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We all know that living organisms have a life cycle. They are born, grow up and die. But if we start to think of all the material things we buy having a life cycle, items such as beauty products, children's toys, furniture, clothes, anything we buy, it can lead to important questions at the time of purchase.
Whether your home is full of clutter with nowhere to put things, or your home is neat and orderly, if we question what we purchased before we buy it, we can seriously help eliminate how much stuff we accumulate over time.
One example of this was when I was a first-time mum. I bought so much that I thought I needed, mostly all new, to give the best start for my child. I bought a bath rest for my son to lie in while in the bath, I bought lots of clothes, I bought toys and feeding equipment that was sold to me to make my life easier and that every child needs it because it would make them happier or cleverer or sleep better or eat better.
Well, second and third time round I realised I didn't need half the items. The bath rest was useful for when I was washing the other two in the bath, but I could easily have done without. I bought fewer clothes, barely any toys and no gimmicky food related items that gather dust in the drawer - but my point being if I had thought about some purchases before I bought them, for a slightly longer time, I would have realised that some products were completely unnecessary, a complete waste of money and the life cycle of the product was in fact very short in terms of usage.
Whatever stage of your adult life there are always marketing strategies for your niche to encourage up spending of your precious money. Now, I'm a fan of shopping, don't get me wrong and I still find myself thinking "oh, maybe that product wasn't so useful after all" but it happens much less frequently.
Other questions to consider are:
1. Where will it live when I bring it home?
2. How much time does it require from me? - cleaning, dusting, putting it away, setting it up for use etc
3.Do I already own something like this?
4. Do I need something else to go with it?
5. Does it actually fit?
6. Am I going to wear it more than once?
7. Is it a trend that will last?
8. Can I really afford it?
9. Can I borrow one?
10. Practice restraint.
The truth is, becoming more intentional with your shopping won't necessarily end the urge to go shopping, but will help you to save time, save money, cut down on the clutter and make it easier to maintain your organised home / lifestyle you desire, and deserve.