A lot of popular blogs and magazines frequently feature things to buy. Spring is in the air! Time for new stuff in the latest colors! Everything you bought in previous seasons is out-dated! I admit that I’ve been tempted so many times and if you are, too, you might need to do this little exercise, too.
Go through your house or closet and remind yourself of past purchases that still make you happy. You might be surprised that many things you thought of as “investment” pieces did not bring about as much happiness or return-on-investment as expected. You might also get a small dose of happiness from old purchases and not feel the need to buy new things. At least that’s what I was hoping when I wrote this post (inspired by my new spending mentality due to “Your Money or Your Life” Regular readers will be tired of my constant reference to this book by now).
So here goes my list of old purchases that still make me happy:
- Peacoat: A classic in blue that I got a good deal on
- Leather boots from Italy: Pretty and classic; needs a little shine!
- Party dress: Looks like new because I only wore it once! I wish I had occasion to wear it again.
- Bathroom Cabinet: A small change that greatly updated our bathroom.
- Sweater Dress: Still pretty new. An excellent deal and so comfortable!
- Selected DVDs of classic TV shows: I can watch some shows over and over again. Which reminds me of #7…
- Old books that I can re-read and that I never get bored of.
- Black fake leather purse: Maybe I’m too old for fake leather but I love it and don’t care. It’s sporty but still OK for work environments.
- Shiny black leather flats: I think I love it more because it’s from a designer brand. The cobbler was doubtful about adding shoe taps on it until he turned it around and saw that it was made in Italy.
- Red Land’s End sweater: Work appropriate yet so comfortable.
- Gray cardigan: I wear this all the time. Hides the butt which makes it very practical, too.
- Dark jeans: It’s on the skinny jean side and I’m sure that trend is over but I do love it.
Just by doing this quick exercise, I realized that love for stuff can wear off pretty quickly. For example, a pretty blouse from one of my favorite designers would have definitely made this list just two years ago. It’s still in good shape but I don’t wear it as often anymore for some reason so I can’t say that I love it.
Ironically, in some cases, the more I’ve worn something, the more likely it will fall off the list because it doesn’t look shiny and new anymore. Since I’m a complicated person (haha), I can also say that if an item does not get that much use, I love it less because it did not meet my expectations in some way.
Furnishings did not make the cut because my kids destroy furniture. My favorite pillow is stashed in a closet out of reach and I’m tempted to sell or give it to someone who can really appreciate it.
Technology wasn’t included but I admit that I love the use I get out of various tech stuff. I would give up many things before cutting internet access!
What old things are making you happy right now? Please include clothing items, shoes, and purses so that I don’t feel shallow.
Oilandgarlic's Blog 
Excellent idea. I just finished going through all the clothes in my closet and getting rid of the things that make me unhappy. I then took the things that make me happy and gave them some love with an iron etc…The new closet feels refreshed without having to add anything new.
A shopper girlfriend of mine always gives me her “old” clothes. Half of them still have the tags on them. She must get a real kick out of buying them but hardly wears them….lucky for me she has good taste. I don’t buy clothes often so I have to love it to buy it. We moved house about 6 years ago and had a massive garage sale and got rid of everything that I disliked…so now I am happy with our furnishings. I am not a shopper so impulse buying is not an issue for me.
I’m enjoying my adorable pregnancy jumpers. I missed them after my son was born! (I bought pregnancy clothing lots on ebay from women getting rid of their entire pregnancy wardrobe in one fell swoop– some of the stuff was really nice! At at most $1.50/item I didn’t feel the least bit of guilt donating the stuff I didn’t care for right away.)
I’m also enjoying Pilot G2 pens. Even grading isn’t as bad with one.
I should have thought of Ebay when pregnant. Someone told me it’s a good source for baby clothes, too. I haven’t checked yet.
yes, it is… basically it’s great for anything that’s used for a short amount of time and then the person who owns it has no use for it
We got a great lot of 6-9 mo clothing really cheap (which was the only size that we didn’t have too much clothing for… everyone gave bigger or smaller!)