Thinly-disguised Contempt On Home Improvement Shows

[britpoptarts]

I went through a phase where I watched a lot of home improvement shows. The impetus behind this was clear: I'd moved from a nice, if rough-around-the-edges place where I was settled in and mostly satisfied with my living arrangements, to a mostly windowless basement flat. As soon as I got clear on the fact that there was nothing I could do to

Comments

[britpoptarts]

That's true. I think that most of these people have "I like it" and "it is sentimental to me" covered, it is the "I need it" that is harder to justify.

One of my criteria is "how easily can this be replaced with the same or a similar object?" and in the case of vintage dresses, you can't replace it, so if you like it at all, keep it. Noty all of them, maybe, but it is one of a kind at this point.

But a lot of people hold on to broken crap and crap they have no use for, and they have other things to remember the original owner or gift-giver by already, and I think that in cases like that, sentiment can weigh you down. Keep what you like, can use, get pleasure from, and which can't be easily replaced (of course, if isn't ugly /useless in the first place).

If your childhood bear is a dirty, one-eyed Pooh, and he's about to fall apart and is teeming with cooties, MAYBE you can consider parting with him. Maybe. Because there are four million Pooh Bear dolls in this town alone, I'm sure. But if your childhood bear was a one of a kind, or a Steiff, or something that it a little harder to find a match for, wrap him or her up and keep him/her until you can bear to part with your bear.

There's stuff, and then there's STUFF. The trick is determining how much attachment the homeowner has to just plain stuff...that's the warning sign that you may become a hoarder...and how much of their attachment is to one-of-a-kind, useful, family heirloom things.

Clutter is psychologically hard and depressing, I agree. Lots of Feng Shui folks would also agree! :)

Having a healthy degree of possessiveness for material goods is a tightrope walk sometimes. I know I tend to be more packratty when my stress levels skyrocket. I stockpile food (because I have gone hungry before) and find donating serviceable, but no longer fashionable, things harder than I normally do. When I feel good, cleaning out my house is a snap.

The KEEP / SELL / TOSS method is also smart--one show uses that system. I'd change that to KEEP / DONATE / TOSS, as I don't have time to hassle with selling crap right now, but that's just me, and the income I'd make for some things isn't worth the cost of shipping and the gas I'd burn to get to the Post Office.