Less stuff seems to equal more time

I wonder how much time we spend actually buying things.

Most people I know think about what they want. They spend time researching it, comparing it to other competitive products, going to look at it (often multiple times if it's something like a car or furniture or technology) and then spending more time trying to get the best price possible.

I would bet each non basic purchase (food, to a degree clothing) takes at least an hour. Maybe a few hours and in the case of big purchases (like a car or house) it can add up to days or more.

And if you're just 'shopping', not 100% sure what you want, hell, that can be 1/2 a day at a mall on a Saturday.

I think this because I find I now have more time on my hands. Most of what I buy now is the basic and those don't really change much for me. Food is pretty routine. Cloths (does it fit? do I have room for it in the closet? is it black?.. I'll take it) are similar. I don't really have the room for more than what's there already so I just walk past all the other stuff.

I used to spend 2 hours whenever I went to Costco for milk and that damn milk always ended up costing me at least several hundred dollars of 'discovered.. gotta have... been looking for that' stuff. After my last 3 visits to Costco where I looked around for an hour decided I didn't need or have a place for that, say, telescope I've been hankering for and will use maybe twice in a year, and still walked out with just milk (OMG!) I realized I didn't even need that Costco card.

Now I just get 1/2 gallon at the Ideal Market down the street when I'm running low. In and out. Done.

I'm guessing I gain about 6-8 (conservatively) hours a week because of this.

And it's a little odd. I actually find myself, some evenings or weekends, wondering what to do. I think I'll learn how to cartoon, or speak Manderin. :)