Beauty

[jwabbit]

Thank you, 3redheads and everyone who has committed to this and have shared their thoughts, stories, and tips. I've been reading these threads on Simplify 2015 and the Compact for the past few days.

I've been a big chicken and have been avoiding the official "commitment" just in case I really, really wanted to buy something. After watching myself load up online shopping carts with things I don't need, I realized that I do have a problem and need to commit (for myself) and have witnesses to be accountable to (guilt works on me). I did not check-out the shopping carts so I have still haven't purchased anything in 2015. Well, except for dog food because my babies gotta eat.

I don't have a problem with clutter or paying my bills. I do have items hanging up in my closet that I haven't worn and makeup and skincare products I haven't even tried yet, so why am I looking to purchase more of the same things that are still waiting for me?

To be honest, I did a lot of shopping to cope with some issues that I didn't want to deal with in person; for example, my teenage daughter does something wrong and my husband won't support me after I correct her, so I'll just buy something and not deal with him. Messed up, I know.

I hereby commit, in the presence of all of you beautiful and thoughtful ladies and gents, to not purchase anything that I don't need and to work on dealing with my personal issues properly.

Happy New Year, Everybody! Wishing you all the best!

- jwabbit

[2slow2]

Great post jwabbit, welcome aboard! I've been making slow but steady progress finding a place for everything. I have two more bags of stuff to donate. Today I bought a few plastic storage bins at the dollar store and put all of my bath and cosmetics stash in them along with a written inventory so I can see what I have without having to go digging through it all. I found a brand new Bare Minerals kit I forgot I had, such a nice surprise!!

[jwabbit]

On 1/4/2015 2slow2 said: Great post jwabbit, welcome aboard! I've been making slow but steady progress finding a place for everything. I have two more bags of stuff to donate. Today I bought a few plastic storage bins at the dollar store and put all of my bath and cosmetics stash in them along with a written inventory so I can see what I have without having to go digging through it all. I found a brand new Bare Minerals kit I forgot I had, such a nice surprise!!

Thanks, 2slow2!

Awesome tips on getting organized and doing an inventory to refer to! I think I'll do that too. Finding new makeup you already had is great!

[Lovemyboots]

I lost my job the 31st & have really cut back on spending...liked to nothing! Just before I lost it I had been really cutting back. I had been doing some organizing in my closets & was finding things with the tag still on them & I had so many nice things. So I decided that it was ridiculous that I was buying stuff when I had plenty of nice things. So I organized, took a LOT of stuff to good will & when I got thru I was able to see what I had & put together some great outfits! You know I really felt a sense of relief to get down to this point. Did the same thing with makeup & creams. If I hate something & know I wont use it it goes. Gave me a lot more room too. But I have to say, I love to watch the Q & in order not to buy I have to just not turn the TV on or watch anything but a shopping channel! Was hard at first but every time I want to buy I tell myself "I don't need anything, I have nice clothes & lots of makeup & face creams! And most of all I have no job so I have to use any savings I have on food, gas, & bills till I find another job!" That works for me!

[lucylover64]

On 1/4/2015 henny said:

I lost my job the 31st & have really cut back on spending...liked to nothing! Just before I lost it I had been really cutting back. I had been doing some organizing in my closets & was finding things with the tag still on them & I had so many nice things. So I decided that it was ridiculous that I was buying stuff when I had plenty of nice things. So I organized, took a LOT of stuff to good will & when I got thru I was able to see what I had & put together some great outfits! You know I really felt a sense of relief to get down to this point. Did the same thing with makeup & creams. If I hate something & know I wont use it it goes. Gave me a lot more room too. But I have to say, I love to watch the Q & in order not to buy I have to just not turn the TV on or watch anything but a shopping channel! Was hard at first but every time I want to buy I tell myself "I don't need anything, I have nice clothes & lots of makeup & face creams! And most of all I have no job so I have to use any savings I have on food, gas, & bills till I find another job!" That works for me!

Henny....very sorry about the loss of your job. I lost mine about 2 yrs ago and it was so hard in many ways; however, I also had the opportunity to organize and change my thinking about things. Best wishes to you with finding a new job!

[rnmom]

I went thru all my Christmas stuff yesterday and organized it. Got a couple small things to donate and a few boxes of old ornaments went right to the trash, they were so discolored I didn't even want to donate them. Now everything is neatly packed away until next year. One more small project done. Everyone is so inspirational here, thanks for all the encouragement!

[Snicks1]

I am so glad that there are such great ideas being shared here on reducing our clutter, cutting back on excessive buying habits, etc. It really doesn't matter what our circumstances are, I think we can all benefit from each others experiences and clever ideas. As I shared in my first post on this thread, I don't shop excessively and don't have CC debt, it gets paid off in full every month, with the exception of January, that is the month that I let my CC company make a bit of interest off of me, and I do usually have a bit more on my card at this time of year, however, Feb, that will be paid off as well. My background is that I retired just over 2 years ago, from a job that I was on call 24/7, worked long hours, and just didn't have time or energy left to do a lot of decluttering for the last few years that I worked. I am now 64 years old and who among us at this age hasn't accumulated a lot of "stuff" during our lifetimes? I am interested in cutting back on any expenses that I can, due in part to rising costs of medical care (both myself & hubby have ongoing medical issues), costs of health insurance coverage rises all the time, as well as almost everything else; and I would rather have more to spend on traveling when we are able than to keep amassing more things that, in all reality does nothing to enhance my life. I am also mindful that I not leave tons of stuff for my family to deal with when I am gone from this planet, if I don't know what to do with it, how will they? I have been there, done that when my Mom passed and it is depressing to say the least. I will say that my first year of retirement I did go through my house and donated a LOT, but still held on to many more things than I should have, due to not wanting to overdo it and end up replacing things that I mistakenly got rid of in my urge to declutter, the 2nd year I also eliminated more things but not the huge quantity of the 1st year. This year, I am pretty settled into retirement and know fairly well what my needs as far as clothing, accessories, etc., are going to be, so I can clear a lot more from my closet than I felt sure of the last couple times. I know I will, on occasion, make purchases to update and replace some items for my wardrobe, but it will not be in quantities equal to the past.

I enjoy reading all the posts on this thread and daily try to pick up where I left off and catch up on what everyone is doing to Simplify 2015. Let's keep this going, for all of us!

[jackthebear]

On 1/5/2015 snickster said:

I am so glad that there are such great ideas being shared here on reducing our clutter, cutting back on excessive buying habits, etc. It really doesn't matter what our circumstances are, I think we can all benefit from each others experiences and clever ideas. As I shared in my first post on this thread, I don't shop excessively and don't have CC debt, it gets paid off in full every month, with the exception of January, that is the month that I let my CC company make a bit of interest off of me, and I do usually have a bit more on my card at this time of year, however, Feb, that will be paid off as well. My background is that I retired just over 2 years ago, from a job that I was on call 24/7, worked long hours, and just didn't have time or energy left to do a lot of decluttering for the last few years that I worked. I am now 64 years old and who among us at this age hasn't accumulated a lot of "stuff" during our lifetimes? I am interested in cutting back on any expenses that I can, due in part to rising costs of medical care (both myself & hubby have ongoing medical issues), costs of health insurance coverage rises all the time, as well as almost everything else; and I would rather have more to spend on traveling when we are able than to keep amassing more things that, in all reality does nothing to enhance my life. I am also mindful that I not leave tons of stuff for my family to deal with when I am gone from this planet, if I don't know what to do with it, how will they? I have been there, done that when my Mom passed and it is depressing to say the least. I will say that my first year of retirement I did go through my house and donated a LOT, but still held on to many more things than I should have, due to not wanting to overdo it and end up replacing things that I mistakenly got rid of in my urge to declutter, the 2nd year I also eliminated more things but not the huge quantity of the 1st year. This year, I am pretty settled into retirement and know fairly well what my needs as far as clothing, accessories, etc., are going to be, so I can clear a lot more from my closet than I felt sure of the last couple times. I know I will, on occasion, make purchases to update and replace some items for my wardrobe, but it will not be in quantities equal to the past.

I enjoy reading all the posts on this thread and daily try to pick up where I left off and catch up on what everyone is doing to Simplify 2015. Let's keep this going, for all of us!

I think anyone that has had to clean out their parent's house does not want to leave the same for their kids.

Our parents who lived through the war years did not go through the same need to clean out. I use the Our as in our generation, don't you all agree?

[luvmybonnie]

Well, four days under my belt, and holding strong - lol. I go back to work tomorrow, and start moving towards the finish line, as I'll be retiring on 5/31. I most likely will try to find part-time work or temp jobs after I retire, but I really need to watch my spending so I can take the time to adjust to retirement. Thanks for all the encouraging posts on this thread. I've been reading every one of them, and will continue to do so. We can do this!

[vicki is ok]

Just checking in to say hello. Got the garage decluttered yesterday. Wasn't too bad of a job, but needed to be done. Weather here is now frigid cold with the high today to be only 8 degrees farenheit. Brrrrr.

Not sure what I will be doing today as I have really accomplished a lot in the past 4 days. Just so happy to have this thread to come to.

Have a Great Day Everyone

Vicki