Much of the time, the key to maintaining a decluttered space is to limit what you bring into it. When you delay a purchase it limits impulse buying.
Many times we are sucked into the ‘Buy it Now’ mentality. But if you can give ourselves a chance to really evaluate a purchase you might not buy it. Try giving yourself a couple of days, or a week for small purchases, and up to 3 months for large purchases (a couple hundred dollars).
Ask yourself these questions to figure out why you feel the need to buy that item:
- Are you hungry?
- Are you lonely?
- Are you tired?
- Are you sad?
- Are you trying to fill a void?
- Are you bored?
There are 3 benefits to waiting on purchases:
- If you are still thinking about it then you know it’s not an emotional reaction.
- Sales/Discounts are typically on a three month cycle. If you wait you can save money by purchasing the item at a discount.
- You have time to save up for large purchases so you don’t have to pay interest on credit card payments.
What item have you really wanted, but when you delayed the purchase you found a better alternative or better price or didn’t buy it at all?