Very relateable
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Further discussion on the Decluttering thread if anyone else wants to keep discussing, dont want to clog up the Money Saving one 
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I heard a phrase the other day that shifted my mindset on this. It is subtle but helped me:
You don’t need things “just in case” you need things “just for when”. I need AAA batteries for when my flashlight breaks or the remote dies. I don’t need every size of battery ever “just in case” I buy something that will use that battery. Each item that I look at if I am keeping is “just for when” a specific event I see happening comes up and wont find an alternative, not just in case.
For the electronics this could look like the switch from “could be useful” to “get rid of because everything on here either could be recreated or I won’t need” unless there is a future “for when” you can be specific for.
Let’s take an old laptop: with the “just for when” attitude I could try the “just for when my current one breaks”. Will the old laptop work as a backup? Can i get parts from it to make my newer one functional? Will the files transfer over correctly? If it cannot be used as a backup and it will not be useful if the current one breaks then I would get rid of it because there is not a good “for when” reason for me, I am never going back to using the old device.
I know this might not be helpful, I am not intending to dismiss hoarder tendencies because I know there is so much more emotion tied into this. I have been fighting my hoarder tendencies ever since 2020 with food. I have SO MANY CHICKPEAS (like 6-12 months for us) in the basement but reading headlines about “THE CHICKPEA SHORTAGE AND YOUR HUMMUS IS GOING TO BE MORE EXPENSIVE AND YOU’RE GOING TO DIE”* had me wanting to get my hands on as many of them as possible. I don’t need more, and if I run out I will pay a bit more for them or use a different bean, either way it will be okay.
Now it is easier for me to go to the store and instead of “oh we could get this just in case we need it” has changed to “let’s get this for when we are going to use it in the next 1-2 months”. My grocery bill has dropped pretty dramatically because there was a ton of stuff I was buying just in case.
*okay the headline didn’t actually say I was going to die from higher hummus costs but it might as well have. Rude.
ETA - I thought this applied to money saving because of how I have used it with shopping but I can move my comments specific to cleaning to the other thread.
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That sounded pretty money related to me!
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I have this struggle especially when the thing is on sale, particularly tough given recent inflation.
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So, instead of ordering supper in, which is what I normally do the last day of a show and sale, I’m tutoring Hubby in how to make a marinade for chicken thighs. We’ll bake them in the oven for supper.
Poor Hubby is so afraid of ruining food, I think he has major anxiety over cooking! He asked me if he baked the chicken thighs with the lid on top of the container. It’s a Pyrex dish with a plastic lid!
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Husbands cooking learning has been a yeaaaaaars long process. He still isn’t crazy about trying new recipes unless it has detailed step by step directions. It’s hard to gain confidence cooking if you didn’t grow up doing it and get that intuitive ease in kitchens!
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Going to a street festival today so I whipped up a sweet potato pinto bean fritatta with peppered cheddar and cilantro, a hint of tajin. This way we can choose whether to pick up something instead of being forced into potentially something we aren’t really excited about.
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I keep buying things the last couple weeks. Bought the puppies a crate so we could see if they’ll tolerate it for trips, I bought myself underwear and bralettes. I signed us up for an Airbnb for a driving trip the week between summer term ending and fall term starting. Now I want a yoga mat (I’ve been using a sleeping bag pad, Which is fine for home but not very portable) and an adapter so I can play MP3s from my phone in my old Jeep. Oh, and I bought husband socks because he was running out of ones without holes. And he needs new insoles for his boots.
Everything seems relatively reasonable, but man, that’s a lot of buying.
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I bought a portable induction cooktop from IKEA, to make it easier for Duckling to learn cooking. He did all the egg cracking and whisking for scrambled eggs a couple nights ago, completely his idea. His confidence is growing fast! I can imagine it being super intimidating as an adult because there’s also the barrier of “this is not my thing to do” from growing up without learning it, the same way I have trouble learning some stuff I didnt do as a kid. Not sure ive explained the mental barrier well 🫤
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I just bought some clothes for Kiddo since he keeps growing, some school supplies even though I don’t have the official list yet because there was a sale, I need some gym clothes (not yet obtained) and want a new bathing suit (also not yet obtained), bought other school supplies to donate, … There’s another purchase I’m forgetting. It definitely feels like when it rains it pours. Like you said it’s all reasonable, it’s just a lot.
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Welp, my knee is no longer functioning as a knee so it looks like I need to figure out some food shit real quick, lol. This is going to be a lot more expensive than when I could eat everything, grrr, but I’ll give it a go. Not sure if the knee serious or not, I’m leaning towards sprain or dislocation rather than tear but either way icing all day. If it doesn’t let up I’ll see my PT (no advice/horror stories on that plz, but help on cooking welcome) just wanting (read: therapist is telling me) to share. Keeping my head in a positive space of acceptance rn because that’s how I deal! 
I can do anything.
Food matters:
I’m low on produce so I think the easiest thing would be an aldi order. Thinking aloud here of stuff that’s simple. Husband has his breakfast set and he can make me eggs if needed. I think I’ll have him do sandwiches for lunch because that’s the easiest possible thing for him. Plus chips and he’ll be thrilled. Also fruit. His dinner could be a ramen salad with chicken- we have tons of ramen and I can buy pre shredded slaw for him to dump in. Chicken is already thawing so that has to get cooked anyway.
I’m also thawing pork chops, unfortunately, so…IDK how to backseat cook those for him, will have to ponder more. Salads seem like an easy route too, so I’ll get salad stuff. Maybe I should thaw extra chicken so he can just bake a ton at once and I can have chicken on salad for lunch. That sounds ok actually. So that just leaves my dinners to figure out. Luckily I have a lot of time now, lol.
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Rude, knee! Um I think I have a cookbook that has a recipe for pork chops done in the oven, I can check it in 6 hours, or I can go find it once the baby’s done eating if you need it sooner?
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Later would be fine, thank you! Oven is a good idea, much easier.
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350 in the oven for 45 minutes if the pork chops are thick and less if thin. If thin start checking after 20 minutes. Take the foil off for the last 10 minutes so they brown up.
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Thank you! do you marinate them at all?
No what I usually do is make homemade stuffing and put it on top of the pork chops.
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Ok I’ve placed two food orders which seems absurd but that’s my life rn. I did a bunch of stuff from Aldi and a Whole Paycheck order for some non-grain easy things I can eat. Feeling better about food in general now that I have some no fuss stuff on the way. Will have dh cook chicken and his noodle dish today and that’ll be that.
ETA: And knee is swelling. Trying to stay positive over here but call is in to my PT. Idk y’all, it doesn’t feel right. Sigh. Was just starting to expand my life.
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Thanks <3
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