Less is More: Conscious Consumption

A professional organizer’s role has been what I call the backdoor approach to lifestyle choices. We are called into an environment when the clutter and chaos have reached a tipping point in the lives of our clients. More often than not, the consumption patterns of our clients lie buried in their unconscious.

Prior to September 2008, little thought was given to the quantity of material possessions and less to the quality of those items. Our Gross National Product determined the health of our nation and while our consumption patterns ran amok, in reality, we were no longer healthy, but getting economically sicker by the day. September 2008 landed us in the hospital on life support. Now the commercial buzz is beginning to stress new lifestyle changes. But what those advertisers are not doing is telling you just how to do that. They are appealing to your better nature, but at the same time hoping you just keep on keeping the same old buying habits.

Living simply has become the new catch phase, but no where are there truly practical explanations on how to do so. We are left once again on our own to develop new changes and every one seems to have a question mark on their foreheads as to how to do so. In my previous blogs, I have stated that living simply is first and foremost changing the way we think. So here is one great tip to get you started.

It’s cold in NY where I live and every store at the mall has 70% off signs in the stores. There are retail bargins galore! But a bargain is not a bargain if the item just sits in the bag, or you already own 5 other white sweaters and the likely hood of you wearing that new sweater more than 3 times is next to nil.

So before you decide to spend the gas money and venture into the mall, make a list of what you truly need. Become conscious of what your needs are versus your wants. This is huge. Buying quality is also very important. Buying only what you love will begin to reduce the overload in your life. Make a pact with yourself and decide that if you are going to buy that fabulous white cashmere sweater, when you get home, you must donate 3 of the others. Buying with intent and purpose and not just what is available will drastically change your consumption patterns and make not only shopping mindful, but your thoughts about your material possessions will change.

Also understand that when you purchase an item, you are not only spending your money outright, but that there are hidden costs to that sweater. There are upkeep costs (like the cleaning) electricity cost in running the washing machine, detergent or dry-cleaning costs. There are also storage costs, like the canvas storage bag to contain the sweater during the summer months.

As the professional organizing industry matures, we are no longer going to be the backdoor consumption savior. Our professional focus needs to be on front door lifestyles. Who better to educate one-on-one to truly make transformative changes in the way we look at our life, our economy our nation, and even our world.

~Eileen Koff, CPO