Junk... junk everywhere
Do you ever look around your house and see all the junk you have accumulated over the years? Especially those with children, do they really need all that stuff?
Did you watch the Netflix Series, "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo"? JP and I watched that and purged our closets and kitchen. When we were doing a review of our expenses for the 2019 year, one that caught us by surprise were gifts. Yes, I have a category for gifts. We started talking about cutting back.
JP and I have never really gotten into major gift giving. When it comes to birthdays and anniversaries, we just go out to a nice dinner. And at Christmas time we just spend a $100 on each other, usually just to fill up our stockings with little presents. Our house isn't filled with knick knacks and I am not buying junk when we go on vacation. Do you really need to buy that extra item at Target? And maybe it is our mindset of what we need versus what we want.
For 2020, JP and I decided to cut out gifts all together. Unless we see something that either one of us will love or someone else will love, it just isn't happening. And it isn't necessarily about the money, but about the fact that most of the time, the receivers don't need it. It just becomes another item left in the corner of their house. I received some backlash when I told some people about this. They called me the Grinch, but again... they just don't get it. When/if JP and I have kids, we don't plan to shower them with junky toys they don't need. And we will encourage family to hold back on them too. There is a minimalist life community that is growing and we plan to extend that into our own lives.
One of the easiest ways to cut back is to stop going to the stores that get you in trouble. Stop going online to see what is out there when you are bored on your phone. Quit justifying your purchases because it was on sale or you had a coupon. JP and I have a category in our budget for spending money. This is not guaranteed every month, because we don't need to buy something every month. If one of us mentions needing new shoes, clothes, etc, we discuss it and then usually add it into our budget so that that person can get what they need. Usually a couple times a year we get splurge money so we can buy whatever we want, but once that money runs out, you have to wait months until the next time we splurge. American consumption is out of control and most people need to get a grip on their shopping habits.
Is your house cluttered with stuff you don't even use or your kids stopped playing with? A cluttered house can even result in a cluttered mind that can end up stressing you and others out in your household. Having a cluttered home can change your mood. Hoarders is such a thing they made an entire tv show on it. So, yes, we aren't doing gifts this year. Not because of the money, but because they don't need the stuff we were going to buy them anyway.
Is retail therapy a real thing in your life? Do you look around your house and see junk? Be sure to like, share, comment and subscribe.
Did you watch the Netflix Series, "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo"? JP and I watched that and purged our closets and kitchen. When we were doing a review of our expenses for the 2019 year, one that caught us by surprise were gifts. Yes, I have a category for gifts. We started talking about cutting back.
JP and I have never really gotten into major gift giving. When it comes to birthdays and anniversaries, we just go out to a nice dinner. And at Christmas time we just spend a $100 on each other, usually just to fill up our stockings with little presents. Our house isn't filled with knick knacks and I am not buying junk when we go on vacation. Do you really need to buy that extra item at Target? And maybe it is our mindset of what we need versus what we want.
For 2020, JP and I decided to cut out gifts all together. Unless we see something that either one of us will love or someone else will love, it just isn't happening. And it isn't necessarily about the money, but about the fact that most of the time, the receivers don't need it. It just becomes another item left in the corner of their house. I received some backlash when I told some people about this. They called me the Grinch, but again... they just don't get it. When/if JP and I have kids, we don't plan to shower them with junky toys they don't need. And we will encourage family to hold back on them too. There is a minimalist life community that is growing and we plan to extend that into our own lives.
One of the easiest ways to cut back is to stop going to the stores that get you in trouble. Stop going online to see what is out there when you are bored on your phone. Quit justifying your purchases because it was on sale or you had a coupon. JP and I have a category in our budget for spending money. This is not guaranteed every month, because we don't need to buy something every month. If one of us mentions needing new shoes, clothes, etc, we discuss it and then usually add it into our budget so that that person can get what they need. Usually a couple times a year we get splurge money so we can buy whatever we want, but once that money runs out, you have to wait months until the next time we splurge. American consumption is out of control and most people need to get a grip on their shopping habits.
Is your house cluttered with stuff you don't even use or your kids stopped playing with? A cluttered house can even result in a cluttered mind that can end up stressing you and others out in your household. Having a cluttered home can change your mood. Hoarders is such a thing they made an entire tv show on it. So, yes, we aren't doing gifts this year. Not because of the money, but because they don't need the stuff we were going to buy them anyway.
Is retail therapy a real thing in your life? Do you look around your house and see junk? Be sure to like, share, comment and subscribe.
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