#77 - How to Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need with Author Eric Athas

Tidy Tidbits #77 - How to Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need

In this episode, I’m talking with Eric Atlas, the author of Saying No to New: Why New Things Are Stealing Your Time, Money, and Happiness―and How to Take Back Your Life.

His book is about the psychology of understanding why we want new things and how to make better informed decisions about the things that we bring into our home.

It’s not about never getting anything new again, but Eric shares about the idea of “adding friction”, which is some sort of delay between seeing the item that you think you need and actually buying it. We need to consider how purchases of things align with our personal values and remember that while businesses aren’t necessarily our enemies, they aren’t necessarily our friends either. Businesses have a bottom line.

If you want to take a more intentional approach to the flow of new things into your life, this conversation is your reminder that you don’t have to stop buying new things completely, but you can simply get better at deciding what’s worth bringing home.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Substack.

Read the book:

📚 Saying No to New: Why New Things Are Stealing Your Time, Money, and Happiness―and How to Take Back Your Life

More from Tidy Dad:

📚 Order Tidy Up Your Life (available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook)

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