Shopping Mistakes and How to Avoid Them:
Have you ever bought something and then felt it was a mistake? Do you have items in your home that are just more trouble than they are worth? I know I do.
The thing that first comes to mind is the chimnea we bought at the beginning of the summer. We had romantic visions of sitting in the yard at night, peacefully staring at the flames in our new chimnea, maybe even toasting marshmallows. The reality is that we only did that twice all summer long.
The first time, the ‘special’ logs burned for so long we were up till 3 in the morning waiting for the fire to die out. The second time, my daughter used it when her friends came over and forgot that the fire is supposed to be out before putting the cap on the chimnea, so she ended up smoking the yard.
Whenever it rained, the water went inside the chimea and when it started to rust, the water turned orange. So every time I was in the yard after a rain shower, I would have to gingerly empty the chimnea, careful not let the rusty water stain my clothes.
The worse of it came when we were putting our summer yard things away for the winter. The chimnea was awkward to store and took up so much space in our backyard storage container that we had to put some of our other seasonal items in the garage. Not a major big deal, except that it made the garage a little more cluttered than I‘d like it to be so it’s a tight squeeze to get out of my car after parking it there.
If I were to put the chimea on a balance list, black being the joy I got from it, red being the grief it gave me, I would stay it was easily in the red. So here’s what I’ve learned:
Before I purchase anything, I pause for a minute, and ask myself, “Will this simplify or complicate my life?” Then I listen. Sometimes I can feel the answer in my body. And other times I hear it in my head. But the answer is always clear.
I like a simplified life more than I like stuff that may complicate it. How about you? What’s your biggest buying blunder? How would you like to do things differently from now on?
I have so many items that are in the red! Lol Right now finances are really really tight in KlineLand so I have been avoiding the stores. It’s been nice! Right now Halloween decorations are calling me, but I know we have a couple of boxes of them in the garage that I can use.
By the way, we bought a fire pit for the backyard two summers ago and have never used it. It sits there. Turns out, no one wants to sit outside with the bugs…
Great post!
Hi Hellen
Great posts – really gets you thinking about how many times it is the emotional responses to things that control us. The fact that you were able to enjoy the chiminea twice was perhaps all that it was supposed to do. Treasure that memory and chuck the rest away! I have done this too so many times…..like you, I am trying (although not always successfully!) to really think about a purchase before buying into the fantasy!
Love your comment Wendi about putting bad purchases into perspective… like an old boy friend… treasure the memory and chuck the rest away…
Helen if you haven’t already done so… maybe get rid of the item … especially if every time you see it you see red 🙂 .. pulling up in the garage without having to dodge around it… will be the best part of doing that… if nothing else honoring your need for simplicity.
Hellen, your question, “Will this complicate or simplify my life?” is absolutely brilliant!! I can’t thank you enough for it. I’ve been applying it not only to possible purchases, but to decisions about activities (accepting invitations, number of items on my To Do list, etc.) as well and it has made a huge difference for me. Seriously, it’s brilliant. Many thanks.
Lynda, what a great idea to apply the question “will this complicate or simplify my life?” to decisions about activities as well. I can see how it would not only simplify the decision-making process but also encourage us to make time for the important stuff and let the rest go.