We’re focusing on small clutter this week. Junk drawers and magazine collections and my set of three whisks.
Hopefully you’ve picked your way through a few drawers and closets this week. Buoyed by your commitment to have less it may have been easy to say goodbye to things you once thought you needed.
Or… you may be accumulating a box of things that you are terrified to part with because there is one question that keeps running through your head:
What if I need it someday?
It’s a good question. What if you need that fondue set/fuchsia palazzo pants (that you have never worn)/cross country skis (you haven’t used in 7 years)/lime green cork wedges in the future?
Maybe you’ll need them all at once when you host a 70s Caribbean dress Key Party Menu themed apres Cross Country Ski party.
If only we could predict the future. But we can’t. Nor can we store things for every possible scenario that may come our way.
The answer? Keep what you know you need now. Keep what is used regularly for the 95% of your life that you KNOW happens. Then you can RENT, BORROW or MAKE DO for the rest.
When the 70s Caribbean dress Key Party Menu themed apres Cross Country Ski party happens you:
- RENT the skis. Easy and the money you brought in selling the skis covers more than the rental.
- BORROW the Fondue set. Many, many people have fondue sets (I used to!) and will be quite happy to loan theirs out. Just be aware that the owner may ask you to keep it because they never use it themselves.
- MAKE DO for your 70s Caribbean themed costume. White shorts from your summer closet, a silk scarf tied on your head, perhaps a trip to a thrift store and a call out to friends for a loaner or two.
This is a call to peel back another layer. That drawer you emptied out on Sunday evening – go take another look. What else can you let go of if you stop worrying about SOMEDAY and instead focus on TODAY?
This is the last post/kick-in-the-pants for small clutter. We move on to bigger, but not always better, things tomorrow.
I’ll be that person that lends out their fondue pot, but you best be aware that I’ll be knocking on your door within a week to get it back! I love fondue and convinced my parents to give me the set because they were never using it. I don’t use it every month, but enough that it earns its keep. And it really doesn’t take up that much space, especially after I culled the forks.
Just want to tell you how much your blog has been inspiring me over the last few months. We can park both vehicles in our garage now! I also did a HUGE closet purge last night and I feel so, so free. Little by little, step by step, we’re getting there. So thank you!
Wow! Well done and enjoy all that extra space 🙂
This is totally my problem. I am pretty good with not buying too many “things”. I am also pretty good with keeping a fairly minimal, clutter free home. But my basement, on the otherhand, holds far too much stuff. Alot of it is things we use fairly often, but then there is also alot that we don’t use. It’s stuff that I think we may one day use, like craft supplies, extra pots & pans, themed party decorations, partially filled paint cans, extra drinking glasses and so much more.
This is definitely something I need to work on!
Thanks for this post! It has often been hard for me to get rid of things because of the “what if” scenario. I have to say, there are times I donate something and then wish I had it for a special event later. In those cases though, borrowing something or getting creative with what I have always come through. I’ve come to realize that it’s really not worth holding on to things for that “what if” a year or two down the road.
Thanks for the ongoing inspiration! Love your blog. Happily peeling back layers of clutter on Cape Cod MA.
I have actually already lost count of the things that have been “cleansed” from my house already this year. Over 200 by far (hey, I can count each broken piece of my son’s toys as a thing each right??)
My partner now looks at me and says “more gone today?” when he comes home and sees me whittling through a drawer in the lounge room that is full of empty envelopes that used to contain a letter addressed to me, old pens that don’t work, batteries that I have no clue if they work or not, broken paperclips, copies of bills that were paid over a year ago etc… I have piles of things that are currently listed on ebay/gumtree and my incoming income has been upped by around $100 so far this month! Not too bad for stuff that was hanging around collecting dust.
I am so much happier now and can’t thank you enough for this blog. It is saving my life! (Literally, I swear I was drowning in “things” before)
Thanks, Fondu Pot just went into the goodwill box. I have hauled that pot around almost 3,000 miles all with the thought of having a delightful fondu meal. Why? I have two small kids. I can’t see them liking fondu or anything that isn’t grilled cheese or macaroni and cheese. Your post gave me the will I needed to finally part with it. I have two more boxes going and furniture to sell. Here’s to clean shelves in 2014!
There is really only one thing I regret donating…my Cuisinart food processor. I am shopping for a new (to me) one on ebay now. But it still is nicer, because now I know exactly what size I need, and what accessories I need, and am not being distracted by all the features of the brand new models.
We are military and waiting on orders…we have major decluttering to do, but are waiting till we find out if we are staying in Florida, or moving to Alaska!
The rental skis out here are terrible, totally cut up and a mess. We downsized to snowblading. We’re a bit older now and are not in that much of a hurry, plus they take up almost no room and we can use our old boots. The Halloween costumes can definitely go though. lol
going back and taking a second look is KEY! I always hesitate with one or two things thinking I might need them. The second look always results in letting go of more…
Last December when I donated half of my stuff, I remember sitting there and wondering what if I needed this or that and if I would miss all these clothes and things. And luckily I didn’t and still don’t. Being able to give up stuff I thought I would need made me feel so much less weighed down.
Wow Jo and Rachel! It is only the middle of Jan and over 100 items decluttered already!?? I have only a TESCO bag full of stuff waiting in the car for the charity-shop run.
This post brought up so many thoughts and feelings, Rachel.
Stricktly sticking to the “What if I need it some day?” question. I am the other extreem. I seem to be deciding fairly quickly on not needing things. When growing up, I was always told that I waste things by wanting to get rid of toys, clothes etc, or I was told I don’t appreciate all the material stuff I was given. Now, my husband just smiles when he arrives home and he finds the coat hanger gone by the front door. 🙂
Yes, I do regret donating a couple of things. But those things are bore because I had an emotional attachment to them as well as realizing that I could still use them. However, if I think about all the things I remember (or not even remember) selling, donating, giving or throwing away I cannot think of anything I miss, need or regret getting rid of. 🙂
What I have to be mindful of is to remember that my husband and children, however minimalist they are, still might have emotional connection to items that I ans them know are not needed.
I’m having a mammoth declutter this new-year. Last new-year I literally felt I was ‘drowning in stuff’. But much of that was to do with being sick+frame of mind at the time – my house was not so cluttered – after all I’d been actively culling for almost 4 years. This year the decluttering is going great. I actually can see in my mind where I am headed. My vision is to know exactly every item and where it is in the home. This means culling. Because storing isn’t an option. I do not want to remove 5 items before I reach the thing I need. As I’m decluttering I’m working through my head-issues over at my blog. Convinced I have hoarding tendencies (but manage mostly to keep them in check) I breakdown and analyse how I am feeling as I cull. Last week I investigated feelings of regret (which I believe is one considerable factor in not letting items go – but it was regret linked to not actualising the perceived value of the item in the process of selling). This week I’ve considered missed opportunity – similar to your post. My magazine collection went. There will be amazing recipes lost, but the weight and burden of storing the mags (and never actually using them) is too much. That’s what I now consider when deciding whether to let something go. There’s an imaginary set of scales in my mind (you know the old style). I place the missed opportunity on one against the weight of storing the item. Rarely does keeping the item win.
Really like this.
Just had a friend visiting from Canada with her daughter. Brought all of our toys into the living room so all the kids could have a go. It was fun and there was stuff everywhere and it was the perfect chance to see what they are all really playing with and what can go.
Keeping track and 152 things out so far this year and one in (book on Kindle – does that count?).
Great post, thank you for writing this decluttering series! Last Saturday my husband and I got rid of lots of clutter in his home office. We filled two huge trash bags with stuff that we had been keeping around for ages. The closet was full of old magazines, notebooks, souvenirs, vhs tapes, etc. Getting rid of all that felt so good! I simply can’t believe how much stuff around the house we never use and keep “just in case”. We will be taking care of our kitchen and dining room things next weekend.
Greetings from Argentina!
Nancy – greetings back to you from the Isle of Man!
VHS tapes: I am getting rid of DVDs now. They have sat around for 2.5 years and we no longer have a North American DVD player (nor do we live in North America).