AW Blog Chain: Getting rid of STUFF!!
But back then, aged 19, getting rid of everything I own, except what would fit in one bag, and then hitting the road, was one of the most liberating experiences in my life. Stuff isn’t important. The more you have, the more you want. The more ’stuff’ you have, the more tied down to one place you are. It becomes a trap, less stuff means more freedom. Well, when you’re young and idealistic it does. Not so much these days. Perhaps that is ‘the journey’.
–Lee
Lee writes in his post about being young and getting rid of his belongings, and the freedom he felt from that experience. But it is harder to let go of your stuff when you are way beyond your carefree youth. How do you finally deal with that aging pile of stuff.
First of all, let me explain what the Absolute Write Blog Chain is all about. The first person in the chain takes a turn to write a piece on their blog, then the following person in the chain picks up on an element in the previous post and continues. I am following Lee’s excellent post on his blog: I, Misanthrope - The Dairy of a Dyslexic Writer.
So, where were we? Oh ya, getting rid of Stuff.
I can attest to the negative feeling that a massive pile of Stuff can create. You see I have a secret…I am a recovering Pack Rat. I have a hard time throwing things away. I think it must stem from a fear getting rid of something that might be important or valuable. (that old toy from when I was 3 is surly worth a fortune now, right?) I get an overwhelmed feeling when I see how much stuff I have to deal with daily, which makes me want to just go and surf the web instead.
In college, my roommates were always annoyed at my messiness, and I was embarrassed of the clutter I never did anything about. One roommate was so frustrated with me that he went into my room and threw everything into garbage bags. And being an artist does not make it any easier. I have lots of papers, art, books, reference, and of course toy’s…er… Action Figures…wait… Collectables. Also, lots of original drawings and paintings, it makes the choice of what to keep even harder.
So… I have lots of crap. But I have gotten better in the last few years at not making it worse. Part of it comes from being a starving artist, I am more aware on how I spend my money on stuff now. Every item is scrutinized before I spend a cent on it. I also have been burned many times in the past by impulsive buys that were far from the usefulness I imagined. Those items are the hardest to get rid of too, since you still hope that someday you might get some use out of them. Most likely you never will.
Having done some major purging in the last few years has made me see that, even though the process can be painful, it feels great once you have gotten rid of a large chunk of stuff. There is a feeling of excitement, pride and worry (that you are throwing out something important) as you make your way to the garbage bin on the curb. It feels like one step towards freeing up your life.
Right now we are getting ready to remodel the computer room/den which means getting rid of the 30 year old carpet, moving the furniture, and emptying all the shelves filled with old software, books, and office supplies. I know that now is a good time to purge the items I will never use, but I feel guilty throwing them away. So, to help me make hard choices I have developing a series of questions:
- Is the item still functional and/or compatible? Is it outdated and/or broken?
- Do I still want it?
- Is it worth the loss of space to keep it?
- Can I replace it with something more space friendly (iTunes or a CD in a flat case vs. those old cassette tapes)? Are they documents that can be scanned and saved in a digital format?
- Are there important memories attached to the item?
- Is it worth any money, could I sell it? Is it worth the time to sell it?
- Is it an item that could be donated to someone who could really use it more then me? Would they get enjoyment from it?
- Is it information that can be accessed by way of the Internet, library or other method that takes no space?
- What do I achieve from keeping it? From getting rid of it?
- Will I miss it when it’s gone?
- etc. (your question here)
I keep asking these questions about the item at hand until it fits into the YES, I need to keep it! or the NO, get rid of it now! category.
If you will never use the stuff, it’s better to set it free. Then you can fill that space with something new or even fill it with peace of mind instead. And of course there are the type of Stuff that is cognitive, but that is a subject for another post and another day.
So the next person in the chain is Wendy with her Flying Shoes blog. She has interesting posts on tarot cards, music and food.
I’m a total pack rat, too. Unfortunately my wife is one as well, though she made me jettison the entire Star Wars and Spawn collection upon marriage.
Oh - me too. We had to do exactly this when we moved to the US and it was heartbreaking in some cases (especially my beloved book collection).
Guess we should hunt out our local branches of the PRA (Pack Rats Anonymous).
I occasionally try to cull my books. Once I managed to five four away to charity. I was impressed with myself until I looked at the shelves and realised that was four out of three thousand.
I hae dealt with this problem: I don’t count my books as often.
Good for you! Excellent list you’ve made to judge whether or not to keep your stuff. I’ve never had pack rat tendencies, not to extremes anyway, but I can attest to the fact that clearing out the clutter — once you’ve ID’d what is and isn’t clutter — is a truly liberating feeling!
Good for you Bri. I hope you find a gem or two in amongst the Stuff. I like the concept of “setting them free”. The idea that someone else out there might be able to get some enjoyment out of an item makes the clean up a bit less painful.
(No, I none of MY books need purging, thank you.)
Great post Brian,
The most I’ve collected of anything is books. My mother used to tell me I had enough to open a small library or book store.
Now although I’d like to own a book store like the onr Meg Ryan had in “You’ve Got Mail” it wouldn’t be filled with my books for sale.
Great list. My husband and I joke that we move every few years just so we are forced to clear stuff out;)
Hmm, the stuff of life. How difficult it is to let it go. I too am a member of Pack Rat Annonymous, a legacy member on my mother’s side. Good luck on the room overhaul. Maybe you can find good homes for some of the more deserving stuff.
I am a pack rat living with a neat freak..in other words…am forced to do that list more than I’d like to. It doesn’t help that a lot of my “stuff” has been created by my children. Everything from sea shells to notes lol. Having just recently helped my Mother in law remodle her house I have a new appreciation for my husbands “freakyness”. My mother and Father in law keep everything and it took months to make a small dent!
Thanks for the comments guys; I am blow away by the fast response.
Earlier this year I was at a Teen Manga and Art fest with my comic books (the ones I have self published), but I also brought a stack of Marvel and DC ones that I wanted to get rid of and were worth very little more then a quarter from the local comic book store. They were on the freebee table and gone by the end of the day. One boy went through and excitingly found the few Conan books I had and exclaimed how much he loved them. It made me feel very good.
We had stuff still in boxes from two moves ago in our garage. We did the right thing and got rid of them. If we didn’t need them in the three years since the first move, we’ve proven we can live without them.
I, too, and a recovering Pack rat. One who has frequent relapses.
You might want to check out flylady.net - she talk about decluttering and has a 21 or 27 fling boogie (I never remember which number it really is) that sounds like you’d probably like.
Excellent post.
Thanks for the tip, I will check it out.
Hmmm… I’m something of a hoarder; my wife is just the opposite. That checklist sounds pretty useful. I may even have to print it out.