Are you struggling with shopping or overspending? It may stem from a lack of awareness, organization, or gratitude.
Here are 3 surefire ways to love what you already have—so you can stop shopping for more.
1. Declutter.
The first way to love what you already have is to actually know what you already have—and to assess each item’s value to you. This means decluttering your possessions.
The act of decluttering forces you to take a long, hard look at what you own, and decide whether it’s worth keeping.
There are many methods of doing this. Some people swear by the KonMari method of decluttering, made famous by Marie Kondo’s The Art of Tidying Up, and her more recent Netflix series. The KonMari method involves gathering up your possessions, asking whether they spark joy, keeping or tossing them, and then organizing the remainder. (You’ll have to read the book to get the full picture.)
Other folks take an approach akin to that of The Minimalists, which involves parting with items that simply do not add value to your life. And a simple Pinterest search will yield many more ways to declutter.
I have adopted an approach somewhere in the middle. While I adore and admire The Minimalists, for instance, my life at the moment is not conducive to complete minimalism. At the same time, I’ve found their decluttering approach to be the best in my own life.
For the same reason, I cannot fully adopt the KonMari method, because I found it makes me keep too much stuff. So you really need to find a decluttering method that works for your own life.
And no matter which method of decluttering you choose, the important part is that you actually (1) touch everything you own, and (2) assess each item’s value relative to your own wants and needs.
Once you’ve done that, you can then…
2. Organize.
What I said above about decluttering holds true for organization as well. There are hundreds of ways to organize, but it really comes down to personal preference.
For me, the best organizational tools are those that allow me to see what I own and access it easily. It’s for this reason that I detest excessive storage—I do not keep seasonal clothing in a garage or attic, for instance—because it lends itself to excessive possession and consumption.
Thus, when organizing your possessions, it’s imperative that you do it in such a way that is visible and accessible. Because that will allow you to…
3. Shop Your Stash.
Yes, it’s time to go shopping.
Um, what? I thought you told us to STOP shopping.
Not THAT kind of shopping! The best kind of shopping is the kind that occurs in the comfort of your own home, without accruing any additional possessions or needlessly spending money. AKA, shopping your “stash.”
Essentially, shopping your stash—especially when that stash is decluttered and organized—forces your attention toward the likely copious amount of possessions you already own, and away from the possessions you wish to attain.
It allows you to spend time with the items already in your possession, which causes you to appreciate, and even love, what you already have.
What is the reason for this? From personal experience, shopping your stash reveals to you, every day, just how lucky we are to have everything we need, and even things we want. It shows us how little we need to buy, and how far the items we own can go.
When you shop your stash each morning before work, for instance, you are able to tangibly understand how you have enough. And how lucky you are to be in a position to have enough—and to stop squandering your money by wanting more.
Gratitude is a great motivator.
Give it a try sometime soon. Declutter your bedroom, to start. Organize those items.
Then, the next day, shop your stash while getting ready. Marvel at your shoes, or lotion, or linens.
If you take the approach that your possessions are useful and beautiful, they remain new to you, and remind you to stop trying to acquire…and just be happy with what you already have.
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