Less is More: Part 3

Last time in this series, we discussed staying home more as a means to save money, keep things simple, and find that less is more.

Today I want to share one of my second big tips for saving money and keeping things simple: wait to start shopping for something until you need it and can afford it. This point goes hand-in-hand with shopping less. If you don’t have money to buy something or you don’t need anything, don’t go shopping. It’s that simple and I promise that it can greatly reduce your outgo.

I’ve found that the less I shop and the less I look at catalogs and websites, the more content I am. Clothes, shoes, and jewelry never truly satisfy, so no matter how much of this stuff I buy, I’ll not find contentment in having more stuff.

A less-cluttered home can free up more time and energy: fewer clothes mean less laundry to wash, dry, fold, and put away; fewer shoes and jewelry saves time because it means less decisions on which ones to wear with which; fewer knick-knacks and decorations mean less time to dust, pick up, re-arrange, and organize.

Growing up, if we said that we needed new shoes, my mom would always ask us, "How many can you wear at once?"

Her point was not that you should only have one pair of shoes, but she was trying to challenge us to ask ourselves, "Do I really need this?" We would do well to stop and ask this of ourselves before we make any purchase–especially if we are feeling strapped for cash already. How many of our purchases are truly needs and not just wants?

When I’m feeling like I "just don’t have anything to wear", one thing I’ve found to be helpful is to wait a week or two before going out and buying something. Often, I’ll find that I didn’t really desperately need it, I was just being discontent. And those extra days of waiting will force me to come up with some new combinations for outfits or to pull out some article of clothing I had somewhat forgotten about.

In addition to waiting at least a few days before buying something I feel like I need, I try to take a few days to pray about things before just running out to go shopping. God has often provided exactly what I’ve needed through some unexpected circumstance!

Let me be quick to say that I’m not making a case that one should never buy anything unless they desperately need it or that you should only have two outfits, but I do want to challenge you to examine your current spending habits and lifestyle practices. If you are struggling financially, consider what areas you could possibly trim down by focusing on buying only what you need.

When my husband was in law school and we were barely squeaking by, I learned first-hand just how little it takes to live on. We went often went for months without buying anything but the bare necessities. This practice was so good for us and has benefited us tremendously even now that we do have much more wiggle room in our budget.

We occasionally make budgeted splurges and enjoy a few "luxuries" that are certainly not necessities, but we still are very careful about purchases made. Before buying something, we try to always: examine whether we can afford it; pray and ask God for Wisdom and provision; wait at least a few days before making the purchase; and make sure we are getting the best deal when and if we do buy it.

And these habits have certainly saved us hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars over the last five years of our marriage. Best of all, they have helped us to keep things simple and avoid lots of unnecessary clutter and stuff.

What about you? What things do you consider before making a purchase? How do you make sure you don’t overspend or overbuy? How do you avoid the excessive consumerism mentality which is so rampant in our society?

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