Buying Bulk is Not Always Wise
As someone who went through multiple feast or famine situations, a money mindset I try to get a handle on is the drive to buy and hoard everything in the moments of abundance so they are readily available when you need them. To a degree, this works. Making sure you cover your bases (bills, clothing, working equipment, ...) when you can is a great habit to have as a freelancer and can get you through tough times. However, it's also unrealistic to think that it could apply to everything. Things break down, organic matter decays.
This may also be relatable to people dealing with unhealthy shopping habits and finding it difficult to refuse a bargain.
Food
Restocking your pantry and stuffing your fridge is truly a joy. How exciting is it to know that you have everything you want within reach? Quality ingredients beckoning you to cook all day! But then you're knee-deep in this project, the client is being difficult, you're losing days of sleep and not feeling like cooking. Calendar rolls around and when you finally manage to haul your sorry legs to the counter, you find that your greens have shriveled, condensation has formed around your sauces, and oh no, is that mold in the container?
Or you buy a huge bag of tea you initially enjoy but get sick of after a while, but you can't give yourself a change of pace because you have to finish the bag before buying a new one.
Sounds familiar?
First, it's imperative to learn what holds well and what doesn't, and how to store them properly. Most fresh items won't sit around waiting for you to get that burst of energy, so use them ASAP or treat them for long-term storage (usually by drying, canning, or freezing). If you don't do your own preservation, buy shelf-stable items if you actually mean them to last. Rotate ingredients and refresh regularly so that if you're lucky enough to not dip into the famine for a while, you're not stuck with all stale stuff when you get there.
Second, be honest with yourself. Okay, that's a great deal on 500gr pre-shaven katsuobushi. But I'm a one-person household most days, cooking for two at most, and we don't make dashi every day. Katsuobushi is honestly not a very good example here because it's mercifully versatile, but it still took me awfully long to go through a whole bag (and pre-shaven, it was at its peak only for a short time). If your household doesn't usually eat a large amount of something (or use up a large amount of anything, even non-food items), then don't buy a boatload of them no matter how good the price is. There is no point in getting them for cheap if you don't actually have use of them. Especially especially if it's something not everyone in the family can enjoy. You may end up resenting a perfectly good ingredient just because you're forced to finish them alone.
Art Supplies
Most art supplies keep for a long time. Graphite pencils practically last forever. I still have some from high school, and I'm twice the age now. I gave away crayons and watercolor tubes from middle school leftover to a kid younger than the supplies. The watercolors were dried, but reconstituted well in water. I have had pens and water-based markers on my desk that had been around since pre-COVID. I bought a 3-years-old set of brush pens because the shop sold it at the old price. The new stock would cost way more. They still write well, but these I would count as being lucky.
Why?
Ink dries up. Paint separates. Both ink and paint are composed of colorants and solvents, and leaving them sitting around unused will cause the solvent (usually water or alcohol or oil) to vaporize. Luckily, if only the solvent has dried up and there are still enough ink or pigment in the supplies, you can revive them by supplying the same material (e.g isopropyl alcohol for alcohol markers). Note that if you have actually used the ink and it's not dried up but used up (because you're actually drawing or coloring with them) then you would have to refill them or toss them away if they can't be refilled. You may think it's impossible to run out if you have only used them for small stuff, but the surface you work on matters a lot. Porous surfaces like paper soak up ink and paint unless coated, causing colors to appear less vibrant or requiring you to use more ink to cover the same area. Cheap coloring books are made to be used with dry media, and they tend to be very prone to bleeding, while thick cardstock or watercolor paper can be very thirsty.
You may not think paper could go bad, but watercolor paper and such are coated with materials (sizings) to allow for easy movement of paint on the surface. These sizings can be made from animal, plant, or synthetic materials, and they deteriorate. A bad sizing could cause the paper to not perform as well when you paint on it, but can still be perfectly suitable for use with dry media.
In pens, drying ink can cause clogging, which may or may not be easily fixable. If your paint pen leaks and dries so bad you can't even uncap it, that's most likely beyond saving. Metal tips on mechanical pencils and ballpoints may get rusty if your area is humid. I always have a box of a very cheap pen I like ($0.15 each!) in my drawer while ensuring the nicer ones are refillable.
Also I don't believe I have to say this, but if you write or draw or color day in and day out, they might run out faster than you may think. Some art supplies are designed to be used on small area drawing, not a full-sized gallery piece.
Know. Your. Materials!
Last?
Actually use up what you have! It's heartbreaking to throw away items you thought too precious to enjoy. Might as well paint ugly pictures than having the paint goes bad waiting for your masterpiece. Half-assed cooking is better than an imaginary feast. Make an excuse to use them.
Do your research, plan well. Next time your brain is trying to convince you that you have to buy an entire year's worth of potatoes or a lifetime supply of ink, make sure you know how to keep them and realistically go through them. I hope all of you feast well and survive your famines.