The Sustainable Spot

After spending the latter part of 2012 on holiday in Utah, I came back to my new home in San Diego feeling a bit overwhelmed at the long list of things I needed in order to get ready for the new year.  I decided to make a list of everything that was necessary to get my house back in living condition. This list had three columns, including clothes for winter that I didn’t have, your basic food items for my empty fridge and pantry, and finally the toiletries that I had brought with me and exhausted. Seems basic, right? So why did I feel so stressed?

I realized that when I walked into my bedroom after being gone for so long I was already wrought with anxiety. I hadn’t even touched my closet yet and it was already in disarray and packed to the brim. If I even attempted to unpack my suitcase it would be like putting pop rocks into a coke can and soon I would be buried in a pile of clothes while still feeling as if I had nothing to wear. I hate that feeling and I have it all the time so I knew something had to change.

I was also really torn because Mark and I had managed our holiday budget so well, decreasing our monthly credit card bill to 40% less than it was the month before, and I didn’t want to undermine our progress by going on what would probably be a $300-$400 shopping spree.

I then made a pact with myself, I would not be heading out to the mall or Bed, Bath & Beyond. I went to Home Depot instead and bought a large storage box and quickly came home.  I resolved to do something I had never done before, shop in my closet. I brought the list into my closet with me along with a big marker and started the hunt. I sorted my clothes into four piles, my summer clothes that were too cold to wear I packed away, clothes that I hadn’t worn in a while but could be handy in the future went in the box as well, clothes that I could donate went into a separate bag, and the clothes that were headed to Buffalo exchange so I could trade them for other items on the list were last. The rest of my clothes were then color coordinated and most of them brought out of the drawers to hang in the light so I could actually see what I had.

I was so excited, I had crossed off nearly all the items on my clothing list and had also cleaned and organized my living space. I continued into the bathroom to find that I had duplicates stashed away for most of my toiletries tucked away in the storage bins under the sink. Now many of you are thinking, well duh this is what we call spring cleaning, but for anyone that knows me this is as foreign to my nature as landing on the moon. I feel like it is the same scenario for a lot of others out there as well that just don’t even know where to start, which is why I felt I needed to share my story.

When all was said and done I had saved myself hours in shopping and money on gas driving to these different places, and about $300 in unnecessary items that I already had buried in my closet. I also gained a completely new start to 2013 with an organized closet, bathroom, and pantry in my new house. I now realize that when I get the urge to buy, my first reaction should not be to hit the mall. So many problems can be fixed with the solution of organization and proper budgeting. For me, just taking a little more time to think before I spend needlessly made all the difference. Resolution to save in 2013 already underway!