Go ahead and buy an extra

Make sure you have what you need, where you need it

If you run an efficient household, then you are probably familiar with your “burn rate.” This is the speed at which you use up household items. By knowing how long a gallon of milk or a bottle of laundry detergent lasts, you can shop more effectively.

That said, there’s more to efficiency than volume. Sometimes it’s nice to have an item right when we need it. Indeed, sometimes we choose to use or not use things based on how convenient they are. Rather than be penny wise and pound foolish, for some things it’s best to get a spare and make life a little easier.

The limits of efficiency

I think of this every summer as we load up on sunscreen. Theoretically, putting a giant economy-sized bottle in the mudroom should be fine. That’s generally where my family exits the house. But not always. If people exit by the backdoor, then putting an extra bottle by the back door increases the chances that sunscreen gets worn. And, honestly, some kids don’t like waiting while another child is using the bottle of sunscreen. So an extra bottle or two at the primary exit spot is probably wise, to say nothing of a small bottle in my purse, and an extra, ready to go, in the beach bag.

Or perhaps in your family, like my family, many people need phone chargers, and they seem to need them in different places. You could carry one with you around the house, but then you risk leaving it somewhere and not having one when you need one. If you buy a few extras, and put them by all the plugs where people would use them, then you don’t have to spend time hunting.

Double up on a favorite

You might do this for favorite items of clothing as well. Perhaps you’ve noticed yourself wearing something over and over again — your favorite Saturday jeans, or a pair of black pants. Go ahead and buy a second copy before the company stops making it. If the company has stopped making it, you might be able to find a secondhand version in good shape through a company like Poshmark or ThredUp. And if you wear a certain item of clothing in different places, a spare might be handy in that case too. Having a fully-stocked gym bag at your office means you could work out at lunch, if that’s a possibility in your life.

I know that the admonition to “buy an extra” sounds like it might make life more cluttered, but sometimes the opposite happens. I bought an extra laundry hamper to put on the first floor of the house. Now, people are marginally less inclined to leave dirty laundry lying all over the place when they’re too lazy to carry it up to the second floor laundry room. Also, items you use regularly are, by definition, not clutter.

In any case, if you find yourself carrying something from room to room, or car to car, or from home to your office, or if you’re constantly saying “hey, where’s the…?” consider buying an extra. A little bit of money might save you a lot of hassle. I know as I get ready to wrap holiday presents that I’m delighted how many scissors I now own. There’s one on my desk, in the junk drawer, in the playroom, in the art supplies drawer…Any one might go missing but now there’s always another!