Buy one, purge one.

I’ve been practicing my “buy one, purge one” philosophy and it’s going well. I was hoping to photograph all of the items, however that would take a lot of time. I am doing it though. I don’t shop near as much as I used to. Even though I purchased things from a thrift store, it was still buying a lot of junk I didn’t need. Now I’m much more selective and I buy much less, especially knowing I will have to get rid of something every time I buy something. It’s a good plan and it’s not been a struggle at all.

I bought 2 pairs of shoes, a pair of jeans and a pair of swim trunks at the thrift store a few weeks ago. I needed a pair of dress shoes that were comfortable. I found just the right pair and I bought another pair that were on sale for $2.00. I came home and got rid of 2 pairs of shoes. The jeans, girl’s size 16, fit me, but a little snug. I bought them with the intention of wearing them if I could, but if not, using them to repair some of my other jeans. The boys needed a pair of swim trunks, as they’ve been fighting over the one pair they have. I actually got rid of a lot of clothing, not just 2 pieces. I’ll be blogging that soon.

Just a few days ago, I bought some throw pillows for my patio swing. I’ve been wanting some because I love the swing this time of year and I like to lay on it and read. Considering I got the swing for free from a friend and the cushions free from a dumpster, spending a few bucks at a thrift store on pillows seemed okay. They’re the same fabric as my patio chairs and are from Pottery Barn, so they cost someone a lot of money. I plan to dye or paint the unbleached cotton cushions. So what am I getting rid of? My colorful tile pot (that’s broken), some of my solar lights (a few that don’t work) and the shiny rocks (that are serving no purpose whatsoever).

Buy one, purge one is not difficult. It’s a good feeling to know I’m not going to be accumulating more stuff when I do shop and it makes me walk away from many things I would have purchased with my old shopping habits.

Snap one, show one.

I started a quirky little habit. I take photos of the things I considered buying, but chose not to. I snap a photo and I show it here on my blog. Here’s a couple of pics. To the left are 4 square glass tables. I thought these would be nice for my patio. Mental gymnastics:

What would I get rid of?

Do I want to clean these?

Will I maintain the plants I want to put on them?

Where will I get the plants? The pots?

Are these made for outdoor use?

Do I really want to spend $70?

I thought about all of that in less than a minute and easily decided against them. Next was 2 latte mugs, the polka dot one and the orange rimmed one. It’s rare to find oversized mugs. Here we go again. More mental gymnastics for he sake of consumerism.

Do I like these mugs?

Do I need these mugs?

What will I get rid of?

Do I need more dishes to wash?

How many cups can I use at one time?

How do these fit into my minimalist approach to downsizing?

Do they coordinate with my mismatched collection?

Do I really want to spend money on these?

Again, in less than a minute, I walked away from these. I like the new habits. They aren’t painful at all. I haven’t quit shopping, but I’m spending my money less frequently and more wisely. Time to kick it up another notch? Probably so.