Community Chat

[Sooner]

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@fthunt wrote:

Yes in spades.   I keep putting off donating to good will a brand new stove top pressure cooker (bought an instant pot) and a new QVC air fryer.  Somebody might as well be using them.  Fried foods I love but don't love me back.  Wish a truck would back up to front door and just load unwanted - unused stuff.!

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@fthunt  Oh but a truck will do that!  The Salvation Army!  We have done it many many times!  LOL!!!  Box the stuff, get a date for pickup, put boxes on porch.  It's GONE and you get a donation receipt!  

[Sooner]

Not so much to spend less but spend better!  We do not skimp much on groceries because we buy mostly fresh fruits and veggies and meats.  We rarely buy convenience foods, just spaghetti sauce, about 6 cans of cream of something a year that we use in dressing, and some organic canned veggies to keep on hand, lots of canned tomatoes. 

I have been trying to spend money on less and better all around and it seems to be working!  The house has places for things and I'm happy about that, but am going to really clean out this year, now that all of it is in one place and easy to sort and purge. 

[Blahblahvampemer]

Big time!  I've got over 20 boxes ready for the Salvation Army (never Goodwill) with more to go.  Then I'm having a vintage sale for the dealers I know.  Then a garage sale.  Since there are three generations of stuff to get rid of, it's a lot, and I don't need more.

My goal is to buy some land for a 800 sq.ft. house so 80% has to go.

[ALRATIBA]

Not spending less - but rather re-directing where it's going.

[jannabelle1]

No one knows that there will be a recession, so please don't assume/announce that we will have one. As for buying less, I've been doing that since I've retired because I just don't need a lot of new clothes, boots, shoes, bags, etc. Nor do I need to buy new stuff to decorate my town home during the holidays or any other time of the year. It all ends up being more stuff that needs to be dealt with! I spend the same as I always have on food items, but we don't eat out a lot. I'm content to live with less stuff and have saved money doing that. It doesn't work for everyone, but it does for me.

[RetRN]

@chessylady, oh no! Where have I been? I didn't know about a recession approaching. Economy is looking good to me, higher wages, lower unemployment rates--people were spending this holiday season from what I have seen and heard. 

[lovesrecess]

Clearing out and eliminating "stuff" is an ongoing process for me. Talked DH into boxing up some books he would never read again....took them to the 1/2 price bookstore and they gave him a few bucks but they are gone! Not taking up space...that's my goal. If I buy a new piece of clothing, I get rid of an old one. We are really needing to downsize so I am thinking if we actually move, how much of this stuff would I really take with me? Not much!

[AuntG]

Yes, I will spend less, because I need less. When I retired, I did a thorough decluttering, but I'll go through each room after the new year to see if there are things I no longer need. I truly think if I needed to work, I could find a job because everyone is hiring around here. Economy is booming.

[cotton4me]

I began decluttering when I retired.  I started in the basement, the closets, then expanded out, then the next floor, etc.  Little by little I went through every closet, drawer and room in the house.  I donated stuff (clothing, housewares, jewelry) to Salvation Army every week for months.  It also took time to go through a lot of old paperwork that needed to be shredded.

It seemed overwhelming at first, but I kept reminding myself of the quote, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.  It feels good to let go of things – very freeing.  I find I need very little.  Not sure why I bought half the stuff I did.  It would be nice to have that money in a savings account.  

[AngelPuppy1]

I don't make resolutions for the new year any more and haven't for years.  I never seemed to keep them and then I would get upset with myself, so I don't need that!  LOL! I am newly retired so have decided that part of my future plan is to try and weed out a lot of stuff.  I am in no hurry but will try to do what I can, when I can.  The accumulation didn't happen overnight and it won't be cleared out overnight!  I do think that clutter in your home and work place clutters up your brain as well.  I definitely need to simplify and de-clutter my brain!!!  

As for spending less --- yes!  I will be having less income and this is part of it.  But really, at the age I am now, I am finding, that less is definitely more.  Things I thought I needed and wanted and had to have, don't matter to me any more.  I still love to shop and always will, but I am far more choosy in my purchases, and enjoy just browsing. If something truly appeals to me and/or the needs is there, then I will snap it up.  Otherwise, it's enough just to look and enjoy the outing!!!