I’ve been working with a client who has lived with her husband in their 2000 square foot home for the past 25 or so years. Career pursuits and busy lives meant that home organization fell to the bottom of the list for years and years, but now they’re ready to purge what they don’t want any longer and organize the rest.

Buyer’s remorse is real, and my clients often express regret about past purchases. They’ll pull out a leather handbag or a pair of shoes from the back of the closet or from a box on the top shelf, and ultimately they’ll cringe and tell me they dislike the item, but they’re keeping it because they spent a lot of money on it.

My bargain-loving client would visit Marshall’s and TJMaxx at least once a week and never leave without at least one bag of purchases in her arms. During our sessions, she became more and more aware of the items she already owned, and she recognized that buying more stuff to add to her already-cluttered home wasn’t the answer.