Part 2: The Shopping Problem

So with all that destashing, you'd think I'd have tons of wide open space. And I did. The problem was it never stayed wide open for very long. Very soon, things came along to fill those spaces and clutter them up. Where were those things COMING FROM? And besides, WHY was my credit card bill creeping higher and higher every month?

I consider myself pretty smart but it took a while for these two concepts, in addition to the thrift shop lady's comment, to merge into one idea in my mind. I was my own worst enemy. I was continually purging and destashing, but at the same time I was continually shopping and creating both more clutter and more bills.

When I thought about it, I realized that I had been shopping unconsciously for some time. When I'd hear about a party or something the first thing I'd think about was buying a new dress. I loved cleaning out Maggie's dresser because then I'd go shopping and buy her all new clothes. I'd be lying on the couch admiring my pretty pink vase from Carrie and I'd immediately wonder if I should buy another one since I enjoyed this one so much.

My first impulse for nearly any stimulus was to go out and try to buy a solution.

And my house was littered with attempts at these solutions, and my credit card bills were coming out of my savings account every month and depleting my savings.

I realized I had to put a new set of rules in place, and quickly. I'll examine each one in upcoming posts!