Check These Areas of Your Home Regularly to Avoid Overbuying

You’re standing in front of the canned food section, holding your hand over the black beans, and trying to remember: Do I already have this at home? You buy them anyway – better safe than sorry. You unload your groceries and find that you already have black beans. More precisely, three additional banks. All the last three times you went through the same mental rigmarole.

As inflation makes our lives more and more expensive, it’s more important than ever to keep an eye on your spending habits. To avoid unnecessary spending – like a fourth can of beans – you need to know what you have at home. This is where a home “audit” comes to the rescue. By summing up what you have, you can stop wasting money on things you don’t need. We’ve put together a list for you so you can do your own periodic “audit” so you know what you already have on hand and save money in the long run.

Areas in your home to be audited

The easiest way to start an audit is to pick a room and take an inventory of what’s in there. Here are some of the most common items to look for in your home so you can stop buying things you already have.

• Kitchen. This is big. As far as food goes, I’m all for adding perishables to your stock. I would say that there is never too much spare olive oil. On the other hand, your survival mentality may mean you’re running out of freezer space. Check your pantry, fridge, and freezer to make a list on your phone of things like canned food, frozen vegetables, frozen meat, extra pasta, spices, vegetable oil, and baking supplies. Keep this inventory on your phone so you can always access it when you shop at the store.
• Bathroom. Toiletries, skincare, makeup, work.
• Under the sink. See if you’re in the mood for dish soap, sanitizing wipes, and all your cleaning products.
• Garbage box. Chances are you already have a full roll of duct tape, or leftover tissue paper for your next gift, or extra crayons for your child’s next big project.

Using Your Audit

Once you use the lists above to inventory your home, you can move them to your shopping list. We previously recommended the practice of a physical “shopping list” where you physically write down the things you want to buy before you buy them. This way, you can avoid the mental back and forth deciding what you need to buy while you’re in the process of checking out the store.

When you read the items on this list, you will be able to make a more informed decision about what you really need. To learn more, check out other ways to curb unconscious spending here .