Use Something Up

We aren't going to get overwhelmed by trying to organize our entire house or vow not to spend any money this year. We are going to do this one simple step today and that's enough. Sometimes there are little things that cause us a small amount of irritation with ourselves. Having a lot of half-used products is one of those things. It also creates extra clutter and in the case of food causes waste because we are probably going to throw out the stale crackers or chips.

How many open bottles of shampoo, conditioner, moisturizers, and lotions are in your bathroom? How many open boxes of crackers or bags of chips are in your pantry? What's your freezer situation?

Do you have DIY products for projects you haven't gotten to?

Let's look at something else. Did you get something for Christmas that you are saving? Do you have good china or crystal collecting dust? Is there anything anywhere in your closet with a tag still on it?

Today use something up. Use up the dregs of the shampoo bottle. If you bought a shampoo you didn't like use it to clean the toilet. Soap is soap. Disappointed in a conditioner? Skip buying shaving cream and use it to shave your legs. Use the fancy bath products you got as a gift. I've had to deal with closing up the homes of 3 female relatives after their deaths and it's a sad thing to see expensive soap and bath powders that are still in the packaging.

If you enjoy going to estate sales you have likely seen just how many beautiful things aren't claimed by family members. So here's the question...

What are you saving it for? The person who gave it to you meant for it to be used. 

Open your freezer today and plan a meal from something that's been in there a while. If the crackers are beyond saving feed them to the birds.

Use the good china tonight for that creative freezer meal you're pulling together. Your kids probably aren't going to want it so if washing up is what's keeping you from using it, got ahead and stick it in the dishwasher. It's unlikely anyone will care. If you have beautiful serving pieces that you know aren't going to be used for food, give them a new life. A platter can hold your jewelry. Put that beautiful covered dish on the mantle and tuck notecards inside.

If you just know you are never going to use a dozen finger bowls, stick a fancy bar of soap inside and tie it up with a ribbon as a gift. Let's use our imaginations as we use things up.

While we're at it let's challenge ourselves not to buy any products that we already own in any form until we use up what we have.

Look at us being resourceful and saving money.