Mar
23
2009
Recently I started keeping a wishlist of things I wanted to buy, however, not just now. It also helps with having a 'cooling down' period after I decide I want-want-want something, as advised by many personal finance blogs out there (in one form or the other). At first I thought it was silly, I'd remember the things, but after using it for a while I found it actually really helps.
Not only does this immediately stop me from impulse buying, it also helps me (eventually) buy more focussed. When I put an item on the list, I also put the price I found it for next to it, and where I saw it. Usually, I'll also add a photo to it. (I use Shopper on my iPhone, which I also use for my normal groceries).
By adding the price, I can keep my eye open for a special offer for the same product, or, when I decide I really want to buy it, I can do focussed research to find the product at the best price.
I did do research before, especially for needed items, but my wants sort of slipped past that research stage more quickly. By keeping this list I force myself to not only wait, I also make sure I do plenty of research (and then in the process drop the product all together).
I've also noticed it becomes easier to throw things of the list after a while, and this in turn leads to it getting easier to not want to put something on there to begin with. Don't want to waste my time with things I won't buy anyway :)
By seeing the silly stuff on my list, I feel less tempted by more silly stuff. And seeing the total amount doesn't hurt either!
I currently have 5 items on my list (I dropped some earlier):
1. Griffin Clarifi iPhone case
2. Neocube magnets
3. Sigg Thermo Mug
4. Portable foldable water-drinking reservoir for the dog
5. A 5×5x5 Rubik's Cube
All wants, I don't need any of them really. They're just so much fun! ;)
Mar
22
2009
I'm a bit of a compulsive spender. There, I said it.
Unlike others, I don't buy shoes or clothes. I buy boxes. And organising stuff. Sites like The daily planner and The container store make my heart beat faster.
And Thinkgeek.
Oh, and pens.
And I buy a lot of food.
Only on occasion do I not use the things I purchase, this happens maybe a couple of times per year. I don't buy 50 pairs of shoes, new skirts because they're on sale etc.
But I am a compulsive spender and this has to stop. I have more pens than I could possible ever get empty (granted, drawing just goes a lot better with the right pen, but I have multiple so that shouldn't become a problem any time soon). I have a gazillion (lovely) boxes.
No more buying food when I have plenty in my pantry. Make shopping lists and stick to them. Time to grow up ;)
Mar
21
2009
Lately I have spent a lot of time de-cluttering (not done yet, it takes a long time to get rid of years worth of junk). It feel very liberating to throw out old stuff, stuff I don't even like or just keep out of guilt. It not only clears space, but also my head. It makes me very happy.
To help me and keep me motivated, I've started reading blogs about getting rid of clutter basically. I found a good list of tips over at 'Simple. Organized. Life.' As a recovering pack-rat I found the first two most helpful.
1. Have a place for everything - this means your keys, your wallet, your office supplies, etc.
and
2. When you bring one thing home, try to send at least one thing out the door.
Having a place for everything (well, not yet, but getting there) helps me not having to search for an item. Tossing out something when I bring in something new helps me to not cling onto older items just for the sake of clinging on.
I've started feeling much calmer with less clutter around me. A lot less stress.
Feb
10
2009
I have this habit to stuff things in my cabinets and forget about them. Hidden behind the doors I don't see it, so I don't think about it, or so I hope. But it never works like that.
So, today I took an hour or so to declutter my two cabinets in the livingroom. I still have one left (my 'computercentre' basically), and feel very good about the progress I made today. The photo shows the before on top and the after at the bottom. I made a few paperwork-stacks that need to migrate to my file-cabinet, a task to big for this evening. I'll take another hour (or two or three) or so later this week to do it.
I put some drawingsupplies in the cabinet on the left (top-right), and consider putting my yarn and crochet things there too. I crochet in the livingroom, not in my hobby/bedroom (aka 'the funroom' ;) )
I tossed out one full garbagebag.
Feb
9
2009
Well, I guess I feel brave enough to post before and after pics.
I love those boxes on the left. I put rarely used things in that big box and sorted my rags into smaller ones. Normally I prefer boxes over baskets but with the cleaning supplies I made an exception because I may want to carry them to a different spot (although that won't happen very often, the basket seemed more practical)
And as a bonus, I got a new coathanger.
My very own Ikea-hack as I used a Ikea Grundtal rail meant for the kitchen.
Feb
8
2009
On friday I purchased some rollerboxes for under my bed, but they wouldn't fit so I had to return them. I then found out my favourite storing boxes will be on sale (and actually purchasable) in a discount supermarket nearby on Monday and though I won't get out my sleepingbag and sleep in front of the store to get them, I will make sure to go there on Monday.
As an extra I found out that a discount store for home-stuff sells them as well, and currently don't have any in stock because they were on sale there last week.
Yes, I have an obsession with plastic boxes and yes, I have a very specific obsession. When find ones I like I want to have just those for certain purposes. For food-storage I use Ikea's Pruta because they're small containers hold exactly the right amount of food for me.
I also label my boxes, so I know what I can find in there without having to turn them upside down. Even with the transparent boxes this helps a lot to quickly find what I need.
Now, on to declutter the cabinet under the sink. If I feel brave I'll post before and after photos later on.
Nov
23
2008
Today I read this article over at the Neat & Simple blog about ToDo-lists. Ariane explains we're all different people and we all have different ways to have a ToDo list work for us. We also all have different reasons why some things just don't work for us. She gives some great tips to create the list that works for you and find the right tools to do it.
I wanted to add my own experiences and tricks to it so I whipped up this post.
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