Consumer Culture and Saving Money Instead
Organization and Action Steps to Save Money by Buying Less in a Consumer Culture
Let’s face it. We live in a consumer-based culture where purchasing is often prioritized over saving. There are ways, however, to reduce spending, clutter and what comes into your home. It’s really about figuring out where the source of stuff comes from that is making its way into your life. What habits do you need to change to get to something sustainable?
Lessening what you buy not only makes the organization process easier, it saves you money and reduces the need to declutter. Once you’ve done an initial declutter, continue to declutter seasonally to keep up with changes in your interests and/or clothing styles and sizes. Do not keep what you don’t love, no matter how much you paid for it. This only takes up space and brings in bad energy. Look to The Uncluttered Life’s Declutter Deck® for tips and tricks about home organization.
Organization
Our culture is focused on advertising and consuming. For this reason, it takes a lot of intention and effort to break patterns in that cycle.
When you declutter, you learn from purchasing mistakes and to be more careful about what you buy in the future.
It’s a good idea to wait 24 hours before making a purchase and to unsubscribe from email lists that make purchasing more tempting.
It is important to be careful of the messaging that’s coming into your Instagram feed, for example. You don’t need to fall into consumerism and the ploys to get you to buy.
Shopping aimlessly and settling for close enough purchases lead to buying things that you later end up decluttering.
Action Steps
Encourage gift givers to buy things that are related to experiences as opposed to something that’s a consumable and will clutter your home.
Make a habit of gratitude. Appreciate the things you have and don’t feel the need to keep continuing to purchase or shop as a form of therapy.
Before buying, compare prices and research and read reviews to get the best item at the best price. Sometimes it’s okay to pay more for an item that is exactly what you want.
Remove shopping apps from your phone and don’t store credit card information in your account. This makes buying easier. If you really need or want something, you need to take the extra steps such as finding your credit card. It gives you time to pause to make sure the purchase is right.
Make a list and stick to it before shopping, even online. If you’re looking for something, write down and purchase what’s on your list and don’t add to it.