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I know this is such a ‘first world problem’ to have, but in our Western culture of stocking up, stockpiling and overstocking, there is something very satisfying of having just enough.
I used to love stockpiling bargains on consumables such as pantry food items and toiletries. But now in an effort to live more simply and have less noise around me, I’ve tempered my ways.
I’m embarrassed to say there have been times when I’ve gone overboard and it has taken us months to plough through whatever specially-priced item I stocked up on.
Our big box supermarkets often have enticements to ‘spend $200 and receive a petrol discount voucher’ which has regularly encouraged us to see what we need and stock up on it. But in a household of two people and two cats, we really have to try hard to spend $200 in one go. It was quite stressful just to gain a coupon that saved us about $10-12 (which isn’t to be scoffed at, I agree, but not worth it if you are crowded out of your house with grocery items!)
So I gave myself permission not to stockpile. I gave myself permission to let something run out and see if I missed it. Sometimes I did and sometimes I didn’t. It is quite a lovely feeling to see space in the pantry and see what items I can use up to make a delicious dinner.
It is also refreshing to know that I can use up my many skincare and cosmetic items before I even need to think of perusing another specials brochure. I don’t even need to look at that brochure because I already have enough skin cream/shampoo/body lotion.
Speaking of body lotion, a couple of months ago I bought a 5 litre (1 1/3 gallons!) container of body lotion from a local skincare factory shop, how funny is that. But I do go through it is vast quantities.
It’s quite fun to see how many days we can not go to the supermarket, and if we need something, it’s put on the shopping list for when we really, really need to go.
We often pop into fruit and vegetable stores to get fresh produce, but the supermarket list can wait for quite a number of days until we have to go. And it still might only be less than a dozen items. It’s such a thrill not to have armfuls of grocery bags to bring into the house. Plus, there is not money coming out of my wallet while I’m doing this.
When you think about it, I must live a pretty sheltered life if not stockpiling is acting in a risky way, so I feel very lucky about that. Many people in other parts of the world would wish this was their most pressing concern.
Are you a stockpiler? Bargain hunter extraordinaire? Does the thought of having space on your bathroom/kitchen/laundry shelves make you nervous?
‘Not-stockpiling’. It’s the new way to save time, sanity and money don’t you know.