Obviously, the answer to this prompt will be something along the lines of “it’s a waste if you actually don’t need it in the first place”. Most of us will have recalled when our self-control was weak, thus letting us succumb to the lure of cheap impulsive purchases. “Buy 1 get 1 free”, “While stocks last”, and “Exclusive within this period only!” are cliched marketing tactics that are still popularly used because they work. Simple as that.

But let’s ponder this question a bit deeper. What if something is relatively cheap and lends itself to utilisation pretty often? So it makes the cut in terms of monetary value as well as value in use. Actually, value in use is a term I came across recently when I was reading this Chinese book on the topic of decluttering. The author mentioned how we must value things in terms of their 使用价值 (value in use).

Tbh, I have never encountered “value in use” before, so let me translate this 使用价值 into English in the event that “value in use” doesn’t ring a bell for you. It means “the value you derive from using a product or service”. Which sounds identical to the V4V term we use so often here!

Anyway, the author recommended that when we buy something, we have already decided how long we are going to use it for. This is to facilitate our calculation of the monthly or yearly cost of using a particular product. If we are happy with this expense, we can go ahead and buy it.

Back to the question. If something is cheap and used pretty often, can it still be wasteful? Immediately, I thought of something that fits the bill.

These toys aren’t expensive. In fact, we received some of them for free, but boy, do they collect waste as a collective. First, I got to think about where to display them at home.

Next, I got to teach my boy where these toys are located so that there is some semblance of order in our surroundings. Also helps him to find his preferred toy conveniently. But that’s a waste of my cognitive power because I need to remember the location of these toys before I can teach him, right?

Time is inevitably wasted trying to find his toys because he is not always conscientious about clearing up. But what have you got to do? When the Prince wants a particular toy, he wants it NOW. The only thing I can do is to prod him into throwing away one toy whenever a new member joins his collection of toys 😂.

So, what’s one inexpensive thing that you consider is a waste?

Sending 50% zaps to @OriginalSize for his idea.