Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

How To Own Less Stuff- 5 Ways

User Profile: comfortableNight4463
comfortableNight4463 May 6th, 2023
  1. Take Inventory

Start by taking inventory of what you have. Go through all of the rooms in your house. Declutter and sort out the things you want to keep and the things you need to get rid of.


  1. Stop Buying Unnecessary Things

Track your spending to see what your money is being spent on. Then consider your needs and wants and make a budget with these things in mind.


  1. Understand Why

When do you do the most unnecessary shopping? Late at night? When you are bored? Tired? Unhappy? Shopping can make us feel good and help us escape negative feelings. It gives us a momentary feeling of happiness when we hit that button to complete a transaction. Take a deeper look to figure out why you are buying excess things. Then work to fill that area in your life with something positive.


  1. Borrow When Possible

I am often guilty of needing something last minute and instead of asking a friend or family member, I just go ahead and buy it. This includes items I only need to use one time.

Start thinking of things you can borrow for short or one time use. This could include:

  • Clothes for special occasions
  • Kitchen tools
  • Home improvement tools
  • Kid or baby items
  • Items for one-time activities or events


  1. Spend Less Time On Your Phone

On average, we spend over 3 hours a day on our phone. This means we are exposed to a ton of ads and emails that are urging us to buy something now.


Read the complete article available at Thrive Global!



Reflection:

What are some other ways to reduce unnecessary spending?



#Money #Shopping #MentalHealth


If you liked this article, you might also like, "Why We Often Overspend While Treating Ourselves"

2
User Profile: PoliteOcean
PoliteOcean May 8th, 2023

@comfortableNight4463

Thank you for your post! This are some really good and beneficial tips.

I would also have to add, (as someone who likes to spend money on clothes that I really don't need), that these are surely good tips to follow.

I also think that if it becomes an issue or a problem that one is finding that they cannot control on their own, that perhaps they can turn to council or therapy and talk to someone who can help.

User Profile: CatSitterDC
CatSitterDC May 11th, 2023

I am very much a clotheshorse and do a lot of online shopping though I’ve been a lot better about it lately. I worked in retail for a decade and every time I left work I had a bag with me with some thing I bought! But I seriously need to downsize and get rid of a lot of things and I plan to do that over the next few weeks. Hopefully it will feel liberating!