Rationalizations That Keep You Cluttered, Part 2

"I might need this someday!"

Onward to part two of my common client rationalizations series - the ever popular and very sensible "I might need this someday." Other common iterations include "I bought it once and I don't want to have to buy it again," and it's kissing cousin, "It's not hurting me to just hold on to it."

And that's true. It's NOT hurting you to store everything you may use some day in the distant future. Except if it is - except if you are keeping ALL of the things you may someday use. A home that can't be parsed down to what is being actively used (or lovingly displayed) with a small amount of storage is usually a home that's cluttered, or on its way to Clutter City.

There's a line between sensible storage and excess that can be really hard to find! For me, the line is right about at the place where if I store it, I know I will remember it's there before purchasing a duplicate. I usually don't hold onto multiples of anything but food, pantry items, paper products and diapers. For me, it doesn't make sense to have more than one thing that meets a need. I don't need to hold on to my old coffee maker once I've replaced it with a new model.

Once in a blue moon I have to replace something I've tossed that I thought I would never need again, but I can count those times on one hand. Usually the advantage of living lighter more than makes up for my heavy hand in the Goodwill pile (except when I donated ALL of Charley's collector's plastic cups from every single Twins Game he had EVER ATTENDED. Six months later, when he realized they were gone, he was livid! Whoops!) Maybe only declutter your own stuff, and save yourself that battle. :)

People have different tolerances for storage and different preferences for how long it takes to make a home feel TOO FULL. Find your sweet spot and maintain it!