I am still steadily using my sh$t. For those of you who are new to this blog basically I decided in May/June to use up all of the product that I had in my home before buying anything new. I have a mild product addiction and what little storage space I had was becoming overrun with product. If it was in cute packaging, offered anti-wrinkle, skin softening, or just made me smell good you would soon find that product in my hot little hand! So, I began posting the product that I used up at the end of each month. Honestly, It’s a little embarrassing. In fact, it’s really embarrassing because not only have I been wasting money, I’ve also been wasting space in my home and time used to purchase these items. My product hoard and it’s honest to call it a hoard- is symptomatic of a bigger problem in the U.S. we seem to have a hoarder mentality when it comes to the procuring of food, product, and clothes. We shop till we drop, we use coupons to create enormous stockpiles-just in case.
Instead of hoarding we call it “stockpiling” we are planning for the future but forget about now. There is nothing wrong with having a nice stockpile of toilet paper, food, toothpaste, and soap to help you out when the wolf is at the door. In fact, I believe in having a well stocked pantry and well stocked closet full of hygiene products and toilet paper at all times. The question becomes when is enough enough? When are we just being greedy? As I wrap up 2013 I look back and realized that I’ve spent most of the year working on my emotions surrounding spending, lack, wants, and needs and how those emotions affect my spending.
The other thing that using my sh$t does is it frees my home of unnecessary clutter! I have been actively trying to downsize and simplify my life. I live in a 495 square foot condo. It is perfect for my needs and once I get married I intend to rent it out. The thing is, when you live in a space that small every item counts. Whatever I have in my home should add to the home, to my life, and not weigh it down. Recently I discovered that I had a number of notebooks, typically college ruled. I use the notebooks to write down thoughts, budgets, write blogpost ideas. The problem was that I ended up having 5 (or more notebooks). My thoughts were scattered all over the place. So, I bought a lovely (and cheap!) leather notebook (pictured) with hundreds of pages and I am transferring all of my scattered thoughts into one place. I want my thoughts to be a place of value. As I go through my possessions with a fine toothed comb it’s fascinating to find out how important the little things are to not only your financial well-being but your mental well-being. I don’t want to speculate on what I’ve could have done with the money that I wasted on duplicate notebooks, 10 bottles of nail polish, 6 different types of shampoo and conditioner…the list goes on.
I am now at the point where I have worked through a ton of my stuff. The strangest thing has happened though, I’ve discovered that as much as I’ve tried to get rid of the product even more has come in! I traveled quite a bit this year and ended up with a ton of travel sized product. So, now I’ve begun working through all of those items. You won’t believe how much I have. This illustrates a very powerful point about “The Universe.” As you make space for stuff, people, etc. Things will come into your life. I’ve met more people this year, ended up with more free swag, found more money, and earned more money this year than any other year of my life. It sounds so hokey but I don’t think it’s a coincidence.
So, I leave you with this thought. Use your stuff, don’t be afraid of scarcity-you will have more than enough. The more you let go the more things will come to you. There is always more than enough. (Yes, Michelle is having a hippy moment)
Do you stockpile? What’s the item that you MUST have a ton of in the home? Toilet Paper? Soap? Body Products? Have you ever worked through what’s in your home and stopped purchasing new stuff? What do you think about my metaphysical moment? Do you think the Universe sends you what you need?
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I stockpile waaaay too much junk! I went from living in a 600 square foot apartment to a 3 bedroom townhouse and there is stuff EVERYWHERE! And it’s all totally unnecessary crap! I vow to spend the rest of the year getting rid of everything! Thanks for this post! (Oh, and I love notebooks too. I actually left my notebook from FINCON on the airplane! I was heartbroken because it was never turned into the lost & found)
That is a huge change in home size. I think a bigger place is in my future (once I’m married!) but, I am hoping that I will have an affective system for keeping things neat and orderly. I would love a closet for my home and personal products. I could rotate everything so that I can use it affectively and see everything that I have. I would also like a pantry!! I must have a pantry. I would like to have a gorgeous and well organized pantry. I was really annoyed with myself with the notebooks. I love the new leather one and look forward to getting rid of the excess. Sorry that you lost your FinCon notebook 🙁 maybe you could access the e-conference?
I don’t stock pile, but I waste a lot of food because I end up not cooking and they go bad. I need to be better at taking inventory of perishable food and plan it and execute the plan better. Most of the junk in my house is there due to their nostalgic value not for future use.
I have a steamer trunk with a lot nostalgic clutter. I plan on tackling that over winter break. Now I’m about to start using up all of the travel sized items that I’ve picked up. It’s unbelievable! I am finding that being mindful about what I spend my money on is helping me to be mindful of other parts of my life.
Hmm.. I really need contact lens solution. Once I use or start the last bottle, I go out and buy another 2 bottles to have in stock.
Without my contact lenses, I am screwed.
I thinking having 2 bottles of solution totally makes sense! But, I had tons of everything and I was compulsively picking additional product: anything in a cute bottle, anything new, you get the picture. Total waste of money.
I usually just stock up on hand soap (from B&BW) and toilet paper. I also have a stockpile of makeup, but that’s because of old spending habits…oops! Outside of that stuff, I typically just buy when I run out.
I really like to stock up on: toilet paper, toothpaste, dental floss, and soap. All the other other stuff is craziness. I just get way too excited about product.
We live in a condo that doesn’t have much storage space so we don’t stockpile anything really. I do however have a huge “collection” of beauty/makeup products (past shopping addiction) that like you – I am trying to use all up! It always feels good to use up my products but I still shudder when I think of all the money I spent on “stuff” 🙁
As I get further into this project I find it more and more embarrassing to post the pictures. I can’t believe how much stuff I had. After this I will be approaching buying product, and my food/hygiene product stockpiles in a different way. I haven’t even mentioned the 9 bottles of fingernail polish that I’m trying to figure out what to do with…
Like GMD, I have more makeup than I know what to do with from my days of spending. I wanted to try all the new products that seemed promising. Unfortunately I was never satisfied and always on the hunt for something better. Shampoo/conditioner, moisturizer, facial cleansers, etc. I made a vow to use it all up before trying anything else now. It really is a bit ridiculous how much clutter it can cause.
The thing is for a well-groomed person who enjoys smelling good and looking good-you need product. I am shocked by how much lighter things feel in the house as I get rid of all the sh$t!
New reader here.
This is something that we’re working through too and wishing you as much happiness as we’re getting by doing this. We’ve got a long way to go.
We started this about two years ago and it was difficult to stop the buying. We bought no shampoo at all for the first year. The hardest part was psychological – we were tempted so many times. And then something happened that made me realize how powerful the change is.
My teenage daughter was visiting her aunt who was about to throw away TONS of barely or never used hair products. Our own change helped my daughter see this differently than she would have before. So she brought two full boxes home instead.
These were expensive brands that we would normally not get. We feel so decadent.
So yeah this prob makes us all hippy too. But it’s funny how the free stash showed up about the time that ours was running out.
Definitely a win for everyone cuz the aunt downsized, my daughter loves the brand names while I’ve saved so much money.
But even more gratifying is that I think my daughter learned something that will help her forever.
Now if only the aunt could make the leap and not accumulate another wasted stash 🙂
Welcome!! Thanks for stopping by. The further into this project I get the more I’m amazed at how much time, energy, space, etc. I was using accumulating stuff, not appreciating it as much as I should, and the lack of mindfulness I had with everything. Quite honestly, I didn’t need the Great Recession as a wake up call, I had had a number of other things happen in my life that should have alerted me to how much I was wasting. However, it WAS the Great Recession and my inability to make changes in my life because of my debt, etc. that lit a fire under my butt. I had to start making changes somewhere and starting in your own home is a great first step. As I declutter I am freeing up a lot of space literally and figuratively speaking. It is freaky how being mindful makes such a big difference in how I’m approaching my life.
I definitely have wayyyy to much makeup! It stems from always wanting to get the free trials, so even though I’ve saved money on these items, I still haven’t used many of them.
Use them now!! Go out and party a couple of times and use it up. I also have a ridiculous amount of lotion. Colorado is super dry.