A question that comes up a lot during the organizing process is how much of [fill in the blank] should I own? The answer, fortunately or unfortunately, is it is completely individual. I would say about .1% of what we own is truly essential for our health and safety. We could likely get away with one or two outfits, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a blanket/bed situation, and a fridge. Now that we know that most of what we have are wants and not needs, it’s time to determine for ourselves how many wants makes sense. I say the deciding factors for this are:
- Your values and interests
- Your space
- Your memory
- Your available time or skill for organizing
Was that the list you were expecting to see? In my opinion, the definition of “organized” is knowing what you own and where to find it in a pinch. That’s why your space, your memory, and your organizing abilities come into play. Your value and interests will help determine which items are worthy of a little abundance.
Let’s go through the process of deciding how much to own. First look at what adds the most value to your life and your happiness. These are the items that we will give most of our storage to. I personally love shoes, and dedicate an entire closet to them. I even custom built the shelves to give myself extra shoe storage. BUT, now I don’t let myself own more shoes than can fit in the closet. And no cheating by shoving stuff in! I’ll even admit that a lot of my shoes I don’t wear anymore, but I have the space for them and I think they look nice, so I keep them. If I ever move and cannot allocate a whole closet to my shoes, I’ll donate them until they fit the space I have available for them. And I will not die from having a smaller shoe collection. So, decide what is important to you, whether it’s an activity you do often or something you find pretty, then decide how much space you have for it. If you like to host, you can have extra dishes, chairs, or decorations. Maybe you like to cook and bake, so you have all of the latest kitchen gadgets. As long as you have the space and the budget for something that brings you joy past the initial purchase period, go ahead and make it yours! HOWEVER, once the area you have allotted for that category is full, it’s time to pare down or implement a one in, one out rule.
The reason why your memory is important is you’ll need to 1) remember that you own something and 2) remember where it is. The more stuff you have, the further things are out of sight, and the less you use them, the harder it will be to remember that they exist or where they are. And let’s be honest, our memories are only getting worse. Labeling or making a full inventory list of your belongings can help. An inventory list might sound insane to you, but it can be vital if you ever need to file an insurance claim! (Also, pictures can count as an inventory list). Go easy on your brain though by owning only what it can easily keep track of.
Finally, your organizing systems might grow more complicated as you own more stuff. You’ll also need to do more tidying up to keep your many items in order. Buying stuff is really fun, but being a little bit minimalistic can bring a lot of tranquility to your life and save you time and money.
Your Turn: Do you have any rules about how many of a certain item you should own?