Posted by Helen on: 08.28.2007 /
I like Scot McKnight’s blog entry today about four words to avoid, which are “might need it someday”. I guess this is another problem which only applies to rich people (rich as in, have lots of possessions).
From his entry
Do you use these words to explain non-decision or hope or procrastination?
For instance, Kris got it in her head the other day that, since we had a fresh coating of paint in the upstairs bedrooms, perhaps it was time to replace the sheets on Luke’s old bed. She found a wonderful new color that I really like. Which meant taking off the old sheets and putting them in a linen closet that had, you guessed it, about 15 old sheets that we might … go ahead and say it with me … “Might need it someday” sheets and pillow cases.
This is my favorite kind of blog post: with gentle humor it exposes an excuse we use for holding onto things we don’t really need. Things other people would actually use and might even need; whereas we don’t - they are just taking up space.
[Taking the gospels at face value] I don’t think Jesus would have been very impressed with this excuse. He didn’t have a home, so, unless he pulled a cart everywhere with him which isn’t mentioned in the Bible, he must have had very few possessions. And when a rich man asked him what he could do to gain eternal life, Jesus said “sell everything you have”, seemingly not at all sympathetic to the ‘might need it someday’ excuse.
Speaking of people without homes: I met someone at the Midwest Emergent Gathering who doesn’t presently have one: Karen Sloan of Presbymergent. She’s travelling around the country and staying with friends as she shares about new monasticism. Karen will be doing a workshop at Off The Map Live. To learn more about Karen you can visit her website or listen to The Nick and Josh podcast with Karen Sloan, posted yesterday.
Comment by: hoverFrog
1 08/28/07 5:45 AM | Comment Link |I’m afraid that I tend to keep things forever. Have you heard of the old wives’ tale “if you haven’t used something in nine years then throw it out”? Well, that’s why I have so much junk in my house.
However I am moving house (hopefully) on Friday and am taking the opportunity to get rid of all those things that I really should have gotten rid of. A less cluttered life will hopefully be more satisfying anyway.
Comment by: Helen
2 08/28/07 6:36 AM | Comment Link |Hi hoverFrog, I am not good at getting rid of things either. I hope your move goes well (I know that’s a hassle) and that you succeed in getting rid of lots of things you don’t really need!
Comment by: Mike O
3 08/28/07 6:57 AM | Comment Link |I have two rules when trying to figure out if I can throw something away. Typically, when I’m cleaning a junk drawer or whatever, I ask myself “If I ever needed this, would I remember I have one?” If the answer is “no,” I throw it away. The other question is, “If I ever needed this and I knew I had one, would it be worth my while to find it, or would I get a new one?” If the answer is “Get a new one,” I throw it out.
Comment by: Helen
4 08/28/07 7:37 AM | Comment Link |Thanks Mike - I think I would remember I had one, but it’s very likely I’d have forgotten the place I stored it and it would take a lot of effort to find it again.
Comment by: seekingsomething
5 08/28/07 8:50 AM | Comment Link |My life is changed since I discovered http://www.freecycle.org ! There are local Yahoo groups right round the world where you can post ‘offered’ or ‘wanted’ ads to help keep junk out of landfill (and out of attics and cupboards).
I’m absolutely hooked and check my local message boards most days to see if anyone needs anything that I no longer need but am holding on to, and I have received loads of really useful (often not high value) items. I have given away a nearly new dining table that didn’t fit my new kitchen, an exercise bike that I was using as a clothes horse (!), a huge bag of clothes hangers, a stack of cardboard boxes, an old printer, a pile of rocks from my garden… and I have received a big sack of used plant pots, an old fridge for the office, a stack of cookery books and a pile of read-once magazines…. to name but a few.
Sorry to go on about it :) But it’s such a great concept, and having engaged with it for a while I now feel more confident to give stuff away knowing that if my circumstances change I’ll probably be able to locate the things I need from others for free. It feels really good to let go of stuff that is taking up room and you get to meet people in your neighbourhood too, and develop a sense of living in a community which , as a commuting full-time worker, I don’t get to do very often otherwise.
Comment by: Eliza
6 08/28/07 8:57 AM | Comment Link |Having a kid and a dog, we find uses for old sheets (though it helps if they already have a rip or some other reason we’re not likely to use them again):
- “Dog sheets” (the dog gets to lie on them, especially useful when we travel by car to someone else’s house, or the in our house the old sheet can go on the furniture the dog can get up on, or in the dog’s kennel).
- Fort-building material (usually thicker or more opaque sheets are best for this, make better walls)
- Ghost costumes (white sheets seem to be de rigeur for this, though ghosts could come in all colors & patterns, I guess!)
- Sewing material, for making bags and book covers and all sorts of things (including Hallowe’en costumes), esp. while the kid is taking a machine sewing class & is all fired up about it!
Homeless shelters and animal shelters sometimes ask for donations of old linens (sheets, towels, blankets) though I’m sorry to say we usually wear our old ones into shreds ourselves…not to mention, I buy one set of sheets about every 4 years (stingy, don’t like shopping, our old ones still work just fine, etc).
Comment by: Carmen
7 08/28/07 10:27 AM | Comment Link |heh, looks like we read some of the same blogs, ’cause i really resonated with that post too!
Comment by: Doreen A Mannion
8 08/28/07 11:30 AM | Comment Link |eek, I’ve got so much STUFF.
problem is, I don’t look organized, but I know where everything is when I need it.
I’m a stacker, not a filer.
I’m trying to reform, however!
Comment by: John Koh
9 08/28/07 12:07 PM | Comment Link |Hehheh. I really didn’t expect to come across this topic here. ;)
I’m not sure if this will be effective against the pack-rat problem, but I used the “buddy spring cleaning” method.
Simply put, you pair up together to do spring cleaning. One person (preferably not the owner) decides what to throw out. The owner must provide a decent justification before that thing is rescued from the junk heap. Anything not used in 2 years is thrown directly.
I tried this long ago when I was attached - we went through her stuff and effectively cleared up her room. It wasn’t so much fun when we went through my stuff though. ;P
Comment by: Karen
10 08/28/07 12:20 PM | Comment Link |Hey seeking, I’m a freecycler too!
It works absolutely wonderfully and I love the simplicity of it. :-)
Comment by: seekingsomething
11 08/28/07 1:09 PM | Comment Link |Hi Karen… glad you enjoy freecycle too. I picked up 4 houseplants from someone on my freecycle group today to bring some life into the office:) The thing with recycling is that once people know you’re into it, you’re never short of someone to pass things onto. I was inspired by this thread to give up my small food processor, now that I’ve bought a Kenwood Chef, so my old one is all cleaned up to take in to work and give to my secretary to pass to her daughter who is setting up a new home.
I think that it’s easier to pass things on when you have a community, virtual or ‘real’ in which to pass things into. When I’m aware of the needs around me, it diminishes all the ‘reasons’ that I otherwise build up as justification to hang onto old stuff.
Comment by: Doreen A Mannion
12 08/30/07 11:17 AM | Comment Link |freecycler - yep, I’m one of those too! I’ve started giving away and freecycle is a great place to do so.