How can we be more mindful of our purchases?

How many times have you gone to the store picked up an extra bottle of ketchup, thinking you were almost out at home, only to find that you already had 2 bottles in the back of a dark cabinet, and a ¾ full one in the fridge?

Have you ever impulse-bought a furniture or decor item for your home, only to bring it home and never unpack or use it?

Today I want to talk about being mindful of what you bring into your home.

I was recently helping my client renovate and update her space and to our surprise, we found several candle holders throughout her home. By “several,” I mean over 40 candle holders!

I know over the years we often forget about the items tucked way back into those cupboards or back corners of the attic or storage room. We all do it!

How could my client have been more mindful of what she was buying for her home so she didn’t end up with over 40 holders she may never actually use?

Make cleaning a routine

My first tip is to take time to regularly clean out your cabinets. Cycle through them so you clean 1 or 2 every month. That’s pretty manageable, right?

When cleaning, group similar items so you can easily access them, and know how many you currently have to avoid overbuying. This way you can avoid overbuying ketchup because you know how many extra bottles you already have in your pantry.

This process of cleaning out your cabinets helps remove clutter from our home, and helps us become more mindful of being tidy…lest we buy too many candle holders or ketchup bottles!

Rate your stuff

Another tip that helped me in a big way was to rate my “stuff” on a scale of 1-10. 1’s are things you are not happy with and don’t use, and 10’s are things you love and use often. This is similar to the Marie Kondo method of organizing.

Anything that you rank an 8 and above, you can keep. The rest you can toss or donate (great time for a garage sale too).

If you were tempted to rate something at 7 out of 10, then it’s probably truthfully a 6 or less so it’s probably something you don’t really need.

When I struggle to find the right furniture or accessories for my client’s, I use this rating technique. A 10 would be something I get an instant feeling for that I am certain my clients will love, 7’s are potentially not so I add anything that’s an 8 or above to my shortlist. It’s amazing how much quicker I can choose furnishings and colour for my clients and for myself using this method.

I take it a step further, into other aspects of my life, like choosing a TV show, buying a book, selecting a restaurant…etc.

Like the Marie Kondo style of organizing, if it doesn’t bring you love and you don’t use it, get rid of it!

We could even take this a step further into all aspects of our life. Rate the key areas and focuses in your life on a 1-10 scale. Anything you rank a 7 or below, maybe need some additional focus to bring it up to an 8, 9, or even 10.

Certainly, a worthwhile exercise to help us choose how we want to live our lives.

Going back to our home organizing, when we’re more organized with a tidier home, we can be more mindful at the store so we don’t end up wasting our money on something we don’t really need, or something that won’t serve us as we’d like.

What else can you apply this rating system to?

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