38: Save Time, Money, and Energy by Knowing What You Value
How do people become more decisive so they can bank their time, energy, and money for the most important things? By having good resources of course, and by knowing their personal guideposts for making purchase decisions. Today we are going to talk about how to choose a few key words to be your purchasing guideposts so you can save time, energy, and money during this busy ever evolving chapter.
Knowing what you want and having trustworthy resources are imperative to the what and how of each phase in your life. For some of us (I’m raising my hand over here) knowing what you want can be the hardest part.
When it comes to motherhood, many of us think we know a few big things such as: if we want to breast and/or bottle feed, if we want an epidural or prefer the least interventions possible, and who we look up to as parent models. But then comes all of the tiny decisions on what to purchase, how to make our plan a reality, and how to figure out which of the thousands of products we “need”. That’s where your purchasing guideposts are going to come in really handy. They will help provide clarity when you are trying to tune into your preferences and assist you in making all those little buying decisions that feel like an invisible weight.
“Guidepost words” are not my original idea, so I want to give a shout out to the Everyday Style Podcast for not only teaching me about formulating outfits, but also for introducing this idea. On that podcast the host explains that having style guideposts (such as trendy, neutral, boho, etc.) help make so many decisions easier when it comes to getting dressed and shopping for clothes.
So today, we are going to use the same strategy for purchasing mother-baby items. First you’ve got to carefully consider and choose your guidepost words, but before we move on, a few quick ground rules. These are yours, not anyone else’s, and there’s no need to be overly stressed because you can change them whenever you notice it’s not really hitting the mark or you’re in a new season.
You’re only going to choose 2-3 words maximum. Then you pull them out of your mental pocket as often as you need. I’m going to list some examples here, but I also included them on a free worksheet so there’s no need to write them down or remember them now. Here they are:
Healthy
Sustainable
Present/mindful
Timeless
Practical
Playful
Connection
Beautiful
Simple
Joy
Quality
Affordable
Longevity
Convenient
Time Saving
Now that you have some examples and probably have a few guidepost words that stood out, let me give you an example of how to use them. If my guideposts are simple, present, and quality. That helps me make a lot of decisions easier. Like, I’m not going to purchase allll the trendy things that take up countertop space for my baby. I’m going to choose the top few things that matter most to me and purchase the best quality I can afford. I may cook homemade baby food with a little pot on the stove and wash the few bottles I use the old fashioned way, but get an amazing high chair that brings my baby to the table for shared meals. And during those meals, I put my phone out of reach to stay present (unless I am taking a picture because there is nothing cuter than a baby learning to eat).
In this example, I kept things super simple and pointed my time, money, and energy in the direction of the guideposts. I had a clear picture of what to get and how to do things. So when that ad for the “Babyfood Maker 2000” popped up, I knew I wasn’t washing all those parts. When I saw a registry list that claimed I needed a bottle sanitizer and a drying rack and also an electric bottle brush that would require replacement batteries at some point… I knew I would pass. Because for me that kept things simple, allowed me to be present, and saved me money to splurge on the things I wanted to be higher quality (or feel more bougie about).
Now, another mom, who also chooses “simple” as one of her guideposts may feel that keeping things simple means purchasing prepared foods, or perhaps she predominantly bottle feeds and a bottle washer does feel simpler to her. You can see how these are so personal to our own values, perspectives, and feeding plans.
Yours may be different all together. Maybe what’s important to you is time, health, and joy. Well that’s good too! You may choose the healthiest food options that take the least of your time. Or purchase something in a color that brings you joy when you see it on the countertop.
The point is, if you know what is important to you in this chapter, it can bring you a lot of clarity, help you make the right investments, and just save you a lot of mental energy. Then, when you are faced with making that baby registry list, the many opinions of others, and being bombarded with marketing ads; you can ask yourself: “Will this be in alignment with my purchasing guideposts?” and move on.
I have a fun downloadable worksheet with lots of guidepost words on it for ideas to help you figure out your purchasing guideposts. There’s a link in the show description or you can find it at FeedingByJanuary.com under resources. (Here is the link.)
And with that, I’ll see you next week!
Links mentioned in the show: