Wasteful Practices

I have a bad habit of wasting things.  Time, money, perfume, food, etc.

Now I need to clarify. I don't waste these things in the typical manner.  I instead cling to them, refusing to (usually) use them how they're meant to be used.

Let me give you examples:

Time-I try to micromanage my time every day.  This means I try to fit in as much as possible in any given day so that I feel both accomplished and caught up.  Some of you may be wondering how this is wasting time...well I've come to realize that when doing this day after day after day I am cramming so much into my days to get things done that I'm not always enjoying what I'm doing.  While yes, I am managing my time by making sure a lot is getting done so that I can enjoy time LATER...sometimes later doesn't come for quite a while.

Money-I have always been a money pincher, saver, miser almost.  I grew up without much of it and saw the struggles my family had and (in retrospect) the sacrifices they made in order to ensure we had food on the table and clothes on our back.  I am forever grateful for this because I've learned to manage my bills really well and budget accordingly for the things we both need and want.  BUT...I have a habit of seeing any money that comes to our family as a bill. Seriously.  I recently graduated and when I first got some money I thought "I need to stick this in my savings for my student loans".  This isn't a bad idea by any means but I also realized that this was free money that was given as a gift for my accomplishments and should be used how I wanted to.
**Please note that I would NOT have spent money willy-nilly if we legitimately needed it for bills or savings.  Thankfully we're in decent shape.**

Perfumes/body washes/lotions-I love these things and the ones I find really amazing I hardly ever use.  I usually use them on special occasions and then they gather dust until another special occasion comes up.  Because of this, I have like 10 bottles of perfume/body sprays, 5 big lotions all about 1/4 empty, and oodles of body washes.  How silly!  Interestingly, my family also passed on the habit of using things to the last drop (so we don't waste the other way) but when Christmas and birthdays roll around I tend to get a load of these things (one reason why I rack up so much)!  When I really sit and think about it I can totally see consumerism and the Western (read: American) tendency to hoard and have multiple things just for the sake of having them, of having "choices".  Some of you may wonder why this is an issue.  Let me explain: most perfumes, for example, have alcohol in them.  This means that after a certain amount of time the mixed scents (artificial or natural) will wear off and most of the scent smells like decayed and diluted rubbing alcohol.  So you spend $50 on a perfume you use maybe 4 times a year and after about 2 years you are really just spraying yourself with an alcohol and chemical base!  No thank you.  Lotions and body washes are a bit different but after time they too change scents and consistency.

Unfortunately, many of us live in a culture that does things in excess. Wastes times, money, food, energy, goods in another bad way: by disposing of things when we're done with them instead of recycling, reanalyzing, and reworking.  I am glad I'm not a waster along these lines but waste is still waste!

So what have I taken from this introspection?  I need to actually USE! Use my time (and enjoy having it), use my money for some pleasure AS WELL as for savings and bills, use the body washes and such on a daily basis instead of for a special occasion, light the fancy candles, wear the fancy clothes, and ENJOY it all...because everyday is special!

I urge you to reassess your habits and see if you're wasting things in either of these ways.  It can save you time, money, and energy not to mention add happiness, balance, and possible good smells!  =]