Treasure in things / Afni Anida Adnan, Mohd Ikram Mohd Nor Rizan and Angeline Ranjethamoney Vijayarajoo (Ap, Dr.)

In an increasingly materialistic world, the adage ‘Shop till you drop’ or ‘Retail Therapy’ seems to be commonplace. The act of shopping, be it real or just to pass the time window shopping, is oftentimes an act conducted by the fairer sex- the ladies. However, due to the Internet of Things, online shopping platforms have begun to catch on, and men now make up a considerable portion of shoppers as well. The pandemic may have ‘forced’ us to abandon the brick and mortar shops for a while, but with the world going back to normal, even more shopping is taking place. The result of all this shopping is that we oftentimes buy more than what is required or necessary. As a result, we may find ourselves surrounded by things which we have no need or use for. Oftentimes, we have no recollection of the time and reason behind their purchase. There are various ways one can get rid of the accumulated stuff that has been bought without much thought. The first step to getting rid of these stuffs is to put them into separate groups that will determine their final destination. What you can do is come up with three or more distinct piles according to what you’d like to do with your stuff. These piles can be labelled ‘Keep’ (for stuff you’d like to keep), ‘donate’ (for stuff you’d like to give to charity), ‘sell’ (for stuff that you are convinced will bring in the money) and ‘discard’ (for stuff that you no longer want/ need and are equally useless if it were to be sold).