Need it, use it, or flaunt it.

[chezmax]

This was advice I saw somewhere regarding the Tyranny Of Stuff. I've been becoming less tolerant of clutter as I get older, and thus am somewhat stressed by having an abundance of stuff. Now and then I get the cleaning urge, and go into an into an old box, and end up throwing half of it out (by throwing out, I often mean recycling or giving away, but the end result is the same: removing it from my life and abdicating responsibility for it.

Like many people in this day and age, I have been prone to bouts of shopping, when I see something that could be conceivably useful or nice or fun or a good deal. My particular weakness is usually somewhat more benign: I want media. I have hundreds upon hundreds of cds; and dozens of dvds, games, and books. (I realize there are people with media hording tendencies much worse than me).

And so, recently I have been (lightly) purging things. I got rid of some old obsolete computer equipment, donated a surplus computer to my sister, recycled or shredded hundreds of papers, got rid of no-longer-relevant boxes (I keep boxes in the event of needing to return something). It's very liberating.

So this particular advice spoke to me. Need it, use it, or flaunt it. The implied ending is "or lose it".

Need it is for things we require, but possibly don't necessarily like. A lot of household things fall in here: a vacuum cleaner, a lawn mower, a microwave, furniture, clothing, formal wear, a telephone, etc. ("Need" is somewhat subjective for these devices, but it serves the point)

Use it is for things that are somewhat more elective, but that we use on a regular basis: a computer, a tv, an instrument, a game console, cds that you listen to, board games, barbecue, and the like.

Flaunt it is for things of a more asthetic or sentimental value: Awards, artwork, houseplants, jewelry, heirlooms, etc. Flaunt is not being used in the pejorative sense here, but just for things you want to see or to show others. You could be flaunting things towards yourself.

The last bit in particular, flaunt it, made me think some. I have a box of stuffed toys and ornaments and such that have remained in the closet packed since I moved. Each of these has sentimental value because they were given to me by certain people at certain times, and I would be very unhappy to part with them. But they're not doing any good in the closet. If I want to keep them, I really should be able to see them. Flaunt them.

I think maybe I'll need to find room on the top of my dresser.

Comments

[phantasm13.livejournal.com]

Or put up a shelf for said items?

:)

[chezmax]

We are slowly working on shelves. We have some wood Jeremy is going to use to build media shelves for our CDs and DVDs. It just hasn't happened yet. (Hard to do wood working during negative temperatures)

[greek-artemis.livejournal.com]

You could get one of those cheap stuffed animal nets...you attach them to a corner in your room on the wall and it hangs like a hammock for them to sit on. Cheap, effective, and useful. I realize you're in the process of reducing clutter, but I find organizers are effective in reducing clutter, even if you're adding an item.

[chezmax]

That's kind of neat.

If you mean an organizer like a plastic tub, that's really just hiding the clutter, which I already have a problem with. My Grandmother wants me to get Stuff Out Of Her Attic one day. :)

[greek-artemis.livejournal.com]

no, not organizers like plastic tubs. The only thing I do that for is video game/software cases with licenses keys on them (they reside under my bed, but I pull them out often).

I mean things like shelvings units (I recently installed one that goes over our toilet in our bathroom so I could dump the drawer set in our bathroom...it was annoying me and gathering dust really badly...)

I like cool organizers...like the stuffed animal hammock I was talking about...organizers that help you DISPLAY things nicely. ;)

[lothaekor.livejournal.com]

I can never find those things... O.o

[iggabod.livejournal.com]

Get one of those stuffed toy hammocks and hang them from the ceiling. Or just hang each from the ceiling on elastic string, in a corner. Then you are still showing off your stuffed toys, but they aren't in the way. :)

[chezmax]

Those are a bit tacky, no? :)

[iggabod.livejournal.com]

you have blue or purple hair. :)

So buy some shelving units and put them in your bedroom

[chezmax]

Orange :>

[iggabod.livejournal.com]

ok. isn't orange tacky? :)

[chezmax]

No. :> Coloured hair isn't tacky :>

[kraig.livejournal.com]

One of the suggestions I've seen for situations like that is line 'em all up, take pictures, and then donate all but two or three.

[melted-snowball.livejournal.com]

At least for the CDs, I don't really see the point in keeping them "available" anymore. I have 500 or more and I just have the cases in a few boxes hidden in a closet, and the CDs themselves in notebooks that I never take out. It's not "gotten rid of", but it is "out of mind" in a way that I'm comfortable with.

[fallyn-angel.livejournal.com]

I do that on a biyearly basis. It feels really good, and you have more room for the things you want in life.

Anything useful that I don't want either gets donated to the Diabetes Society (who gets paid to take it to places like Goodwill), or to Goodwill themselves.

[billijean.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday, Honey!
*smooch*

[chezmax]

You too!

Wait, that's not the right response.

Thanks!