Tip of the Month: Buying Well, to Avoid Future Clutter I write a lot about how to find new homes for things you no longer want in your space, and how to store the things you do want. But one key strategy for avoiding clutter is to be careful about what you bring into your home or office in the first place. And part of this is to avoid buying schlock: "something cheap, shoddy, or inferior." Certainly, many of us are watching our spending more carefully recently, and I'm not suggesting that everything you own should be a handcrafted masterpiece. But buying good-quality items can be a money-saver (over the long term) and a time-saver - as well as being better for the planet. Here's one example. I got a new shredder a while ago, and it's more expensive than many on the market. But it works like a dream: It takes a fair amount of paper at once, it never jams, it's easy to empty. It has safety features to ensure it will never cause problems for my cats (or other people's children). Other folks I know bought cheaper shredders and then kept replacing them as they broke; mine will almost surely last much longer than theirs. Others have been sharing thoughts along the same lines recently. The Original Green writes about purchasing enduring things vs. buying throwaway stuff. Chaotic Kitten writes that that she had three can openers, none of which worked well. So she finally bought a good-quality one, threw the others out, and was amazed how much easier it became to open a can! And here's some advice from interior designer Benjamin Dhong: "Go for quality and not quantity. It's better to have a few beautiful things than a roomful of mediocre things." I'll leave you with these words, from a tweet by @furnituregirl: Chamber luncheon today on "going green". The landfill manager picked out buying long-lasting goods one of the best ways to be green. Organizing Product of the Month | 
