In recent months, I’ve noticed a tendency to make unnecessary purchases, leading to clutter and a drain on both my time and savings. To address this, I embarked on a Low Buy challenge throughout February. It was my first time doing this type of challenge, and I’m eager to share my reflections with you in the weeks to come. Today I want to focus on one invaluable concept I used of “shopping your own stash.”
What is shopping your own stash?
Shopping your own stash is mentally or physically reviewing what you own to identify if there is something to meet your needs. To give an example, if you found yourself wanting a new daily lotion, check your cupboards first before running out to the store to purchase a new one. I am definitely guilty of that one. This helps you reduce the number of new purchases and make the most of what we already have.
Let’s dive into a few examples of how I found shopping my stash helped me.
Reducing the Grocery Bill
With food costs on the rise and my sub-par meal planning skills, overspending and food accumulation became all too familiar. To combat this, I reviewed the food in my cupboards and freezers. I discovered a wealth of meat, treats, and vegetables waiting to be utilized.
When creating our grocery list, I prioritized meals based on these existing ingredients. From hamburgers and chicken breasts to homemade cookies, I crafted meals and snacks around what we already had on hand. This meant purchasing additional items to complement our existing stock.
Though seemingly simple, putting this into practice opened my eyes to other areas of excess in my life, prompting me to find creative ways to make the most of what I already owned.
Slowing down the Accumulation of Hobbies
Hobbies can easily shift into a sink hole of money if you often jump between too many hobbies or projects. Not to mention all the space that equipment can take up.
To continue the shopping my stash concept, I challenged myself each time I wanted to buy something, to first stop and look at what I already own. This lead me to read books on my TBR (To Be Read) list, paint with watercolors, complete a puzzle with my husband, sew more on a current quilt, play my current video games, and write more for my blog. I have enjoyed all of these in the past and coming back to them has been very comforting. It also scratches that itch of completing things I left unfinished.
To give you an idea of the items I did not go ahead and purchase, it included a crochet kit, embroidery kit, more books, and additional cozy fantasy video games.
I found an overall huge reduction in purchases when I took a pause and really analyzed what I already had and how I could make it work for my needs. The purchases that I did not make allow me more time to consider if I truly do want them from a monetary and entertainment value standpoint.
Overall, the practice of shopping my stash has provided me with a renewed perspective on what I own. It has instilled a sense of pride in utilizing what I have rather than another purchase. While I did not get that initial dopamine hit with those new purchases, it has allowed me to reduce the amount that I own and reduce my overall consumption.
I do plan to continue shopping my stash as I do feel it instills good reflexes for my overall money management and mental health. What do you think? Is shopping your stash something you wish to try out?
