The “Why Did I Even Buy This” club is full of ADHDers
Ever decluttered your closet only to realize you just got rid of half your wardrobe… again? Or found yourself tossing a box full of kitchen gadgets you used once?
If so, I’d like to welcome you to the “Why Did I Even Buy This?” club. Meetings are held daily in front of overstuffed junk drawers everywhere.
As a former club member, I have a lot of tips and tricks to help you stop buying future clutter.
5 ways to stop buying stuff you don’t need
Decluttering is great, but not buying future clutter is even better.
These tips will help you buy more intentionally so you can stop wasting money on stuff that ends up in your donation box later.
1. Track what you declutter and look for patterns
Decluttering makes it painfully clear which purchases were worth it and which ones just took up space.
Instead of repeating the same mistakes, make a note anytime you notice a pattern in your clutter.
My decluttering helped me realize a ton of stuff about my preferences that now guide my shopping decisions. The category I gained the most insights from was decluttering clothes.
I donated so many v-neck shirts, sweaters that made me feel like I was wrapped in a wool-blend cactus, and anything with special care instructions like “dry clean only.”
(Do you know what “dry clean only” translates to in ADHD? “This is never clean.”)
Now I know those things don’t work for me, so I don’t buy them anymore and they aren’t cluttering up my closet.
Maybe you keep decluttering cute but impractical shoes, or you’re tossing barely used hair products because you don’t actually want to spend time doing your hair.
Whatever it is, noticing these trends helps you with the next tip, which is to create shopping guidelines for yourself.
2. Create shopping rules for yourself
I don’t know about you, but nighttime is my ADHD’s time to shine.
My medicine has worn off and my brain has 800 ideas for new hobbies, new businesses, and new fantasy versions of my life.
It takes no effort whatsoever to start buying stuff on my phone immediately to support these plans I made 3 seconds ago.
I’ve bought so much random stuff at 2 a.m. that I just had to return or eventually declutter, so one of my shopping rules is that I don’t make purchases after 10 p.m.
Instead, I make notes on my phone about my new brilliant ideas so I can evaluate them in the morning when I’m properly medicated and caffeinated.
You’ll need to build your rules around your habits to make them effective, but below are some of my other shopping rules to help you get an idea of what yours could look like.
- No specialty cleaning products (except pet stain carpet cleaner). Vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, or Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds can take care of any mess I have.
- No books. I use the library instead. My neighborhood is also full of those adorable Little Free Libraries so I have plenty of options.
- No new beauty or hair products until the others are used up. I don’t always follow this one perfectly, but it’s still helped keep my bathroom cabinets from overflowing.
- No new cat toys. Ava Jean has simple tastes. Her favorite toys are an old towel and a piece of string tied to a broken stick. She has one “real” toy that she likes, and the rest she either ignores or is personally offended by.
Whatever rules you decide for yourself, write them down.
Just a simple note in your phone like, “Got rid of another itchy sweater. Stop buying these” can save you from future regret.
Don’t forget to periodically read through these notes, because it’s surprisingly easy to forget that you actually hate wearing pointy-toed shoes when you spot a great pair on sale.
Over time, these insights help you make better, more intentional purchases. The goal is to buy things that actually stay in your home instead of making repeat appearances in your donation box.
3. Treat yourself without creating clutter
It’s not realistic to avoid all unnecessary purchases.
We live in a capitalist society surrounded by advertising almost 24/7, and you’ve got your brain constantly craving the easy dopamine hits that buying stuff delivers. So don’t beat yourself up for wanting to buy some cute new thing.
Instead, channel your buying impulse into consumable items that aren’t going to take up space in your house for the next decade.
Just make sure it’s stuff you will actually use up.
Finger nail polish is technically consumable, but I paint my nails like twice a year so I’d have that bottle until I died. My favorites are fresh flowers, bath bombs, and fancy snacks like chili-marinated olives.
4. Try the “one in, one out” rule
The “one in, one out” rule is simple: If you bring in something new, something old has to go. It can be the same type of item, but it doesn’t doesn’t have to be.
If I spot an adorable plant that’s screaming, “Take me home!” I’m going to get it, and I’m not going to toss one of my old plants to make room for it. (And how dare anyone even suggest such a thing 😱)
In cases like that, I’d look for something that’s a similar size to let go of, like a few books that I know I could find at the library if I wanted to read them again. A few books = the size of a small plant, and now I have a ready-made spot for my new tropical baby.
(I don’t know why I wrote that like this was a hypothetical scenario, because look who came home with me two weeks ago and guess what I got rid of to fit her on the shelf.)
The “one in, one out” guideline forces you to think about whether the new purchase truly adds value. If you wouldn’t willingly part with something to make space for it, chances are you don’t need it.
It might feel small, but this habit keeps clutter from sneaking back in. Instead of mindlessly accumulating more, you stay intentional about what actually deserves a place in your home.
5. Unsubscribe from brand emails
Retailers want you to feel like you’re losing money by skipping a sale. But buying something just because it’s 40% off isn’t actually saving you anything if you didn’t need it in the first place.
Sales create a sense of urgency, and that is extremely hard for ADHDers to resist. Our brains love urgency because there’s usually dopamine at the end of that rainbow.
One of the best ways to cut down on buying things you don’t need is to unsubscribe from brand emails. If those “LAST CHANCE” subject lines never hit your inbox, you won’t feel pressured to buy before a sale ends.
The best savings happen when you don’t buy at all. If there is something you have in mind that you want, then look for a sale for that item.
I used Unroll.Me to unsubscribe from numerous brand emails in one go.
Not buying stuff you don’t need is step #1 to a clutter-free home
Creating a clutter-free home that’s calm and functional doesn’t actually start with decluttering. It starts with your shopping habits.
If you aren’t bringing in clutter, then there’s no clutter to deal with later. You just have a calm, functional home where you can relax.
But getting there is a process, and you do need to declutter the stuff you bought before you became a mindful shopper.
If you want help getting started, grab my Decluttering Checklist for ADHD Brains. It walks you through exactly what to do, step by step, without turning your house into a bigger mess in the process.