Near the top of the hardest-things-to-do list, right up there with child birth and potty training, is dejunking. Every time I consider getting rid of something I am plagued with doubt ...
- If I got it for my wedding, and kept it for five years without it ever seeing the light of day, does that still mean the person who gave it to me will intuitively know that I threw it away?
- How far back can the IRS audit you? Because I might have receipts in here that I may have used on my 2004 tax forms, so I better keep them all.
- So what if I haven't worn the shirt for four years? It was my favorite, and there is a chance that some day I might remove the ribs that permanently expanded my chest cavity during pregnancy and then maybe I'll be able to wear it without the spaces between the buttons gaping open.
- Are you even allowed to throw away old Ensigns? Because I think it might be a cardinal sin. I mean, it might somehow effect my salvation.
- Okay, okay. Fine. The shirt doesn't fit me any more. But it is so cute! And maybe by the time Seara can fit into it, it will be back in style.
- The thing cost me fifty bucks, I can't just throw it away! I don't care if it's been hidden away in the closet for the last three years!
- One day Samuel might get nominated for an Oscar, and what would be more perfect to wear on the red carpet than the dress that I wore to my high school junior prom??
18 comments:
The purple one? I'm with you all the way on that one.
uh-oh. I've obviously committed a bunch of cardinal sins.
Wait. Rachel. You remember that dress??? I love that one. [sigh] Maybe I can pretend to keep it for 'dress up clothes.' :)
Ah, I deal with these issues on a regular basis. Bart & I are both sentimental schmucks.
Answer to bullet 2: 7 years...keep them, but organize them in a pretty folder. It will make you feel better.
Bullet 4: We had an organizing class for a RS activity. On the topic of throwing Ensigns away, one of the ladies pointed out that if she ever needed a story from the Ensign, she could get it online and it was easier to find that way anyway. There was something in this that rang true to me, but I still resisted saying, "But online doesn't show you the pretty layouts." Yeah, there's a PDF form online too. I am slowly weaning myself. I'll keep the past two or three conference issues and the issues from the last quarter, but other than that I have gotten better at throwing them away.
Bullet 6: In our first accounting class we learn about sunk costs. You should not consider sunk costs when evaluating future activities. I dare say this shirt is a sunk cost. ;o)
Last Bullet: I understand completely...I'm not delusional enough to think I'll actually wear it, but I can't get rid of my prom dress...the memories! I’m totally going to use the dress up clothes idea....although it might be a little big while she is actually interested in playing dress up.
My dad gave me this AWESOME de-cluttering article. All I remember from it is that, when looking at an object you’re having a hard time throwing away, you need to ask yourself, “Why am I keeping this?” And if that reason can be satisfied another way, you won’t feel as bad about throwing it away. I’ll see if I can find it for you. I dont' think I threw it away...Maybe it's not as good of an article as I thought. ;o)
Jacob and I have SERIUOS problems with this too. We keep stuff, thinking "someday I'm sure this will come in handy." Or, we're afraid of throwing memories away. Or the frugal part of us thinks we'll need it someday.
What we need is someone ELSE to go through our junk FOR us, and throw it all away.
I am exactly opposite. I LOVE dejunking and throwing things out or giving things away. Or selling things on Craigslist. Crazy, I know. My rule is: if it hasn't been touched in the last 12 months, it has to go. (Of course there are exceptions like keeping baby stuff until I'm finished having babies) I used to feel the same way as you about Ensigns, but I figure they put them online for a reason, so after a couple months, they go in the recycle bin. Good luck with the dejunking!
just throw them away! it will make you feel so much better. except i've learned that you DON'T MESS with the IRS. keep those receipts for 7 years. otherwise, throw throw throw. i've had to learn that by living in a 1200 square foot house.
I am your twin.
If you recycle the Ensigns, you won't feel so bad. And like someone already mentioned, they are online so it's not like you need them. The problem I have is of throwing away old sets of scriptures that just got WAY too much love. THAT is hard to do. Good luck dejunking! :)
Well, you know how my room looked growing up. Yeah, I definitely had a dejunking problem. Sometime after high school Nicole came over and went through my loads and loads of stuff with me (bless her heart) I seriously got rid of over 10 giant black trash bags of things. I would say that I wanted to keep something and she would say, "Take a picture. They take up less space." At the time I thought she was being a little harsh, but you know, that is one of the best things someone has taught me in my ENTIRE life! I probably lost over 100 lbs that day. After it was gone, I actually felt as if I had been carrying that extra weight around with me, mentally. I felt/feel so much better now.
You'd probably be amazed to know that I don't have but one small box of my things in my basement...and it's all to be scrapbooked(someday). Everything else I either use, or it's gone.
With clothes, I go by the guide: if I haven't worn it in a year, it's gone and someone else can love wearing it. Hey, that shirt that you can't wear anymore...someone else out there can! That's the beauty of consignment stores. :)
I've been at both ends of the spectrum and I'll take clutter free any day of the week!
PS if you really want to get some use out of your old prom dress but don't want to give it up...if it's modern looking enough to keep, perhaps offer to let one of the Young Women in your ward borrow it for their prom. You don't have to feel guilty about keeping it...and they won't have one to keep and feel guilty about keeping. :)
I feel your pain.
Go out of your comfort zone and get rid of it - you do not want to move it. Trust me on this!
Janae... this is so me. Especially with the clothes.
Okay, have you been digging around my head?
We're in the process of moving and I canNOT throw away my baskets-full of Ensigns. Even though I look up old talks on the internet. And those magazines are mostly for the kids to cut up and play with.
But I might go to hell.
This blog just keeps getting better and better! It started out as a journal about your kids and has turned into an awesome showcase for your writing!
I say throw it all away.
I 2nd Sam. Junk it and start on a clean slate without the drama.
That is one of my favorite parts about moving/cleaning. Is junking stuff that I think I might need but don't want to look at.
I was just going to say that one of the great things about moving is that it gives you the chance (makes you) go through all your stuff. I love organizing things.
I read that if you add up all the hours you spend buying something, taking care of it (washing it, dusting it, putting it away), moving it from house to house... you'd want to have less stuff.
Some people get so trapped by their possessions. My grandma couldn't resist any yard sale bargain. It was terrible. When we went to visit there was no where to sit because of all the stuff. I know you're no where near that bad but it really is a freeing thing to get rid of something you haven't used in a long time. That being said I do keep some sentimental things like my prom dress. The odds of the shirt being in style again or the dress for the Oscars are slim. I'd like to see a pict though! Good luck. Just ask yourself when is the last time I used this then picture some who would love to have it and give it to good will or if it's expensive and you want to get some of your money back try Craigslist.
I'm with you on the Ensign thing. I eventually told myself that it was ok to just keep the ones that have my favorite articles in them and figure that I can always look the others up online. It is hard to THROW them away though - like it's sacrilege or something, which is why people give them to D.I. Like that will redeem them or something. :-)
Dude, you need to watch an episode of "Clean Sweep." The guy comes in and trows out everything you don't use on a daily basis. I love it! It could be inspiration for you.
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