Should we declutter just-in-case items??

How many times have you said this as you declutter your home? “I should keep this just in case…”

It’s hard to get rid of something if we think we can use it at some point.

And there are many useful things in our home. Someone can use them, right?? Should we get rid of perfectly good items?? What if we have duplicate things like staplers and markers, well, we could keep one and have the extra just in case the first one breaks, right? Then we won’t have to spend money later…

Saving things just in case is saving me money… right??
Well, maybe.

If you can find it when you need it. Or if you remember it when you need it.

But for the majority of us, we don’t remember all the things we have, and so, when we come to something we need well if the one we kept isn’t remembered or found, we just go buy another one.

When we look at the things we want to keep “just in case” it is typically very inexpensive items that we think we should hang on to. In fact, most of the items we fret about keeping aren’t even worth $5. What are the types of things that you keep just in case?

Extra screwdrivers? Coffee mugs? Expired spices? Worn-out clothing, pots, and pans that you already bought replacements for…?

We keep so many things that cost very little to replace, most, in fact, can be picked up at a second-hand store for pennies. So what exactly is it saving us? Do we need 20 extra coffee cups just in case one breaks?

It’s not saving us money, it’s costing us space!

“Maybe I should keep these 10 pie pans just in case I have to make pies for the family Thanksgiving meal. (I’ve never had to make all the pies… but it could happen.)”

Does it warrant keeping 10 pie pans in the cupboard, does it warrant them taking up all that space if you use them once in 20 years? Should they really belong there? Is there a better use for the space in the cupboard?

And if we can’t bear to get rid of them, we talk about ourselves into storing it somewhere… “Let’s put them in the garage, then if that time comes, I can go get them and make all 10 pies and it will be worth it to have kept them.”

Think through it: will they be an accessible place so that you can easily get them if that time comes? And if not, will you want to dig through all the boxes to figure out where those pie pans are so you can use them? Or will you just say “hang it!” and buy a bunch of foil pie pans or borrow them from family members? Wouldn’t it just be easier to keep things that you use regularly now and deal with whatever comes up later… If it comes up?

I have no doubt that someone out there can use those pie pans and be thankful that they found them cheap or free and didn’t have to buy a new one.

Let things go, and don’t worry about “Just in case”

As a Christian, I believe this falls into “don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow has enough worries of its own.”

Think through: what is the worst that could happen if you get rid of those just in case things? What is the absolute worst?

💠 If you only have 3 coffee cups and 1 broke, how bad would that be?
💠 If your stapler stopped working and you didn’t have an extra, how much of a bind would you be in?
💠 If the family called up and said “we need you to make 10 pies for Thanksgiving” would you really care about having to attain pie pans? (Honestly, my thoughts would be: “Do you never even realize how much time it takes to make a pie??? Let’s buy them!!!”)

Addressing the just in case issues is a process of learning to be honest with yourself:

⌾ What you want your home to be like?
⌾ What is your comfort level?
⌾ How you actually spend your time?

What if the item is worth way more than $20, but it’s an extra?

Sometimes we keep things because we spent a lot of money to buy it. Consider the Rainbow Vacuum… If you bought it, but now hate using it and you have a Dirt Devil that you like better but hey, if the cheap one breaks down, you have the rainbow as a backup.

But if you hate using it, it’s a safe bet that you will go out and buy yourself another Dirt Devil instead of pulling out the Rainbow. If you are honest with yourself and find that true, why on earth do you give that Rainbow vacuum space to stay in your home?

Do you feel it deserves that space it takes up?

Take some initiative today and get rid of a few of those just in case items you honestly know you won’t use.

[Tortise]

Last month I gave a tall oak chest of drawers to my neighbour's son, who was setting up home on his own, and needed furniture. It was tempting keep it, just in case I needed more space, or to sell it, but giving it to Neil felt like the right thing to do. I had been looking for some dining chairs online; the ones I liked were £129 each; way too expensive. The next day, I took some stuff to the household waste site, and as I was putting some bits of wood from the garage into 'timber', a man came up and put two lovely dining chairs in. 'You can't do that!', said I, and a lady next to me, each removing a chair from the skip. 'There are two more in my car trailer, do you want them?' he said. Did I want them?! They were exactly like the ones I had be looking at on my computer. We are rewarded for our generosity, often by seeing the pleasure sharing gives to others, or by the peace we gain from the space created...but this time it was with something I genuinely needed, and I am very grateful!

[loriolsen]

Ha! I have 4 pie dishes and I NEVER make pie! My fantasy-self bakes pies from scratch. My real self buys them already made!

[Noreenlee]

The story of the woman and the bed made me tear up a bit. I have put a lot of fabric on the FB Buy Nothing group for my neighborhood. One woman who took several bags of fabric told me that she makes small purses for African girls. The organization she sews for puts personal care products into the purses and helps them supplied monthly. There was absolutely nothing of consequence going to happen with that fabric if it had stayed in my possession. Passing it on made those purses possible.

[nancyb]

I’m donating Hallmark ornaments that I collected for many years. I can’t deal with listing and selling and mailing them, so no to Ebay. Every time I see the boxes of ornaments, I regret buying them and hanging on to them so long thinking they would be valuable. Most are not. It is very difficult to break the cycle of collecting. Now I’m doing it again with Barbies. 😥

[clocktimes]

Amazing we will keep things 5 to 20 years for that just in case moment. We are actually keeping a house of clutter like a storage facility.

[cherylverdon]

Mourning clothes. I kept a black dress just in case for funerals that never happened but I stared back at me every time I opened the closet and I imagined this person's death or that one's death. . . ENOUGH I thought. I gave my just in case funeral dress to a charity. My closet didn't remind me of anyone's death (past or pending) any more. I figured if someone died I'd just go out and buy what I'd need to wear. Then, I saw the perfect little black dress. Perfect for going out somewhere nice. I ended up wearing it to a funeral.

[rachela.]

"It's not saving us money, it's costing us space." Love this! It's going to be my new mantra.

My most recent purge of just in case items were our linens and towels. We very rarely have guests and it's not worth keeping all these extra towels and bed sets. We now have room in our hallway closet for our family board games! Another purge were coffee cups. There's only two people in this house that drink coffee! We don't need a dozen cups!

[LorreneRomanic]

It's not saving us money, it's costing us space. So. True!!

[lynnsacco]

I am decluttering papers (purging files with lots of shredding) and will be doing that for a couple of weeks. Books are next. I saw on our community message board that a woman wants cookbooks for her disabled daughter who loves to cook but lost all of her cookbooks in a fire and has no internet for getting recipes online. I called her yesterday and will go through my cookbooks today and take them to her since she can't drive. The timing was perfect and it feels awesome to help someone while clearing a kitchen shelf or two.

[catherinetaylor]

Thank you for this video! I’ve decided to let go of both of the sewing and serger machines. I always hoped to learn and make my own clothes, but 10 years later, I never did. It’s time to let them go.

[MelindaPlainandSimple]

With every load of items I haul to my driveway to give away I ask God that it be a blessing to someone, not a burden, and that whoever needs it or can benefit from it finds it. And then I trust that will happen. Sometimes I do get to speak to the person who is taking something, and they are always grateful, whether it's a book for their child, a piece of vintage Tupperware, or a piece of costume jewelry. Some people take one item; some take the whole batch. I'm grateful it's gone; they're grateful to have it. Maybe they use it; maybe they sell it. It doesn't matter. However it blesses them is fine.

[irinam]

That juicer taking a lot of space in my tiny kitchen just in case I would have enough courage to use it and WASH it after:))

[eileenann]

ok i finally tossed the mini set of copper unusable pans! thanks! Baby steps 😹

[margaretames]

I have often found that things I don’t really need are lifesavers for other people. I’m in an apartment without much storage but I refuse to rent a storage space - I’ve done that before and could have easily replaced everything for the cost of keeping the storage place. Lesson learned.

[carolinemallick-wood]

Skinny clothes. I finally parted with them realizing that after a year of going whole food-plant based and exercising everyday for over a year that if I haven’t fit into these skinny clothes now it ain’t gonna happen. I’m thrilled. I donated these items and take comfort that they may be useful to others.

[ambrok]

Having faith helps alot...faith that IF you need the item in the future, you'll have the means to borrow, rent or buy it.

[suebowen]

I find craft stuff so hard to get rid of. I have collected so much, its really overwhelming. I find the only way i can get rid of it is to do it in stages, so once a month i have a clear out, and take it to the charity shop. Im glad someone else will be grateful of it.

[jeanmarie]

Yes, we can declutter just in case items. Scarcity fear is real but this video is insightful and helpful! Believing that my donations help others has truly enabled me let go of thousands of items. So glad to be subscribed. 💕💕

[mscentsibly]

We have put things out on the curb. I don’t like to sell things on offer up, etc. Most recently I put out my sewing machine. I kept it for years thinking I “should” make things for my house. I didn’t! I have DIYed many things, just not using my sewing machine! Someone gratefully picked it up. I hope it will bring them much joy.

[SheriAnne]

My porch is full of empty ceramic planters. In my dream life I would be surrounded by plants which grow so green and beautiful. Instead of a green thumb mine is brown. I will donate them today. :)