A story about the importance of buying beautiful things

Photo Credit: maurymccown on Flickr

When you share your house with cats, you need a good quality vacuum cleaner, an endless supply of lint rollers, and an easy-maintenance bedspread that can withstand hours of napping, stretching, rolling, and playing.

My bedspread is quite old and worn-out, and definitely needs replacing; a few months ago I spent a whole day hunting department stores for bedspreads. Some were beautiful, good quality bedspreads, but too expensive for my budget. Most of them where cheap, shiny polyester things in hideous patterns and garish colour combinations – the kind of stuff that either gives me a headache or has the power to induce motion sickness in an instant.

After much looking, I found a few plain bedspreads with simple patterns at a good price – nothing special, mind you, but after the gaudy ones they almost looked pleasant…with a sigh, I grabbed one from the shelf, hurrying towards the counter. But after a few steps I stopped mid-aisle and asked myself – Do I really, really love this bedspread? Do I want to see it every day on my bed? Will it make me happy when I look at it?

The answer was a resonant – No! I didn’t like it, but I had spent a whole day wading my way through crowded department stores, I was tired, and it wasn’t a particularly ugly bedspread for that price…sounds familiar?

I thought of all the times  I’d gone shopping with a clear idea of what I wanted, couldn’t find it, and eventually  settled for the closest thing, only to go back home and feel utterly dissatisfied.

Too many times.

I put the plain bedspread back, and  left. Driving back home, and thinking of all my past purchases, I thought again of the many items bought on impulse, or out of frustration, that quickly ended up in a charity shop or in the landfill. Such a waste…

I also realised  that when I don’t like something, I don’t really look after it properly – almost as if  subconsciously trying to break it, or ruin it,  and basically get it out of my life. On the contrary, every time I buy something  that I truly love I cherish it, look after it, enjoy it, and generally keep it for a very long time.

What did this teach me? That the key to mindful shopping is to buy only what you truly love and find beautiful.

Really think about what you love, and buy only items that make you happy; surround yourself with beauty, with objects that bring you joy every time you look at them.

Look around, search for inspiration, and buy only when you find exactly what you’re looking for. And if you can’t find it…make it yourself, have it made by an artisan, or keep looking!

Rather than spend lots of money on cheap, poor quality stuff that only clutter your house, save up until you can afford a few good quality items that really speak to you and make you happy. Choose beauty over quantity – you won’t regret it.

Tagged as: beauty, Inspiration, simplicity