Last year I realized I was an impulse buyer. And maybe a little bit buoyed up by retail therapy. I bought a hell of a lot of stuff last year, much of it unnecessary. I am also trying to declutter and purchasing more stuff is a direct impediment to decluttering.

The Challenge

My challenge to myself is to only buy necessary items which could be:

• Consumables (Food, etc., Health care needs)
• Gifts for others
• Books that are selected by my book group but not readily available at the library
• Replacing necessary things that break (phone, computer, monitor, etc.)

Illegal purchases this year

1. One extension cord with flat plug (January 1) — I could have used an existing cord but I wanted one that would fit flat against the wall.
2. One pair of jeans (January 12) — I stopped in a store that was having a deep sale and saw they had my favorite brand of jeans so I bought a pair. I also bought:
3. One Cut Loose top that was also on sale.
4. One cast iron wok (January 17) because we are eating more stir-fries and we gave away our wok years ago.
5. Three small notebooks at the airport on our way to Florida (February 2) because I forgot to bring something to write on. Note that they are all still pristine. It turned out I didn’t need to write anything down after all.