Caitríona Redmond: How to avoid 'stuffocation' and cut back on buying unnecessary things

Plus a recipe for limoncello, the perfect handmade Christmas gift

In truth, we all spend money on stuff we don’t need. If you are trying to cut back, it’s important to refocus on what is most important.

Have you heard of the term ‘stuffocation’? It’s not so much a word but a combination of ‘stuff’ and ‘suffocation’ — an extremely descriptive way to describe the feeling of drowning in stuff.

I’m a minimalist at heart, who married a maximalist. This means I feel stuffocated regularly, whereas my husband doesn’t feel it to the same extent. Sometimes it can feel like the house is a battleground between me wanting to get rid of too much stuff and him wanting to buy more. My secret weapon in this battle is the need to save more money.

If I need to buy something essential, then the household contingency fund will cover the cost. I keep that contingency fund topped up with enough money to pay for repairs to essential appliances or even replacement. I learned my lesson last year when my fund was empty and the dishwasher broke. Not having a dishwasher for a few months was a very unpleasant experience. Since then, I resolved to always keep enough money in a savings fund to replace appliances.

Funding ‘wants’ is another matter entirely. The kids take great delight in me saying an item requires a justification or plan. To them, it’s a challenge they relish and they have even taken it as far as making a slideshow to play alongside a presentation to explain how important an item is. This shows me they have thought deeply about something they want, researched how important it is, and can justify the purchase.

In truth, we all spend money on stuff we don’t need. If you are trying to cut back, it’s important to refocus on what is most important. When I ask my kids what they love about Christmas, they will tell me that the days wandering around town looking at the lights are ace and they adore cosy film nights on the sofa. The eldest, who doesn’t live at home any more, says she loves my St Stephen’s Day pie and pyjama days watching cartoons. For my own part, I have only one strong memory of receiving a gift I had yearned for and, go figure, it was a book. The rest of my memories of being a child at Christmas centre around time spent with my extended family, singing songs, and seeing my cousins.

Every year I remind myself that the feelings of being loved, safe, and cosy are ones that can’t be bought. 

This helps me plan my spending away from buying stuff and, instead, using some of my budget to pay for experiences together. They don’t need to cost a fortune. The week before Christmas I’ll venture into the city centre to look at the lights and soak up the atmosphere with the kids. It’ll cost a train ticket and I can buy hot chocolates or bring a thermos. It’s not expensive to create memories, and minimalists in your life will thank you.

Do we really need wrapping paper?

Rest assured I am not the grinch or a Scrooge. Unwrapping a present is a delight, especially when a gift has been selected with care and wrapped to perfection. I spent many years as the family’s dedicated wrapper; I know how to wrap an item well.

Did you know wrapping paper that is shiny or metallic it may not be fit for the recycling bin?

Instead, I have a giant roll of brown recycled paper. For certain events it can be decorated with drawings or stamped with motifs such as holly or jingle bells. The brown paper is used to wrap cakes and puddings, parcels for posting, and copybooks. It’s a great multipurpose solution to single use wrapping paper.

If you are on a budget, keep a hold of the paper shopping bags from Christmas shopping. Cut the bags down the seam and turn inside out to use as wrapping paper. This has the bonus of reducing weight in your recycling bin along with saving some money.

Homemade Limoncello

recipe by:Caitriona Redmond

You only need four days to make this incredible zingy limoncello which makes the perfect handmade Christmas gift. Makes just over 1 litre of limoncello in total. I decant it into 100ml bottles for gifts.

Cooking Time

 10 mins

Total Time

 10 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 6 organic lemons (washed)

• 70cl bottle of vodka

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup water

Method

1. Peel the lemons, taking care to cut as little of the white pith as possible.

2. Place the lemon peel into a large jar with a tight lid – I prefer a kilner style jar. Pour the vodka on top of the lemon peel.

3. Put the jar into a cool dry place for four days.

4. After four days, combine 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water in a saucepan.

5. Bring to a gentle simmer until all the sugar has dissolved and allow to cool. This is called a simple syrup.

6. Decant the cooled sugar syrup into a large jug, place a sieve on top of the jug and place some muslin cloth over the sieve. Strain the lemon vodka through the cloth and sieve into the jug.

7. Mix with the simple syrup until well combined. Fill up bottles of your choice.

8. Serve the limoncello neat over ice or diluted with soda water.

9. Don’t waste the lemons either, juice the peeled lemons and pour the lemon juice into an ice cube tray or bag.

10. Freeze and use the lemon juice ice cubes for whenever you need a small amount for cooking or baking.