I’m still knee deep in my organizing-my-apartment binge. As of tonight, I have gotten rid of at least six bags of garbage, tossed out several expired and nearly empty lotions, creams and hair products and am in the process of getting rid of old clothes that are either in bad shape, out of style or I simply never wear. While I am relieved to have extra room in my apartment, there is a tiny part of me that is tempted to refill it with new things.
I have to convince myself…DON’T DO IT! Yes, it would be nice to own some newer, nicer makeup or get something new to wear for work, but this is how I get myself into trouble. I get suckered in by sales, thinking I need things, only to put myself into debt and add clutter I just got rid of!
How am I avoiding this time around, you ask? I am simply asking myself the following questions: Do I truly need it to replace something that I finished using or threw out? Is it necessary? Am I buying it simply because it is on sale/I want to try the product/out of pure temptation? The truth is, nine times out of ten, it is a no for the first two questions and a yes for the third.
A good example is my love for good makeup. I recently saw that the daughter of a Real Housewife is endorsing a new mascara. The mascara sounded fantastic, long lasting, does everything except my laundry and bring me my slippers and will supposedly make me look like I have the fake lash look that is so in vogue right now. However, as I perused the Sephora website, staring at this new wonder mascara, as well as the mini mascara pack that has my all time favorite brand (with a coupon for a free full sized tube!) and the Born This Way foundation line I’ve been dying to try, I asked myself if I was buying these products because they were necessary and I needed them or because I was curious about yet another product. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I wasn’t going to buy this because I needed it, but because I wanted it. I was honest with myself and said that I have a new tube of drugstore mascara that cost a fraction of the price. While it may not give me the false lash look I want, it still works and I don’t necessarily NEED the false lash look.
As for the foundation, I use a brand that I know works well for what I need. (In short, if it ain’t broke, why fix it?) The point is, I let go of the temptation and walked away from the products I want, but don’t need. Will I eventually try these brands of makeup? Maybe, but it is not necessary, nor will my life change if I never know how well these products work. I saved money, have extra space and have peace of mind knowing I didn’t give into temptation.
This is not to say I won’t splurge on something occasionally. I just now am learning to live by the ‘just because I can, doesn’t mean I should’ school of thought when it comes to shopping.
