Don’t buy what you don’t need

It might be obvious to not buy what you don’t need, but one of the most common advice’s I’ve seen on financial blogs when it comes to getting some extra cash is to sell stuff you don’t need. 

But if you don’t need it, why did you buy it in the first place?

Of course, if you do have stuff at home that you don’t use, selling it is a good way of getting that extra cash. But once again, it might sound like a stupid question because at some point in time you probably thought you needed that stuff. But if you have a lot of things laying around, maybe you have purchased more than you actually needed.

Obviously I’m exaggerating a bit here, but the thing is that we all buy things we don’t need. We should really, really thing twice (or maybe even a third time) before we buy stuff – because chances are quite high that stuff we buy today will be used a few times and then be stored somewhere for us to pick up in ten years in the annual garage sale.

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You would definitely save a lot more by not buying in the first place. I’ve previously written about downshifting, and that’s what it’s all about. Don’t buy things you don’t need. Borrow if you can, fix the old things first and stop living a life where things are most important. It’s not important to own your own lawn mover, why not share one with your neighbor? Same thing with a chain saw. Not every household within a few hundred yards need their own, personal chain saw. Ten houses can easily share a chain saw. But of course, that means you have to get out and talk to your neighbors.

Read more (in Swedish) about repairing your stuff: Att leva hållbart sparar pengar

And while we’re at it; you can avoid buying food if you grow them yourself. Getting berries, apples, tomatoes, various spices and more is not that hard if you have just a little piece of land. It only takes a little bit of your time and it’s a very rewarding way of spending your time.