As we have all noticed, prices on nearly everything
have increased. Interest rates are up, and the stock market is more often bearish than bullish.
For many of us, it has affected our shopping habits. We have cut back, looked for less
expensive options, and watched for sales.
During this economic downturn, you may be less likely to get rid of some things as quickly as you would have before.
Maybe you've asked yourself, "Is simply being tired of something a good reason to get rid of it?"
And this is a good question to ask yourself.
For instance, let's say you're been using your iPhone for the past two years and a new one just came out. You may love to get new technology the second it's released, but is it really necessary to do so right now...especially if the older version is serving your current needs just fine?
What about your vehicle? Yes, maybe you've had it for eight years, and in good times, you'd normally sell it by now...but is it really the best time to do so, especially if it's not giving you any issues?
Not long ago, I noticed our dryer wasn't drying our clothing as well as it had before. I was able to get the clothes dry by adding another 20 minutes to the cycle, but it was getting tiring to do so. Instead of replacing it, we called a local handyman, and he was able to refurbish our current dryer.
It works like new, and it cost us a fraction of the price it would have cost to replace it.
In another example, I recently decided I no longer wanted a pair of jeans I had. There was
nothing wrong with them; I just was tired of them. Instead of completely getting rid of them, I decided to upcycle them. I looked up a Pinterest project and turned them into a cute purse.
That all being said, sometimes being tired of something IS, in fact, a good reason to get rid of it. If it's no longer useful or appealing to you, you can easily replace it or do without it, and/or you have no plans of turning it into something else, by all means, bid it a fond farewell.
The economy will get better and it's easy to spend, spend, spend when it does. When times are good, most people end up with a lot of possessions that are unnecessary. This is when clutter builds.
I certainly would love to see an improvement in our economy because living with high prices everywhere on everything has not been fun...and has been extremely challenging.
That being said, economic downturns are opportunities to see exactly what we can live without.
What we thought was so important to us before may not have as much significance in an economic downturn.
These challenging times remind us to check
our priorities and what we value most in life. It's an excellent time to declutter and simplify.
