Poll: About stuff

[OrganicAnn]

Poll

 

Would you rather buy stuff ahead of time on sale that you expect you might need and clutter up your house with it OR would you rather pay a higher price and have house that doesn't have closets/basement/attic full of stuff.

[Alte Veste Academy]

Well, I think the "other" option can be overdone on forum polls but here it was desperately needed. I buy on sale and store in the garage/pantry/laundry area. I wouldn't want to clutter the house or pay full price.

 

Unless you're saying those are your only two options? Tough choice. I would find places to store things...underbed boxes, closets, etc.

[Tap]

Saying 'would you rather' makes this a hard one for me. I said 'on sale' but that is because that is what I do. If I truly answered, 'would you rather' it would be 'full price'. I do get tired of having things clutter up my house, but more than that, sometimes I don't use the item I bought and then it was a waste anyways.

 

 

There was a time that dh and I went on a strict budget and we spent every penny with caution. If I needed to buy something, I only bought the smallest size, only bought when we needed it (I didn't look for sales ahead of time) and even though it was an expensive way to purchase somethings like Tylenol, we had zero waste. I sometimes think that we may be better off to go back to that style of spending. I think we spent less in the long run sometimes.

[myfatherslily]

I lean heavily toward buying only what I need, when I need it. Not always, of course.

[elegantlion]

It depends on what you mean. Consumables I don't buy ahead. I don't want the 500 package toilet paper, we have 3 people and one bathroom. Food, I don't buy more than the pantry can handle, and we have a fairly large pantry. But we don't have an extra fridge or freezer and I see no need for one.

 

Clothes? I will buy out of season or ahead, but only for ds and me. I try to stick with the one in/one out rule on most things.

 

Household stuff like sheets and towels? one in/one out. Towels rotate down to car towels. I don't buy those ahead really. Dh is getting a comforter set for Christmas, I plan on getting rid of at least one set of sheets.

 

While you couldn't tell it right now, I like organized closets. I often remind dh that they keep those things (whatever it is) in stock at the store, we don't need 100 of it in the house. Also as a smaller family we just don't go through things that often. One box of cotton swabs will last us at least two years and we use them on a regular basis.

 

We do maintain an emergency supply of food and toiletries, but it's kept apart from the rest and it's not that much stuff.

 

I watched extreme couponing a couple of times, I would go nuts trying to store all of that stuff.

[extendedforecast]

For Christmas gifts, we buy almost everything on sale that we think the kids will want. Then we decide who gets what and return the rest of the things we didn't wrap.

 

For clothing, occasionally I'll find a good sale and buy for the next year. I have a bin of clothes labeled 'future' that keeps hand me down clothes as well as clothes I buy in advance. Every season, I go through all the clothes and move what will fit into the kids' drawers.

 

For the rest, we buy as needed, though I do buy in bulk the items I know we use regularly, such as TP. I have a decent amount of storage space so as not to clutter the house.

[MamaT]

I buy what we need, when we need it for most things. I shop sales, though, and rarely pay full price. I do buy food in bulk, but have a place for it. I don't like clutter.

[JumpyTheFrog]

I think part of the problem is the wording of the question. Things I "might" need will get a different answer from me than things I know I will need. I know my son will need a bigger pair of pants some day, so if I see a deal at a yard sale, I will get them. I don't know if he will need winter boots next year, so I won't get any until the time comes.

[DawnM]

I buy ahead of time and store.

[DarlaS]

Well, I think the "other" option can be overdone on forum polls but here it was desperately needed. I buy on sale and store in the garage/pantry/laundry area. I wouldn't want to clutter the house or pay full price.

 

Unless you're saying those are your only two options? Tough choice. I would find places to store things...underbed boxes, closets, etc.

 

:iagree:

 

And it would definitely depend on the "stuff" in question. Are we talking about food, paper products or other consumables or a really great deal on a piece of furniture you won't have room for unless you move? I would decide those two things very differently.

 

If it was absolutely going to be needed, I would buy it. If I was uncertain, or thought I might change my mind, I would wait--even if it might mean paying more (or waiting much longer).

[Aurelia]

Well, I think the "other" option can be overdone on forum polls but here it was desperately needed. I buy on sale and store in the garage/pantry/laundry area. I wouldn't want to clutter the house or pay full price.

 

Unless you're saying those are your only two options? Tough choice. I would find places to store things...underbed boxes, closets, etc.

 

 

:iagree:

[Tigger]

Our house has really good storage space, so some things I do stock up on, like toiletries (deodorant, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, TP), when they're on sale. We have four bathrooms, so I don't have a shortage of cabinets to keep things tidy.

 

Our freezer is stocked - meat and vegetables - and gets replenished as our meat is slaughtered and delivered, or veggies are on sale. And I also stock up on paper goods, laundry soap and trash bags when they're on sale - they live in the garage on shelves we have in there.

 

When DS7 was younger, it was much easier to peg what size he'd be in the near and longer term future, now not so much. So, for DS7, I don't really shop too far ahead anymore other than for jeans since he's pretty consistent with wearing them in any season, so if I have a larger size now, put away for later, I know they'll be worn when he grows.

 

Since baby DS was born, I really haven't had to buy much of anything other than some onesies and socks - I saved everything from DS7 that was still in great shape (he was a really clean baby, hardly anything got ruined), so it's just taking out, as needed, when he grows up to the next size (I have things stored by size). This year I did have to get him a jacket since he's a winter baby and DS was a summer baby, so the jackets are too big or too small.

[Night Elf]

Between the two choices, I'm closer to the 2nd one. I would rather pay a higher price and buy something when I need it. I have never liked to shop for "just in case". I think that I could spend more moeny that way because I would feel obligated to buy all sorts of things just BECAUSE they are on sale. kwim?

 

BTW, I've done Grocery Game and I didn't take that into consideration because I never purchased so much stuff that I ran out of room to store it. I do like to have some stuff in stock but I don't do overstocked!

[Kathleen in LV]

I think part of the problem is the wording of the question. Things I "might" need will get a different answer from me than things I know I will need. I know my son will need a bigger pair of pants some day, so if I see a deal at a yard sale, I will get them. I don't know if he will need winter boots next year, so I won't get any until the time comes.

 

:iagree:

 

 

I'm a huge fan of yard sales, and I have clothes stored away for my son for the next 3 years. I also have been lucky enough to find brand new toys & games at garage sales that I stash away for a gift-giving opportunity. This year for Christmas he's getting two huge tins of Lincoln Logs ($5 each), a Monopoly game ($1), and a Trionimos game ($1), all of which I found a couple of years ago brand new and waited until he grew into them.

 

I also stock up on household items when the sale is really good. I'll always "need" toilet paper, laundry soap, dish detergent, etc., and they can easily been stashed in the garage.

 

There's nothing that frustrates me more than paying full price for an item at the last minute when I know I could have gotten it for much less if I planned ahead.

[LibraryLover]

I will buy extra if there is a good sale on something I think is healthy for our family. (Pure organic pumpkin for 49 cents a can? Heck yes, I bought a case). I have a pantry area in my cellar, with a tall metal shelf. My Mason jars of homegrown & processed tomatoes is art as well as food. :) We also have an upright freezer in the same room. In my frist home, I had a wonderful pantry attached to my kitchen. Glass cabinets, wonderful wooden shelving 12 feet high (house was built about 1919). That was a thing of beauty, bulit right into the house for the very purpose of storing 'put up' summer bounty.

 

I like to think about Laura and Mary, in their little woods attic, pretending the large squashes are little tables & chairs. :) The herbs hanging and drying above them. Magical.

 

As far as other stuff...we used to have a shed, but now we have a barn, and my dh, while not a pack rat in any way, is partial to saving wood; planks, pallets, 2 by 4s etc. I used to ask him why...but over the years he's shown much creativity. Forts for the kids, a treehouse, sandboxes, compost bins, raised garden beds, moveable chicken pens etc have appeared. There are wonderful things he has made without spending a dime. So yes, we store things. :)

 

I didn't vote as it's not clutter.

Edited December 22, 2011 by LibraryLover

[Julie Smith]

What kind of stuff? How far ahead? How big is the stuff? Will you definitionly need it?

 

Buying two packs of toilet paper ahead is very different then buying a set of skins your son will need in two years, if he happens to still be into skiing.

[Bang!Zoom!]

I live in the other world.

 

The one that keeps one week of food on hand, a bare minimum of everything. All I own for personal effects fits into a carry-on.

 

We've gotten a bit out of hand now twice in the last four years though; and I'm due for another pare down here. It's really nagging at me.

 

I used to live in the other world. I miss it sometimes and my heart aches for my sentimental gee-gaws & keepsakes.

 

From comparing the two worlds, there is much much less worry when you live as hippy.with.a.backpack as possible.

 

Stuff bugs me.

[gardenmom5]

Well, I think the "other" option can be overdone on forum polls but here it was desperately needed. I buy on sale and store in the garage/pantry/laundry area. I wouldn't want to clutter the house or pay full price.

 

Unless you're saying those are your only two options? Tough choice. I would find places to store things...underbed boxes, closets, etc.

:iagree: I would have liked an other option. many things we buy ahead - others I will pay full price if I have to.

[AHASRADA]

I also would have preferred "other", but I chose "buy ahead", with conditions.

 

I buy something ahead that I *know* I am going to need, but not things I *think* I *might* need. Buying things one thinks he might need just because it's on sale leads to pack-ratism or worse, hoarding.

 

Buying items one knows he will need, buying them early and storing them for a few months until they are needed, is smart shopping. :D

 

I always buy end-of-season clearance clothing for my dc in the size they will wear the following year. Yes, I have to store them for a year, but it's so wonderful when winter rolls around again, to have a box full of new clothes that I don't have to go out and pay full price for.

 

I also keep my eye out for birthday gifts year round, whether for my dc or nephews. If I see something that looks perfect for them on clearance, I buy it, and don't have to race out at the last minute when their birthday comes.

 

I once bought a backpack on clearance (end of back-to-school) for my nephew's 5th birthday, the summer before he started kindergarten. I thought it would be cute to give him his first "real school" backpack. The birthday was 21 months away, but so what? How much space does a backpack take? The day finally came, and he and his mom (SIL) were thrilled. This is the same SIL who buys *her own* children's gifts and cake the day of the party, while guests are at the house, waiting to start the festivities. :glare: Guess who pays the big-bucks for not planning ahead? ;)

[HSMWB]

I agree that there needs to be an 'other' - but I chose full price. But really, I don't pay full price very often. I find that most things, (exception food), we don't really 'need' but we just 'want'. And that we can 'make do, and do without' till a more reasonable price comes along.

 

However, things like food and tp, I do stock up and buy in bulk, and if something that I know for a fact I am going to use and is not going to go bad is on a huge sale, then yes, I will load up.

[regentrude]

I voted buy as needed - no clutter.

 

If I buy only what is actually needed, I will most likely end up paying less, even if the items are not on sale - because sales tempt to buy stuff I *might* need some day. More often than not, that day never comes.

[LisaKinVA]

For Christmas & birthdays... I'd much rather buy on sale and store it (I now have the storage space to do that).

 

Food & other consumables, I have set "limits," But I do try to buy on sale and stock up.

[Krista in LA]

As the daughter of a hoarder and the wife of a major packrat who likes to buy things just because they are on sale, whether we will need it later or not, I voted to buy as needed. I have no problem buying extra toilet paper and things like that which get used on a daily basis if it's a good price, but not in excess. And I despise buying things just because they are on sale.

[Pretty in Pink]

I buy ahead of time only if I know for certain it will be used (food, the next size sneaker, diapers). I wouldn't buy soccer cleats on clearance just in case smeone decided to play next season.

 

I wouldn't buy ahead if I had no place to store the item. I can't stand clutter. I like things to be put away.

[kathymuggle]

I am not as organised as I like, and tend towards clutter. I have to be vigilant with stuff or it can get out of control. If I buy it ahead of time, there is a good possibility I will misplace it by the time I need it. There are some exceptions - non perishable food is one.

[MamaAkins]

If money were no issue, I would vote for paying regular price and not having clutter. However, that is just not an option for us at this time...so I generally buy what will be needed within a reasonable amount of time and buy it when it's on sale.

[TheAutumnOak]

Saying 'would you rather' makes this a hard one for me.

 

Saying "would you rather" made this an easy one for me ;) ...I would rather buy stuff when I needed it!...I live in a small cape cod and just don't have the space for extra stuff stored up...Even if I did have the space, it wouldn't be my preference, even though I am forced to sometimes due to finances...

[Murphy101]

Other:

 

Buy ahead on sale only if needed, no clutter.

 

Or

 

Buy ahead on sale only special items we know we really want, no clutter.

 

Or

 

Buy new according to either of the above, haggle the price as much a possible, no clutter.

 

To me, clutter implies something not in use and/or not put where it belongs. I has nothing to do with what I paid or when I purchased it.

[silliness7]

Poll

 

Would you rather buy stuff ahead of time on sale that you expect you might need and clutter up your house with it OR would you rather pay a higher price and have house that doesn't have closets/basement/attic full of stuff.

 

I will store stuff that was free like hand-me-downs. But I know other people would rather not. I have plenty of space but did this even when I didn't. You can't beat free. As far as purchasing ahead I rarely do this unless it is very very deeply discounted and will need it in less than 1 year. We're talking thrift store cheap, not 30% off. :001_smile:

[Farrar]

Agreed that the "other" option was needed. We buy ahead for pantry items and paper goods like toilet paper only. I don't buy ahead for things I *think* we'll need in the future - like school things or toys my kids will grow into or clothes they'll eventually need unless the sale is so insane that it's hard to pass up. Those things I'd much rather wait on. And I won't buy so much that it's really cluttering. We don't have a ton of space, but we have enough that I can store things reasonably well.

[mycalling]

I picked no clutter. When something non-consumable is needed, it goes on the white board list. There it sits until I find one on sale or at a thrift store. I don't buy things we might need later. My Need Now list is long enough!

 

Now consumables are entirely different...we'll use whatever it is so fast that it'll be back on the list again quickly. I stock up on sales, but I have an allotted space for each type of thing and buy enough to fill it, i.e. pasta, toilet paper, diapers, etc.

[Lisbeth]

I am a big couponer, LDS and pessimistic about our economy...so I do stockpiling. This includes two sizes ahead on the clothing basics for the kids. I get it all with extreme deals and pay a minimum for some pretty good stuff. Our goal is never to have to buy anything for full price because we always have a supply of whatever it is bought for a bargain. For most things.

[KAR120C]

I've pretty much switched to buying as needed (with minor exceptions - I'll buy the 24-roll toilet paper pack or the 8-roll paper towels because that's what fits in the cabinet we keep them in), but I still rarely pay full price. It seems that everything is pretty much on sale almost all the time, and unless I wait until the very last second, and have to get it today no matter what.... it'll be on sale next week at the latest.

[TechWife]

I used to buy ahead for a lot of things. See a good deal on puzzles? Buy a few for Christmas gifts. See some clothing on clearance? Go ahead & grab it. However, I no longer do this because I have developed a great dislike for clutter. I seriously can't think when there's too much stuff around! We did a lot of work on our house in 2010 & de-cluttered twice that year & I already feel like I could do it again. Now, every time I think about buying something, I pause to think about where I would store it/put it, how it needs to be taken care of, etc.. I think I actually buy a lot less now.

[Colleen]

Poll

 

Would you rather buy stuff ahead of time on sale that you expect you might need and clutter up your house with it OR would you rather pay a higher price and have house that doesn't have closets/basement/attic full of stuff.

 

I'm anti-stuff. 'nuff said.

[OrganicAnn]

Thanks everyone. It is fairly evenly split. I posted and then went off so didn't have time to respond. I didn't want a cop out "Other" in this case.

 

I was actually thinking of things like - craft items, some kids stuff, things like future gifts for unspecified people, fancy paper plates that you might use if you had a party, etc. Stuff that you truly don't know if you will use, but if you bought it full price you would consider it 'expensive'. I was not thinking of food, staples or things like TP.

 

We have a lot of storage, but it amazing how fast it can fill up (it only takes a relative or two to die and inherit a lot of stuff). I like to buy stuff on sale, but sometimes I think I would be better off to buy it as needed. As Julie Morgenstern or some organizing guru said, you are actually paying a lot of money to store all that stuff/junk/clutter.

[Alte Veste Academy]

I was actually thinking of things like - craft items, some kids stuff, things like future gifts for unspecified people, fancy paper plates that you might use if you had a party, etc. Stuff that you truly don't know if you will use, but if you bought it full price you would consider it 'expensive'. I was not thinking of food, staples or things like TP.

 

Oh, well I wouldn't pre-buy any of that stuff on sale or not. I was thinking of food, staples and TP. :lol:

 

(And Landmark books, of course, but those are also staples around here. ;))

[kalanamak]

Boy, I need other.

 

I buy ahead when there is an outrageous deal on things I know I'll need, like the next size up blue jean, etc. But my closets aren't bulging, and I have no basement or attic.

 

I buy ahead on very little else, except curriculum, because, coughcough, I have to read ahead and familiarize myself with it, right?

[kalanamak]

 

There's nothing that frustrates me more than paying full price for an item at the last minute when I know I could have gotten it for much less if I planned ahead.

 

I'm imagining you coming out from the mall, finding your car up on concrete blocks and the wheels AND rims have been stolen*. You sigh lightly and say, "At least I planned ahead and got those galoshes cheap." ;)

 

*This happened to someone I know.

[OrganicAnn]

Boy, I need other.

 

I buy ahead when there is an outrageous deal on things I know I'll need, like the next size up blue jean, etc. But my closets aren't bulging, and I have no basement or attic.

 

I buy ahead on very little else, except curriculum, because, coughcough, I have to read ahead and familiarize myself with it, right?

 

 

See in my way of thinking, your example falls into the category that you know you will very likely use it. I'm talking about the things that you really don't know if you'll use them. You might. You might not.

[KAR120C]

Oh, well I wouldn't pre-buy any of that stuff on sale or not. I was thinking of food, staples and TP. :lol:

Craft things, potential gifts, random stuff - I wouldn't buy ahead at any price. Even free makes me twitchy - I don't want it sitting around, and someone else would probably give it a better home where it would actually get used! And if I did buy things like that ahead of time, I'd worry that when I did actually need them, I would forget I had them, or wouldn't be able to find them....

 

Think of it this way: If you have to have a storage room of some kind because you have so much stuff - let's say it's the size of a bedroom - you're paying for a bigger house. We live in a small 3 bedroom house that was very reasonably priced. If we had bought a 4 bedroom house in the same neighborhood at the same time, the cost would have been about $15K more. Fifteen thousand dollars is a whole lot of money to store "cheap" craft supplies. Even if you only count the monthly mortgage payment, it would add something like another $70 a month to have borrowed that much more. $70 a month is a lot when you're talking about saving a dollar on craft supplies you might not need.

[In the Rain]

 

I buy something ahead that I *know* I am going to need, but not things I *think* I *might* need. Buying things one thinks he might need just because it's on sale leads to pack-ratism or worse, hoarding.

 

Buying items one knows he will need, buying them early and storing them for a few months until they are needed, is smart shopping. :D

 

 

 

:iagree: I voted "buy when needed", but I also buy ahead if I know I'll need something. I'm afraid I am genetically predisposed to be a packrat, which worries me. I also get frustrated if I know I've purchased something and then can't find it!

[kathymuggle]

 

I was actually thinking of things like - craft items, some kids stuff, things like future gifts for unspecified people, fancy paper plates that you might use if you had a party, etc. Stuff that you truly don't know if you will use, but if you bought it full price you would consider it 'expensive'. I was not thinking of food, staples or things like TP.

 

 

In this case absolutely not.

 

I have actually had people try to press stuff like this on me for free and have refused it.

 

I really do not need the clutter. There is a cost to stuff, and it is often higher (for me) than the monetary cost. I have to lug it home, I have to find storage for it, and, I have to keep looking at it whenever I go in that storage (as a sign of clutter I need to get to). About 50% of the time I get to try and rehome it or throw it out unused at the end when I decide to unclutter (and we are only permitted 4 bags of garbage a week, which we use easily with normal garbage. Throwing out stuff is not so easy in my neck of the woods). Doing this for one item is not a big deal - doing this as a lifestyle is.

 

Controlling the amount of stuff that comes into my home has been crucial in avoiding clutter.

[Alessandra]

I used to "stock up." So I had food that got old, kids' clothes that didn't fit, etc. And often I forgot that I had something put aside, so I bought the same thing again. Or I remembered, but couldn't find it, so I bought again. And I'm not unusually disorganized, but I live in an old house with no big closets, so stored stuff is usually in the attic or basement, invisible to the eye.

 

In the end I felt it was more economical, in terms of time as well as money, to get things on as "as needed" basis.

 

The only exception I'd make is for antiques or one of a kind items. Those I would buy when I see them.

 

And, if I lived in a place with a highly inflationary economy or shortages, I'd think differently. Oh, I should add that I am stocking up on 100 watt light bulbs.