Every day, we are inundated with advertisements telling us to buy things – and online shopping has made it easier than ever to purchase an item instantly. Although some of those items are useful and make our everyday lives easier, many of them end up becoming clutter in our homes.
“We’re surrounded by cultural messages that we’re not enough,” says Emily McDermott, decluttering coach and owner of Simply by Amy. “It’s up to us to understand if an item is really going to make our lives better, or if we’re just hearing marketing messages telling us we need it to be happy.”
Sometimes it’s hard to sort through the noise and figure out what you really need. So we turned to decluttering and minimalism experts for their tips and tricks – here are the questions they always ask themselves before buying anything.
meet the expert
- elizabeth shields is the operations manager at Super Cleaning Service in Louisville, Kentucky.
- Emily McDermott is a decluttering coach and owner of Simply by Amy.
Will this make me happy in the long run?
We often buy things because it will make us happy—but not necessarily in the long run.
Elizabeth Shields, operations manager at Super Cleaning Service, says it’s important to ask yourself if the item you’re considering purchasing will bring you happiness in the long term or if you’re buying it for a “dopamine hit.” Are.
“Pleasure is permanent, but dopamine is fleeting,” says Shields. “If the excitement fades as soon as you buy it, that’s a red flag. Try waiting 24 hours and see if the ‘spark’ is still there. If it doesn’t light you up after a day If it is, then it’s not worth it.”
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Am I buying it just because it’s on sale?
There are sales on items every day. And while this can be useful for saving on items you really need, Shields cautions that just because an item is on sale, doesn’t mean you need it.
“Sales are stealthy,” she says. “They trick you into thinking you’re saving money when you’re really just spending it. Ask yourself if you can afford this item at all.” Will buy at price. If the answer is no, walk away.”
Is it super trendy?
The fastest way to fill your home with clutter and unnecessary things is to buy into trends on a regular basis. Although some trends are long-term, many of them are transitory.
“Trends come and go, but clutter is forever,” says Shields. Minimalism means timeless, not trendy.
McDermott agrees, and recommends asking yourself if you’re buying the item for yourself and because it’s something you want, or if you’re buying it for the approval of others.
Is this an upgrade?
Shopping to replace an old item is a great reason to buy something, so before buying anything, consider whether this is the case.
“Replacement shopping is smart shopping,” says Shields. “But if it’s just adding to your stockpile without letting anything else go, reconsider. Make sure you’re not just stockpiling.”
McDermott also suggests asking yourself a similar question: “Will this item have a permanent home?”
Often, we buy things and then don’t have space for it, so it’s worth considering whether you really have the space for it. Or implement a one-in-one-out rule to ensure these things don’t build up over time.
How often will I use it?
You should often ensure that your purchases are also investments. And a smart investment is one that will get you a lot, given regular use and wear and tear.
“We all want to believe that we’ll use that bread maker every weekend or wear those shiny heels to every party,” says Shields.
Shields explains that before purchasing an item it’s important to ask yourself how often you’ll actually use it — and she even has a specific rule of thumb you can follow.
“Think of a realistic number of times you’ll use it over the next month or year,” she says. “If it’s less than three, put it back.”
