Making A List and Checking It Twice

Do you shop at Costco?  Or Sam's Club?  Or Target?  Well, I love both Costco and Target and I have the inventory to prove it.  I have enough deodorant and toothpaste to provide health and beauty aids to a small nation.  I have enough baggies to send my children lunches at school for the next five years.  I have a lot of extras.

And it's not on purpose.  Sometimes I actually run out of something and I put it on a list and I buy it.  Other times, I think  I might be out of something and I buy it without actually checking first.  And then there are things like laundry detergent that I always think I need, so I buy it every time I go to Costco.  This is not a good approach.

So, I've made an executive decision to make this My Summer of Using Up.  My approach is simple.  I am going to start by creating a master list of everything I buy at Costco and Target because there is a certain amount of overlap.  Then I am going to take a full inventory which, trust me, is no small project.  I am going to assemble like items together so there will be toothpaste with toothpaste, instead of one tube of toothpaste with the toilet paper and so on.

Have you ever noticed how essential everything looks when you're shopping at Costco.  Doesn't everyone need a 62 pack of batteries?

I am going to use up what I have before buying more.  It's not like I'm one of those Extreme Couponing crazies who buys the stuff because it's a good deal.  What I am is a disorganized shopper and it needs to stop.  This is My Summer of Using Up,  Hear me roar!

I'm feeling good about my prospects for success here.  As I've gotten older, I am finding that I don't like having so much stuff around.  I need more empty space and there's no better place to start than by cutting back on household items.

I'm looking forward to actually needing to buy laundry detergent.