to ask if you've achieved the nirvana of not wanting to buy stuff you REALLY don't want

I have a Pinterest account for this purpose.

Just remember that what comes in, must one day go out. So at some point you’re going to have to chuck it, donate it, sell it, or your kids are going to have to do the same if you’ve gone.

Love this - made me laugh

I look at things and think they are nice then I imagine how much time I would spend cleaning them, moving them out of the way to clean underneath. Then I think of them getting old and tatty and I keep my money in my purse.

I do that with our loft and storage. I force myself to bring one item down for disposal every time I put something new in there.

Also try to do it with clothes but that's more of a necessity as we don't have much storage space in the small wardrobes and drawer units, so usually there's no room to put anything new away until we create some space by removing something and then putting it in a charity bag.

This is going to sound pants but I have a window shopping folder, and I keep photos of the stuff I want in it instead of buying them.

You might appreciate this OP. DS got me it from Japan. (I'm a big fan of rilakkuma). Never ever go there! The shopping for this kind of stuff is unreal.

What stops me buying tat here is saving money to go and buy tat there instead 😂

My view is that it gives me pleasure. I'm a maximalist anyway so getting stuff for the house is a hobby. I don't see the harm. If I can afford something and want it, I get it. I have improved in that I do put more thought into things now. But I don't spend on other things, like clothes or beauty products, whatever. So I see it that I'm entitled to spend some money on myself.

Life is short. If you like it, can afford it then buy it. Enjoy!!

Several things have contributed to me not buying as much stuff. Clearing out my parent’s house was daunting as there were cabinets full of ornaments and wardrobes full of clothes my mum never wore lead me to be more disciplined in what I bought.
We downsized and again got rid of lots of items that we didn’t use and clothes I didn’t wear, I also stopped buying clothes from the supermarket, not particularly for any moral reasons but because it was too easy to add something to the trolley every week.
The final thing was volunteering in a charity shop and seeing the sheer amount of stuff donated. I also find when I get wants if I wait long enough I can buy something that fulfills that want fo buy from the charity shop.
I also find not actively shopping online or in person reduces the wants.

Same for me. Nothing like clearing out someone else's lifetime of collections to make you reconsider your own, and your spending habits.

I've spent 2 years chipping away at my own stuff - anything I buy now has to be to replace my own stuff if it's broken, or really significant. Eg new pans because the set I had was a wedding present 20 years ago and the bottom of 2 pans are bowed - remembering to get rid of the whole set, bin the broken ones and recycle the others. Kitchen trays replacing rust and bent ones with good quality ones that will last. No fast fashion, or cheap shoes. No holiday souvenir tat. No trendy house decor shite that will only be popular for a year or two.

I don't want to burden my kids with the emotional job of clearing out my crap once I'm gone. I'm doing them a favour and feeling better about my space and my finances too.

With something pointless but cutesy like the vegetables, I'd try to figure out why I'm drawn to it. Leave it a few weeks and if the idea of owning something with cute vegetables with eyes on is still making me feel happy, I'll have a look at whether I can find a more useful and practical version of it, which fits in with something I'm needing to replace anyway. Socks, PJs, T-shirts, mugs are all good examples as they're things you're using everyday so tend to need replacing often. I go through socks pretty quickly, so keep a few pairs of bog standard plain ones, but also have a nice collection of colourful, quirky ones I can indulge my inner child and enjoy wearing around the house on my days off.

Yes.

We don't stint ourselves have, if we need new stuff we research it to make sure we get the best thing for the right price (just bought a new pressure washer!) but we don't impulse buy crap like furry vegetables, no.

We have got to the age when we don't really want anything we don't already have, Christmas and birthdays are a nightmare.

I used to be like this. Now that I have a little disposable income, I find I don't spend it.

Moving house - I'm doing it again I hope in the next year

Getting a dog - instead of having time to wander around shopping centres, I spent my days off work with the dog

I also have always had a cleaner - cleaners don't like clutter or work as efficiently in a cluttered house

I feel much more peaceful with space and clear surfaces

I really dislike full cupboards or wardrobes. It makes it much more difficult to see what you actually have

I wear a limited range of colours generally so that helps reduce clothes shopping

I'm retiring next week and really looking forward to taking a load of stuff I only ever wear to work to the charity shops

I rarely buy things that are purely ornamental. Books, pictures, mugs, coasters, bookmarks, tealight holders yes.

We spend our JL vouchers on champagne

Mine just go on the next Waitrose shop.

I think it's an age/stage of life thing. I've done my own share of collecting in the past. Most of that has all gone, and much that's left will go when we downsize. It could go now, but it fills a space.

I keep asking for no gifts as I don't want or need anything and I'm afraid most of what I'm given now goes straight into a distant charity shop.

Similar to how you like collecting things, I like collecting money now & watching it grow instead of junk accummulating dust.

This sums it up perfectly. Some people collect crap. I collect money and invest it to
make more money.
Of course I enjoy life, too. But financial security beats easting money on pointless junk every single time.

Stop looking at social media/advertising.
You are being drawn in to other people having these things. Seriously.
I went through a stage when my kids were tiny of wanting all the clothes nappies you could get your hands on. It was like an addiction.
Now I rarely spend money on pointless stuff because I use my time differently, read more books instead of social scrolling.

Overall, when I am tempted to buy stuff I don’t need (my weakness is clothes, usually trousers!), I get a voice in my head saying “what sadness/trouble in your life are you trying to ease with all this stuff?” And I just close the website and go and do something else.

This is very perceptive. When I buy stuff I don't need it is to assuage sadness, or take my mind off some trouble. I usually attempt to try to do that for free by going for a walk or a swim or meeting a friend.

I always put loads of stuff in my Amazon basket. Then immediately move it to save for later. I rarely put it back in the basket and usually end up deleting it at some point.

That way I feel like I’m shopping like a millionaire but it’s a free dopamine hit!

YES I HAVE.

But I AM 66.

My main problem is I can go a bit bonkers in the sales. I've never been into gambling but I get what I'd imagine could be a similar kind of adrenaline rush when I see something marked down, usually clothing. The advantage of this is that I rarely buy at full price as I think I'm being ripped off. The downside is I can end up buying stuff I don't need just cos it's in the sale. I know things can be on sale all year round but they seem to mark down summer stock around now and winter stock in dec/ Jan so those are my danger times. Anyone else like this?

With the jelly cats, as with a lot of cute things, I find one cute or maybe two. But too many together and they just become items and their individual cuteness become sort of… manipulative! And you can see the industry/corporate/capitalist aspect too clearly.

Overall, when I am tempted to buy stuff I don’t need (my weakness is clothes, usually trousers!), I get a voice in my head saying “what sadness/trouble in uour life are you trying to ease with all this stuff?” And I just close the website and go and do something else.

Also I have a border-line hoarder in my family. Fuck me, I am never going to be like her.

Came here to say this. I've cleared a few houses, trying so hard not to leave piles of stuff for my daughter to sort out.