Keep Asking: Is this a need or is this a want?

Since the theme of this year is SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!, I must constantly remind myself whether something I want is a real need or not.

For instance, I have an old rug in the kitchen. It doesn't look bad. Only I know how old it is. Besides, if I did not have that rug, do I really need one in the kitchen? Not really. So, that has been crossed from my list.

Have I ever told you about that list of mine? I don't think so.

Whenever I feel like I must buy something, I put it on a list. Once or twice every week, I visit that list and extract my weekly grocery shopping items. So, you see it is more of a catch all list.

I want a pair of nice Caterpillar boots. The boots I currently have, started to look shabby and although I think, they will survive this winter, I will need new boots next year. So, for now, I have put the boots on my list and noted the current price. When I go to my primary residence next week, I will see if there are other boots that I can wear so that I can postpone this purchase. I may have some less worn boots but for a while I could not wear them. I had some pain issues and I relied solely on New Balance Athletic shoes and the boots that I currently wear. My problems are gone and I may try to go back to wearing my old footwear to see if the problems will come back or not. If it does, there is motivation to purge right there!

I was thinking of getting a new bedspread for the bed in my primary home but, since I will give up the studio in the summer, I will end up with extra bedspreads anyway. Pooof! No more a need. Just got crossed off my list.

I was at IKEA yesterday. Since the weather was bad, I just wanted to stretch my legs. I really did not need anything to buy except for ziplock baggies. Meanwhile, on my need list, I had some hand towels. I was looking for the  cheap white kind which can be bleached and this has been a long time need but I simply refused to pay more than a certain amount for them. I found towels that were just what I wanted and the price was very close to what I would be willing to pay. Then all of a sudden, I remembered that I had a 20 TL off gift card from a previous purchase which was about to expire. Voila! The cost of the hand towels came to a figure below what I would be willing to pay. A bit of patience sometimes goes a long way.

Using a list makes your buying choices a somewhat fun exercise too. How? You get creative. For instance, sometimes, I find things to re-purpose to serve a need and cross the related item off my list. Every penny saved now is a penny that might be badly needed in retirement.

 I am a big proponent of the quote: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”