Stemming the tide
The clutter took 8 years of us living in the house to accumulate, we're not going to become a minimalist household overnight. The process takes time. Especially when you have kids as free time is often a rarity which then does not make you want to spend it decluttering.
So first stem the tide of things coming in.
10 tips to reduce purchases:
1) make yourself stop and think, do I really need it? Before making any purchase
2) don't make impulse purchases. If you think of something you want add it to a list, take time to think about it. Do you still want it a week later?
3) When buying to replace broken or worn out items, make sure you do get rid of the worn out item too!
4) Unsubscribe from shopping e-mails telling you about bargains
5) Unfollow shopping adverts on your Facebook feed
6) 2 for 1 is only a bargain if you actually want 2 and half price is only a bargain if you want the item
7) Can you buy it digitally? Or borrow it if needed for a short amount of time?
8) Make a list before going to the supermarket and stick to it! (Also don't go shopping on an empty stomach)
9) Have accountability with your partner, family or friend that this is something that you want to do
10) Falling back into old habits is not the end of the world. Recognise it, own it, tomorrow is another day to start afresh.
If you manage to stop the flow of things coming in then anything you manage to declutter and get rid of, no matter how small, is a net gain!
Breaking the habit
If you routinely fail to stem the tide don't be too hard on yourself, habits take time to change.
We have been routinely bombarded since childhood with the message that you need new stuff to be happy. Advertisers are very good at what they do and are able to tap in to our deepest vulnerabilities and tell us that we only need to buy their product to solve our problems.
"Look at the happy, slim, blemish free model surrounded by friends laughing on a summer's day - they use our product" advertisers say.
"Don't have much time? What you need is our super convenient single use gadget! Which btw takes 3 years to clean and you'll use all of twice before deciding it's easier doing it how you were before"
Shopping becomes a social event, 'retail therapy', rather than what it ought to be, another chore when you run out of something or need to replace something which is worn beyond repair.
Manufacturers know this and encourage us to buy new things, from clothes where the fashion changes season to season and you couldn't possibly wear last season's clothes, to disposable items, technology which only lasts a couple of years before it's too old to open a web browser etc etc.
But what is the cost? These items are cheap and keep people employed so it's all good right?
Wrong, making new stuff has big environmental impacts from polluting the seas with plastic, to sweatshops, from destroying the rainforests to global warming. These things have impacts not only on a big scale but on your individual lives as well. Like to eat fish? Well now they contain microbeads. Like to eat food? Well pesticides have killed the bees so no more food. Like to breathe air? Well the air is toxic so breathing is bad for your health. Like to live in a house above water? Well sea levels have risen so now your house gets flooded every summer.
If you haven't already seen the video about the story of stuff I would recommend it. Knowledge is the power we have to resist cultural pressures, help break habits and swim against the tide.
YouTube video - The story of stuff
So first stem the tide of things coming in.
10 tips to reduce purchases:
1) make yourself stop and think, do I really need it? Before making any purchase
2) don't make impulse purchases. If you think of something you want add it to a list, take time to think about it. Do you still want it a week later?
3) When buying to replace broken or worn out items, make sure you do get rid of the worn out item too!
4) Unsubscribe from shopping e-mails telling you about bargains
5) Unfollow shopping adverts on your Facebook feed
6) 2 for 1 is only a bargain if you actually want 2 and half price is only a bargain if you want the item
7) Can you buy it digitally? Or borrow it if needed for a short amount of time?
8) Make a list before going to the supermarket and stick to it! (Also don't go shopping on an empty stomach)
9) Have accountability with your partner, family or friend that this is something that you want to do
10) Falling back into old habits is not the end of the world. Recognise it, own it, tomorrow is another day to start afresh.
If you manage to stop the flow of things coming in then anything you manage to declutter and get rid of, no matter how small, is a net gain!
Breaking the habit
If you routinely fail to stem the tide don't be too hard on yourself, habits take time to change.
We have been routinely bombarded since childhood with the message that you need new stuff to be happy. Advertisers are very good at what they do and are able to tap in to our deepest vulnerabilities and tell us that we only need to buy their product to solve our problems.
"Look at the happy, slim, blemish free model surrounded by friends laughing on a summer's day - they use our product" advertisers say.
"Don't have much time? What you need is our super convenient single use gadget! Which btw takes 3 years to clean and you'll use all of twice before deciding it's easier doing it how you were before"
Shopping becomes a social event, 'retail therapy', rather than what it ought to be, another chore when you run out of something or need to replace something which is worn beyond repair.
Manufacturers know this and encourage us to buy new things, from clothes where the fashion changes season to season and you couldn't possibly wear last season's clothes, to disposable items, technology which only lasts a couple of years before it's too old to open a web browser etc etc.
But what is the cost? These items are cheap and keep people employed so it's all good right?
Wrong, making new stuff has big environmental impacts from polluting the seas with plastic, to sweatshops, from destroying the rainforests to global warming. These things have impacts not only on a big scale but on your individual lives as well. Like to eat fish? Well now they contain microbeads. Like to eat food? Well pesticides have killed the bees so no more food. Like to breathe air? Well the air is toxic so breathing is bad for your health. Like to live in a house above water? Well sea levels have risen so now your house gets flooded every summer.
If you haven't already seen the video about the story of stuff I would recommend it. Knowledge is the power we have to resist cultural pressures, help break habits and swim against the tide.
YouTube video - The story of stuff
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