Reduce life clutter - know your needs and values.
Hi Smartypants,
Ever look in a drawer and it’s tidy, organized, containing only items you love and use regularly?
Me neither.
As we slide into the gift-giving season, I believe few of us need more stuff in our life. Next blog post will have some tips on giving zero-clutter gifts.
How do we get rid of clutter? More importantly, how do we keep clutter from taking over our homes?
As for getting rid of clutter, KonMari is a popular method and I’ve successfully used it for my clothes. There’s a Marie Kondo Netflix show if you want some inspiration and you can get her book from the public library.
But I’m not an organizer of stuff, I’m an organizer of money, let’s get to the part I am an expert on.
As for your money - that gets a bit more complicated. There are generally two types of things cluttering up your home:
There are things you would use, had they lived up to their promises. I’m looking at you fancy Korean BHA toner!
To avoid these bad purchases, you can do research to see what others say about the product or sample before you buy, to see if it will work for you. That’ll knock out a lot of bad items but it isn’t fail-safe. Some will slip through.
Then there are the items you never should have bought. Some things were gifts and you took them because they were free, but you still regret them
These are the headbands, sweaters, party games, and cute little do-dads galore you have to sift through to find the things you *actually* use.
How do you prevent buying things you’ll regret? Know your needs and values and recognize when your ego or identity have stolen your wallet.
Needs are the human needs we all have - to eat/sleep, feel respected, to grow as a person, to have meaning in our lives, creativity, etc. We all have the same ones, just in different amounts. Everything you buy should help satisfy a need - be it physical or emotional. Otherwise, why are you buying it? (hint: because it’s your ego or identity trying to purchase it)
Values, however, vary from person to person. Some people value daring while others value security, some value stability while others value adventure, some loyalty and others independence, etc. etc. Everything you buy should affirm your values, the more values it affirms, the less likely you are to regret the purchase.
Example: a pair of jeans you find at the thrift store. You need clothing to protect you from the elements and not get arrested for indecent exposure. You value frugality, resourcefulness, simplicity, and expressiveness - - all of which you get from this one purchase.
What does the flip side of this coin look like? It looks like clutter, that’s what.
Your ego is how you feel about yourself; call it self-esteem, self-worth, self-importance. When our egos are a bit depleted, we can get a quick boost by buying something. Sometimes it’ll be a couple bucks; sometimes it’ll be a couple thousand bucks.
Your identity is who you believe yourself to be. If you think of yourself as creative and fun, but then realize you haven’t created anything or gone out in months, your identity has just taken a hit! You may soothe yourself by buying a new set of paints or a sequin dress - when you already have paints you don’t use and you don’t wear dresses or sequins.
Example: you buy a pair of jeans at a thrift store despite having more than enough jeans you like and these ones not even fitting that well but they’re Lucky Brand so they must look good, right? This doesn't line up with your values or needs. Your ego and identity get a bit of a boost because of the brand name, but weeks later they end up in the back of the drawer not getting any use - going against your values of frugality, resourcefulness, and simplicity.
To avoid having your ego and/or identity take your wallet, consider: what needs of mine does this fulfill? What values does it affirm? WHY AM I EVEN BUYING IT?
It may take a while to learn to recognize when your ego/identity grab your wallet, but it does get easier. If you can’t see the need it fulfills or the values it affirms, then why buy it?
Take away: Buying according to needs and values will increase the likelihood that you’ll enjoy whatever it is you’re purchasing. Buying to satisfy your ego or identity will do the opposite.
When you spend in a manner that satisfies your needs and lets you live your values, you’ll reduce the clutter of stuff in your life and trim back to only having items you really *love*.
The first step is knowing what your needs are and what you value. There are endless needs/values exercises online, you can google them and try some out.
Cheers,
Ms. Moody