A few months back, I saw a diamond painting. It piqued my curiosity because I didn't know what is that. Who else is better than Google to answer such a question?
One thing lead to another, and I am on the Amazon website and interested in the diamond painting kits. I bought one kit. The kit was going to come from China. It took about two months to get it. (Oh, and several emails to the seller). By the time it arrived, my interest changed, and I was into propagating house plants! So the kit is still waiting for my attention.
I spend money on things to do crafts without much thinking. If I was giving a bit of time instead of buying on impulse, I wouldn't have bought that to clutter my table. It was not a needed purchase. I could have thought of craft items I already had, like embroidery thread, acrylic paints, card stock, beads...
That is the problem with needs and wants. "Want" has no limit. Being content with what I already own is the solution.
I wanted to buy Blundstone boots when my daughter was looking at them. But, I have nice boots already at home, which is barely used last winter. It is very warm and comfortable. A new and expensive boot was not a needed thing. So I didn't buy new boots and was happy with my decision.
The spice rack with all the cute containers at Costco was pretty. My and hubby wanted it! But I already upcycle many of our plastic and glass bottles to store the spices. I have a good collection of similar containers now to keep things pretty too. Those containers came with spices we bought prior. some were glass containers of pasta sauce. That brings the second philosophy of finding multiple purposes for one thing. It will go with the 3Rs too.
Do you find any philosophy to tame unnecessary spending?
Bindu
I also struggle with some of these same issues, Bindu, needs vs. wants and it seems to be a common dilemma but one which I am learning to conquer, sometimes slowly. If I wait long enough, the desire to buy something will often pass. If I do succumb and buy a new item, then I am conditioning myself to get rid of something it replaces. Like you, I do recycle and reuse glass bottles, especially small spice ones and some of those pasta jars that look like mason jars are very handy for storing dried peas and lentils.
ReplyDeleteI don't struggle with wanting too much or at least being very tempted. I recently bought a little level for my camera. It is just a little device that fits in the hot shoe mount. I might come in handy on occasion. If not, it was an inexpensive acquisition. The package came with 3 levels, and I have already shared one with a friend, and that was a good feeling.
ReplyDeleteIt must be because I’m stuck at home that I don’t have much desire for anything. Sigh… However you really made me curious about diamond painting. I had to look it up. It looks time consuming and requiring meticulous work. However, the end product looks amazing.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby loves buying storage containers. Seriously! I think we should just get rid of stuff. At our age, combining households, and inheriting my parents stuff, was tricky.I'm trying to purge, not buy.
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