Cup of Inspiration

Today, November 16^th, we celebrate Use Less Stuff Day. This U.S. holiday is recognized on the third Thursday of November, a week before Thanksgiving and the beginning of a very busy holiday season.

The end of the year can be chaotic. From Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day, we find ourselves bombarded with sales advertisements for gift ideas and decorations, party invitations, and deciding on which events to attend. All of this is on top of whatever year-end work we must wrap up at our jobs. It can be all too easy to see shiny new items with a big sales ad, throw caution to the wind and charge it to a credit card before it disappears off the shelf. We may be in a hurry to pick up these items so we can show our love to a relative or friend. We may be desiring this gift for ourselves. After all, we’ve worked hard, we deserve it, right?

Before we charge into the holiday season with reckless abandon, it’s important to sit down and create a plan. First, set a budget. Remember that the size of price tags should not be what tells someone that we care. Once a budget is set, truly plan out how many different people will be on your gift list. Everyone doesn’t need to open an expensive gift on Christmas morning to know you care for them.

When we’re walking through a store, or surfing online for that perfect gift, it can be tempting to buy things that no one needs or will even want six months from now. There are ways to show people we care without trying to outperform last year’s buying extravaganza. Consider gifting time, a home baked cake, or something practical that the person truly can use, rather than something that will simply collect dust down the road.

Today we consider reducing the amount of material possessions we hold as well as cutting down on how much we will be adding to someone else’s household. By reducing clutter, and focusing more on our needs rather than wants, we can find ourselves with less chaos, improved productivity, and perhaps a little extra in the bank account at the end of the year.