Sometimes I have what I call "New Towel Blindness," which is basically where I forget I'm an adult with adult money that I can exchange for goods and services I would like, like say new towels instead of continuing to use my grandparents' hand-me-down towels they gave me when they downsized and I was in college.
And it is definitely one of those things exacerbated by growing up poor and then being a super poor twentysomething, but I think it's something many of us fall into.
Anyway today I bought a bra that doesn't cause my boobs physical pain, a purse in my style instead of continuing to use the poorly sized not-my-style purse I'd been gifted, and joined a gym because I remembered I can just give someone money in exchange for them teaching me how to lift weights instead of thinking "gosh strength training would be good to do as my body ages I wish I knew how."
Sheets, towels, PILLOWS (omg REPLACE YOUR PILLOWS), socks, doormats, tea towels, bras, cutlery (sometimes)
At my previous apartment I spent months plugging in my bedside lamp every night and unplugging it the next morning because using the nearest plug made the cord stretch across the middle of the room. Then I remembered extension cords exist and I went and got one for $5 and it was great.
Sometimes you don't even need to spend money to improve things, they just need to be rearranged! At my current place I don't like setting my water glass down on the hard stone bathroom counter top, so I'd been balancing it on a tin of ointment, but then I remembered I have coasters.
A while ago the handle broke off a bottle of cleaning solution, and I spent multiple cleaning sessions painstakingly trying to line up the broken nub with the place it's supposed to press and juust managing to get it to spray. Recently I remembered I can pour the stuff into a new empty spray bottle from the dollar store! Wow!
Realised I can just buy extra pegs instead of struggle to have enough pegs for the laundry. Incredible, now everything I hang out gets a peg and my laundry doesn't get spread over the yard.
I also suffer from life-long poverty trauma, and I often forget I have money for things nowadays.
But OP is so right! I cannot stress this enough, you can improve your life tenfold by adding little practicalities like these! As a chronically ill person, I am a Huge fan of stuff like this.
Do you spend a lot of time in bed?
- Make sure you have a multi-port power board within arms reach to charge all your devices.
- Make a snack bin so you also have food when you don't have executive function enough to go cook.
- Get one of those long arm grabber poles, keep it by the bed. Great for closing/opening your door, picking up things that fell off the bed, flipping the light switch, or reaching up high.
Do you hyper focus when working on a fun project and forget to eat/use the toilet/check in with your body?
- Buy a cheap digital alarm clock for your desk. Set a timer when you start working, when it goes off, take a break and go attend to any bodily needs
- If you're like me and get so sucked I to hyper focus, you forget to eat, make a snack tray at your desk. Some food is better than no food!
- Keep a bottle of water nearby too, staying hydrated is important. If you buy a reusable bottle you can even decorate it with stickers to make it more fun!
Do your joints/back/muscles hurt because you overuse them in your daily life? Or do you get pain because you've worn out your favourite spot on the couch/your desk chair/etc?
- For joint and muscle aches, go to the chemist and buy yourself a stabilising brace for wherever you get pain. There's a splint for everything. Thumbs, hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, back, knees, feet, you name it!! Using these extra supports can be phenomenal for both chronic and acute pain.
- If you're favourite seat is worn out and uncomfortable, try getting a memory foam seat cushion. Use it in the couch for better back and hip support. Try a back pillow wedge, or even a boyfriend pillow. If your fave chair is simply too worn and needs replacing, check local op shops or the local buy/sell websites. You can often find amazing furniture for super cheap.
These things are small investments into your ongoing wellbeing and happiness. Sometimes all you need is a new towel, or an extension cord, but sometimes the solution to your problem is more expensive. Like buying high-end comfortable shoes that are going to last years, instead of constantly replacing the cheap ones that hurt your feet all the time.
But I promise you - - spending more on something that will provide lasting benefits, something that is actually comfortable to wear, or spending more on an item that makes more sense in your home and the way you move around it, is ALWAYS the best option.
