if there's one big thing i've learned thus far during my may spending freeze, it's this:
i am really good at collecting crap.
without any real effort at all, junk begins to pile up & our home feels like it might bust at the seams. i spend money on crap i'll rarely use because it feels good to buy stuff. the thrill of that new thing begins to fade so i replace that dull feeling with another new shiny toy & of course, the cycle continues.
i've learned a lot about myself during this may spending freeze & actually, quite a bit more than i thought i might.
for example, it's been hard to challenge what we need versus what i want.
i've also learned that "consumer" is a large part of my identify, which in itself has been difficult to swallow.
i've had quite a few wins so far, though.
i resisted the urge to buy new sheets after a large hole appeared in our fitted sheet. as i was sorting through donations from a friend, i found a lovely new set of blue sheets that matched our bedding & fit our mattress perfectly. win win!
i've organized & purged almost every corner of our home. it feels good to have more space to breathe.
the junk i collected from my organization/purging spree was put into a yard sale. my efforts paid off when at the end of the weekend, we made over $500 towards our europe trip. yay!
i've also been able to enjoy what we already have. i've read books & enjoyed a glass of iced tea on our patio.
& perhaps the biggest win is the time i've saved from not shopping. i knew i would save money during our spending freeze, but i never thought i'd save so much time from not shopping. it takes an incredible amount of time to drive to target, wander the aisles, buy that unneeded item, check out, drive home & put it somewhere to collect dust.
we've still got a couple of weeks left in this month-long experiment, but i am learning that the reward is much richer than the perceived sacrifices.
i'd love to read how you're doing in your spending freeze! please share in the comments & use the hashtag #mayspendingfreeze on instagram!
love,
natalie
8 comments:
I understand completely! I am on the May spending freeze too and it is Hard! I haven't stepped into the thrift stores or Target even once because I know what will happen. I also vowed not to order out for out family for dinner-even after a long, long day.
I appreciate this challenge. It has opened my eyes to the amount of crap I buy too. I haven't had the chance to clean all my corners yet.
I like your challenges!
Now you need to challenge us so we don't go crazy in June-hah!
Thanks!
Joy
I'm not doing the spending freeze but I have put myself on a thrifting freeze. I limit myself to two thrifting days a year since we entered the empty nest a few years ago. It is hard! I love thrifting but I'm so tired of a cluttered house. In that time I've decluttered & organized about a 1/3 of my house & I'm motivated to keep going.
Now, my need for new things usually comes from playing around in my flower garden or decorating for the seasons from nature. I've found I still get the 'new-thing' rush without spending a penny.
We are on a 2015 spending freeze... Adding a person to the family really does a number on the budget!! And we just came off a 2014 spending freeze... Buying a home also means no extra spending!! So, I'm really looking forward to the day where I don't have to be so creative with life and can just run to target and buy a cute dress vs. rigging up something weird from my closet of chaos. Until then, I will be learning how to coupon and recycle and repurpose and the like. :) cheers to life!
I too am really great at collecting junk! But I have been improving (yay!) I read "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing" and it has helped me tremendously. I find myself recommending this book to lots of people. You might enjoy it too!
Wow, it's like you just described me! I love stuff, and I love collecting stuff, and then I become attached and it is hard to get rid of it. I'm not currently participating in the May spending freeze, but I will be doing a freeze of sorts this summer (I'll be working less - so more time, less money: a perfect combo for a spending freeze and decluttering!). I love this quotation by William Morris, and I try to think of it as I get rid of (or accumulate) things:
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Thanks for the inspiration!
we haven't intentionally done a spending freeze but we have been looking at ways to trim back our budget and it was a very positive experience in that my husband and i both recognized that it would create more time and space to value what we already have. :)
Great job with your spending freeze! It is amazing, how good it feels to buy stuff, whether you need it or not. I just try not to go to the stores. Or on amazon, or iTunes, or, or, or... I too need to purge some of the junk that's accumulated around my home. Thank goodness my husband isn't a 'collector' too. He grounds me a little bit, and balances me out. But I come from many generations of accumulators of 'stuff', so I've got my work cut out for me... Taking it one day at a time...
$500 from a garage sale?! DANG girl! You must have great stuff! We recently moved and prior to that, I did a good job of not buying a lot of new things because I knew I would have to pack it. Now, I am helping my mom purge and organize her house. It feels great!
Post a Comment