3 Ways To Find Balance Between Saving & Letting Go

We remember when we were little, our home was full of fabulous collections of all sorts of treasures. Our parents and grandparents before them knew that almost everything can be used for something else, from empty tubs and containers to old sweaters and tin cans. But how do you know what you should be keeping so you don't end up buried underneath your well-doings to be frugal and green?

Growing up, it was always fabulous to have a stockpile of old Cool Whip tubs to make mud pies in or take to the creek and try to catch Crawdads in! But how do you know when to say no to squirreling things away before it overruns your home?

Here's a few tips we try to live by in our own space:

1. Test Of Time: If we haven't used something in a full calendar year, all 4 seasons having come and gone... it's time to part ways. This is our first and most rock solid rule and has really been our savior from not being overtaken by our supplies.

2. Break It Down Today, Not Tomorrow: Many times, the things we save will need work done to them before we can use them for something else. For instance, an old sweater needs to be unraveled and balled up to have new life, while shirts that can't be mended need to be cut up for material blocks. The downfall with items like this is that they have a tendency to pile up in our "to do" pile, meaning we put of utilizing them until the job is done.

3. Designate Space: In our home, we have a set space where we keep supplies or "things to do other things with later." There's no real fancy wording for that, but it's the pile of stuff we know we could use down the road. In that space, we fit what we can, keep it super organized (mainly so we can cram more stuff in) and that's all the space we allow ourselves. If you say, well it's ok if I stash a little here... and a little here... it's easy to get carried away and find piles popping up like spring flowers!

Do you have a tip for finding the balance in your home? Is it something you've learned over time by necessity or from your parents when you were younger. Share how you control the "save for later" clutter in the comments below!

(Image: Flickr member The Shopping Sherpa licensed for use by Creative Commons)

Comments (6)

i'm def a person with a lot of _things_ that i think will have a second life. i've totally inherited that mindset from my dad, who can think of a reuse for EVERYTHING. since i moved last year, i've had to part with a number of items that i thought would come in handy in the future. while at the time it was hard, now i'm v v thankful i did it. my current residence only has one closet in the entire unit, so i must use the space wisely. the thought i find most helpful is, "if i need this object later, will it be hard to replace if i dont hang onto this one?" most likely it comes down to spending a little extra time or $ to replace, but saves me from a bulging closet, cluttered space and mind!

Unfortunately, when it comes to stuff, I am a polygamist. I love too many.

For me I keep only 3 type of things:

1. It's functional or important
2. It's beautiful
3. It's sentimental

Your definition of each of these buckets may be different but for myself, I always find things that have fallen ouf of one of these 3 buckets.

My mother will not throw a thing away..."but dear, I might use it later." I rue the day when we have to clean up her 60year collection of things crammed in her house...the collection of cottage cheese cartons, old sleeping bags, college books, magazines, technical journals, limnology books, 7 sofas (1700sq ft house) and piles of papers. Everything is piled high with paper stacks...the dining room table?...what dining room table. the counters are crammed tight, the halls lined with boxes. Grandmother died in '63 and mom moved her boxes of possessions into the attic. grandmother's boxes have never been opened 47years. Mom feels a sense of "being" surrounded by her possessions. In contrast...I hate clutter and piles.

I too live in a small appartment where space is limited. So if I want to keep something for possible future use I really have to think what to keep. I try to keep only one piece of it's kind at a time and donate others to charity. Old (but still in ok condition) blankets I take to the homeless shelter, old towels, newspapers and balls and other childrens play stuff went to the animal shelter, old suits and blouses that i've grown out of went to a charity that helps people (with no job/money)dress for job intervieuws. Good quality clothes and fabrics go to the charity shop. plastic tubs (like from butter) I take to an art center near us, they can use them for all kinds of things. glass and paper can be recycled and if I ever really need something I can usually find something at the charity shop.

to : lona
I know how you feel, my parents have been able to cram a house of 200 sq meters so full of stuff, that they don't know half the stuff thats hidden there..... their house is on sale right now and I dread the day they have to move.

I've been trying to limit myself to only one shelf of "future supplies," whether it be fabric or empty bottles. I gave up trying to be the kind of person who does not keep some empty bottles on a shelf. It's impossible. So I allow myself one shelf, and I enjoy seeing them in all their potential every time I open the door. But as long as there is just that one shelf, I can rest assured that I won't die under a pile of yogurt tubs and tiny scraps of ribbon.