A big part of staying organized is limiting what is brought into your home. This starts at the store. Have you ever been surprised by how much your bill amounted to? Did you think, “There is no way what’s on my list amounts to that much”? When you really analyzed what you purchased, you may recall all the extra things that were not on the list. What happens to these things once they get home? If they are food, hopefully it will get eaten before it goes bad. What about all the other stuff? Did you really need it?
The next time you are at the store, play this game BEFORE you checkout. Without looking, see if you can name all the things in your cart. After you have named everything you can, look at your list. Did you name everything off the list? Were there “non list” items you forgot about? It’s these things that you should put more thought into. Is it really needed? Do you have something similar to it that could be used? Will you miss it if you don’t buy it?
The first time I tried this with my daughter, I was amazed at how well it worked. Do you know about the phenomenon about how much more money is spent when your children go shopping with you? Maybe it’s not a phenomenon, but, to me, it’s an art form. Store owners should really cater to kids—they have ways to convince mom and dad to buy things without us really noticing. When my daughter does it, I call it campaigning. She will talk out loud, “Oh, mom, doesn’t this look good?” or “I didn’t know that Oreo came out with a new flavor”. She’s a walking advertisement. It’s rare that she flat out asks for stuff—she just campaigns.
While shopping with my daughter, who was nine at the time, she saw a gorgeous sleeping mask. She wanted it so bad. Her argument was that it was only five dollars. I was thinking about all the stuff she collects in her room—she did not need a sleeping mask and it would probably be forgotten after a few days. I decided to allow her to put it in the cart and I would think about for awhile. Before we checked out, I asked her, “So what do you think about that thing you wanted? Is it needed now?” Without me cueing her on the name of the product, she could not think of what it was. We had brief discussion about the power of something looking pretty and making us desire it. We put the mask back.
Remember, to cut back on clutter and make it easy to stay organized, be careful about what is brought into the house. Play the “What’s in my cart” game and see what you come up with. You have nothing to lose, a less cluttered home is gained, you may save a few bucks, and it’s a great way to work your brain!