define them.

In the New York Times article, The Case for Spending a Little More Sometimes, the author encourages readers to live with less by buying fewer, better things. He says this

“Here is the issue: when we settle for stuff that we don’t really want, and instead buy [cheap] stuff that will be fine for a [short] while, it often costs more in the long run.”

 

What about you? Do you prefer to live in a minimal environment or do you like to be surrounded by stuff?

 

Organized by Marcie TM: Save time and money by letting go of what you don't need and finding room for what you value
Follow me on twitter , facebook and pinterest

And if you like what you've read, share it using the links below!