msdare
New Member
Joined: September 2010
Posts: 51
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Post by msdare on Mar 28, 2011 16:06:38 GMT -5
This week I'm starting a new log for myself to track every item that comes into my house. Compulsive acquiring is a big part of the problem for me and I've been inspired by 3 things: both the Buried In Treasure chapter 9 on help for acquiring and the 12 step model for recovery from compulsive spending recommend the same thing; writing down every single item bought or in the case of clutterers also free items brought home. Also I have found that posting every item I am tossing out on SooS has helped me, why wouldn't it help me to post the opposite - every thing in?  So here goes. Woo boy!  I have the feeling this is going to be an eye-opener for me!! March 22 (day I started): Bought: - coffee and slice of yogurt cake (threw out trash afterward) - $10 of gas - lunch (all trash thrown out afterward) - latte at Starbucks ( threw into trash at home) Stuff brought into home: 1 item, Starbucks cup , but went into trash immediately when done! Free items: (I'm going to include this category as well because I have a real problem with adopting other peoples' things!) None!!  March 23 Bought: - Daily News and NY Post. (I am making it a rule to only buy the papers if something extraordinary happens because these accumulate on me. The extraordinary reason - Elizabeth Taylor died) - coffee and lunch (lunch waste thrown out afterward, coffee cup at home) - 1 iced tea from McDonald's Free stuff: None !! Total items brought into home: - 1 coffee cup (tossed) - iced tea cup (tossed) - 2 newpapers - kept tribute to Liz Taylor, put rest of papers in recycle bag Kept: parts of 2 newspapers March 24 Bought: - coffee (tossed cup while out) - $15 gas - Starbucks drink (tossed at home) - take out dinner (tossed everything when done) Free stuff: None Total brought home: - everything brought in thrown in trash (2 coffee cups, dinner container and take out bag) March 25 Bought: - McDonald's ice tea (thrown out at home) - dinner out (no trash or leftovers) Free stuff: None Total home: - only iced tea cup and thrown out in trash March 26 - $6 gas - lunch ( at restaurant, brought home leftovers, threw out when done with) - McDonald's iced tea (brought home and tossed after) Free stuff: - 3 pages of a friend's unpublished book to review - plan to return Total kept: - 3 pages March 27 Bought: - McDonald's iced tea (tossed when done) Free stuff: none Total Home: 0 Week's Total Acquired: 3 pages, 2 sections of newspaper Whew!!  I'm sure I'll fine tune this as I go along. If anyone here is an acquirer and wishes to join me please do!!!  I'd love the company!!  |
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Post by Meme on Mar 28, 2011 16:38:05 GMT -5
I really like this idea and have temptations of trying the same thing for the month of April---I know I am very careful about thinking before I buy now-- this is just a new habit I had to work on for many years-
Here I am letting you have the plan and fine tuning it and then taking off with it- bless your heart for sharing-and I hope you don't mind a rip off- double hugs
Meme
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Post by CourageouslyLion SeeksSerenity on Mar 28, 2011 18:18:16 GMT -5
This is a brilliant idea, Ms.Dare!
I'm aware of separate 12step programs where (for our own information and enlightenment), we track ... whatever we eat, whatever we do with our money, and how we spend our time, etc.
But I never thought of tracking stuff.
In Debtors Anonymous, we track both whatever money comes in, and whatever money goes out.
We avoid debting (and get out of debt) by making
the assets (saved money + incoming money)
exceed
the outgoing money.
Here at SOS, we sometimes track what we get rid of. But I think you're the first person I've seen to keep a log of what is acquired. Just brilliant!
You make a lot of sense.
We would get out of hoarding/clutter
by making the amount of stuff gotten rid of ...
more than
the combined total of saved items + newly-acquired items.
Awareness is such a powerful tool!
----------------
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Post by seashell on Mar 28, 2011 20:15:34 GMT -5
This is an interesting idea. I'm thinking I might join you for a little while and see how it goes. Being accountable to others might make me a little more careful about what I bring in.
OK, here goes for today.
Brought in:
Bought
1 pill bottle of antibiotics for dentist appointment tomorrow
2 loaves of bread
2 small containers of ice cream (4 servings each)
1 container margarine
2 pieces of mail (both important)
3 10-pack boxes of hot chocolate mix (on sale for $.89)
2 boxes granola bars
Free stuff
2 prescription sample packets for eyes
everything will go into trash when empty
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Post by PerrinJade on Mar 28, 2011 20:26:49 GMT -5
This is an excellent idea. I think I'm going to go along with this.
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Post by lozzylooloo on Mar 29, 2011 3:38:15 GMT -5
brilliant idea - congratulations on such a clever innovation! I will just read along for now to keep my mind aware. Thanks for a great idea (ps what is a mcdonalds iced tea?) |
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Post by heretoday on Mar 29, 2011 4:52:05 GMT -5
Great idea, I heard it today in the chat room but had to take off for work right away. I certainly had the problem of bringing free stuff home when I had my kids here growing up, esp. furniture. We used to have the spring cleanup here but they did away with it several years ago. Of course the good thing about it too was that we could put stuff out for pickup too. I have ads on freecycle and craigslist but have got a couple of strange resonses. Also have got rid of some stuff and a woman is coming in the morning to take pots/hanging baskets. They have the spring cleanup in a neighbouring city - maybe I should drop some furniture off there eh?  I will start keeping track of acquisitions and stuff i have been able to get rid of. |
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Post by fluffychild on Mar 29, 2011 6:01:29 GMT -5
I like this idea, however, I don't think that food should be counted. I try not to bring material things into the house unless really needed. I did buy 2 - 24 packs of soda yesterday because it was on sale. I will buy the same amount every day this week and maybe more on Saturday. I had gotten free over the weekend 8 entrance rugs, left them in the car and my friend told me yesterday to take them at noon to the homeless shelter. The guys are the shelter have been very good about getting the stuff out of the car. I have three bags of stuff by my side door this morning that will go in the car when I go to work. At noon, I will go to the homeless shelter and as my friend says, I will get a man. I did get a new furnace filter, but I can't put it in until the first of the month. In my mind, I try to keep down the amount of non-food items brought into the house.
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Post by Starflower on Mar 29, 2011 7:59:57 GMT -5
I like this idea, thanks! Being accountable works! Last year I kept a small notebook in my purse and wrote down everything I bought or brought in, keeping a running balance. It was a real eye-opener! I need to do it again... I have not been out for a couple of days, but last weekend I was out and about visiting my oldest DS in DC. On the way home I did some food shopping at Sam's club, joined it and got vanilla and mucinex that were not on my list but were really good deals and I needed them, got a freebie facial cleanser packet. Otherwise I kept to my list and did NOT browse around. (It helped that my youngest DS was there and pacing. ) I also brought home a booklet from the show my DS was in, in DC. Last week I hit a free food and clothes pantry. I gave some food items to my neighbor that I cannot eat, put away the food I kept, washed and sorted the clothes (fits/small but keep/crafts/return). |
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Post by PerrinJade on Mar 29, 2011 10:32:26 GMT -5
3/29 - Brought in:
4 pieces of mail - Filed renter's insurance declarations and loan repayment schedule. Tossed junk. Put check by door to go out with me to get cashed (refunds are great!).
2 large pizzas from Little Caeser's - DH finished off one, I ate most of the other. Took two pieces with me to work but only ate one. Eating the other for breakfast tomorrow (it's like being in college). Boxes will go out with the trash tomorrow.
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msdare
New Member
Joined: September 2010
Posts: 51
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Post by msdare on Mar 29, 2011 17:02:42 GMT -5
Meme, I'd be honored for you to rip off anything I do! I already realized I forgot one big thing I bought on Sunday - the Sunday paper! Hmm, this may be significant since newspapers are such a challange for me. Well, I saved the tv section and the food and health section but the rest went to recycling. TV section will go out at end of week so I've really added 2 more sections for a total of 4 newspaper sections for this week. Lozzylooloo maybe they don't have this in Australia but at McDonald's you can get a huge iced tea for $1 and I like it because you have the option of unsweetened. I seem to get them a lot but i figure it's a better choice than cola or coffee for a caffeine fix! I'm not going to count food that comes from the grocery store, but I do order out a lot and leftovers come home. I find that bottles of water or soda tend to pile up on me so I'm hoping this will get me to the recycling bin more often! Lion I am a DA goer and the first thing I was told was to write down every single thing I spent money on. It is hard to stay in denial after that! In the Tolin book "Buried in Treasures" they recommend clutterers doing the same thing for anything that comes into your house, and doing it for at least 2 weeks. It's really his brilliant idea! So: Monday, March 28 Bought: - bagel and coffee and Daily News (trash out at cafe, and this is the big one paper out in newspaper bin before I even got it home!  ) - take out; leftovers home Free stuff: 0 Total home: only leftovers to fridge Another day, no adding to the pile! |
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Post by seashell on Mar 29, 2011 18:39:28 GMT -5
1 new toothbrush from dentist's office dog treats and chew bones--maybe that's in the food category, since they won't be here long? |
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Post by PerrinJade on Mar 30, 2011 10:11:53 GMT -5
3/30
3 pieces of mail - filed student loan mail and tossed unuseable coupons from the other two pieces.
Student loan deferrment application. Signing now to be mailed from work today.
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Post by WestsideStory on Mar 30, 2011 10:41:05 GMT -5
MsDare--
What a great idea!
Wonderful to see you and others putting it into action here.
WestsideStory
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msdare
New Member
Joined: September 2010
Posts: 51
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Post by msdare on Mar 31, 2011 17:42:47 GMT -5
Tuesday, 3/29: - grocery store: besides food; toilet paper - gas - coffee (tossed out at location) - 2nd coffee (finished and tossed out at home) Free stuff: 0 Total home: only groceries Wednesday, 3/30: - Daily News (brought home, into recycling at end of day) - CVS: paper plates plastic spoons 1 tissue box (suffering a cold right now!) 1 purse size notebook for this very purpose - will carry with me - Mc D's iced tea (finished this morning and into garbage) Free stuff : 0 Total in: newspaper, which went into recycling bag Thursday, March 31: Today I only bought 1 cup of coffee! I resisted going to the mall this evening because I would be tempted to pick up free spring catalogs! |
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