Second Cup: Take stock before you restock

You may already own the perfect thing

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to take stock before you read stock before
you go shopping. Be sure you know what you already

(00:25):
have so you don't wind up with stuff that you
don't truly need. So perhaps you have already heard the
advice to check your fridge and check your pantry before
you go grocery shopping, and to check your closet before
you buy something new for an event. But just because

(00:45):
you have heard that advice, does that mean you always
follow it. I know that I might have good intentions,
but then someone goes to the store without looking, and
next thing we know, we have six boxes of cheerios
and none of my almond milk. I recently bought several
potential new shirts for a TV appearance because I assumed

(01:08):
that none of my existing stuff was going to work.
But then I realized I had a blue shirt that
would work just fine. Not only can checking ahead of
time save you money, it can also spark ideas. Maybe,
thanks to a pantry scan, you find that tamarin paste

(01:28):
you bought months ago and decide that this is the
week for stir fry. You may discover a skirt that
you've somewhat forgot you owned, but that looks mysteriously like
what people are wearing fashionably right now. Stuff does come
around again, and honestly, using what you have is just greener.

(01:53):
One of my kids went off to an academic camp
for a few weeks this summer and they gave us
a list of school supplies to My first thought was
to go to Target to get these things, but then
I realized that I was having this conversation with my
kid while he was sitting at a desk with an
unused three ring binder sitting right on top of it.

(02:17):
We hunted around and were able to pull together almost
everything he needed by checking what was unused from the
school supplies we bought last year. It was good to
take stock before we restocked. By taking stock, you might
even get a head start on your holiday shopping. If

(02:37):
you have a gift closet or bin, or if you
have hiding places for storing gifts that you have gotten
through the year, see what you already have before you
make a shopping list. I'll note that taking stock can
also mean taking stock of what other people own. If

(02:57):
you are throwing a party in your dining room table
is the same size as your parents' dining room table.
Maybe they have a nice tablecloth that you can use.
No need to go shopping. You can avoid acquiring things
you don't need if you discipline yourself to see what
you have or perhaps what you can borrow before buying

(03:22):
anything new. No need to spend money or bring in clutter.
You just have to be a little more organized in
the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's
to making the most of our time.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. You can
send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just
connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before
Breakfast Pod that's B four then Breakfast Pod. You can
also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at

(04:07):
iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled out with
all the letters. Thanks so much, should I look forward
to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio.
For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,

(04:28):
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.