A reader asked me to share about my “processes for determining “enough” for your space – clothing, furniture, etc,” and since I’m in the throes of (thinking about) moving, I figured I’d share what this looks like for me.
My short answer is – you’ll figure out our sweet spot when you start to remove the excess. You’ll probably be surprised by how little you actually use and need compared to how much you have.
When is Enough Stuff Enough?
It depends on several factors that will be unique for each individual and family, including:
– How much space you have. If you have a 5-person family in 800 square feet, you’ll reach your enough point before a single person in a 2,000 square foot home. Simply because you have less place to put that stuff.
– Your clutter tolerance level. Some people have blinders to clutter and it doesn’t bother them, other people get hives when a pile has been sitting on the dining room table for a week. (You can also lower your clutter tolerance level by continually combatting it. How do I know? Personal experience!)
– Whether you get “decision fatigue” or not. What does this mean? For example, if having 30 pairs of shoes overwhelms you, you’ll need less.
Less will Become More.
What’s “enough” today will be “too much” next year because I’m continually reevaluating how much I’d like to have around and enjoying the margin of space around my home.
The cycle goes something like this:
- Have an itch to declutter. And by itch, I mean: “Ahhh, this floor keeps getting full of junk! Must get rid of some!”
- Declutter. Asking those questions I use to figure out if I need it or not – tossing into the trash or donate box as I go.
- Enjoy the extra space and don’t miss what’s gone. The results are so rewarding and instant.
- Have renewed itch to get rid of even more! I’ve created a monster.
Now, I’m not saying I live in a sparsely furnished, minimalist home. Though I do consider myself a minimalist, I have not arrived at the minimalism equivalent of Inbox Zero. It’s my obsession, but I’m a
hobbyist, not a professional.
Addressing Fears.
When we were discussing our move (and a list of items we needed to make decisions about keeping or selling), my husband expressed a fear that we’d get rid of too much and end up living in an empty space.
I assured him this fear was absolutely not going to be a problem. For as fervent of a declutterer I am, we still have plenty of things. We could get rid of half our belongings and still truly feel like we had “enough.” It’s like the Pareto principle – we use 20% of what we own 80% of the time. How do I know? I’ve seen this when traveling and I bring only 8 outfits with me – much less clothing than in my already modest wardrobe and, yet, absolutely enough.
The more I see how good living with less feels, the more I’m motivated and inspired to continue removing the excess from our home.
As it was a reader who asked this question – please chime in if you have advice and feedback for her, as well! How do you know when you have enough?
Hi Ashley! Clutter is something that both my husband and I hate but we seem to be unable to get a sustainable rhythm for decluttering going. And I think we both ignore each others’ stuff when one of us does the tidying / getting rid of things. How do you and Mike work as a team on this?
Oooh, that’s a good question. When I get rid of stuff, I don’t touch Mike’s things (except for a few times when I got rid of a gross t-shirt or holey socks! Ha). I think he sees me getting rid of stuff (or selling things on Craigslist) and gets inspired to do the same. For joint (or kids) stuff, we have to make the time to do it together. It’s hard when you have different priorities, so at least you’re both on the same anti-clutter page! :)
I’m not anywhere close to having this all sorted out but we are working on it. After seeing how many stuffed animals the girls have accumulated in the past few years, and how one of my darling bonus daughters won’t be able to GET INTO HER BED because of it, we are definitely going to do a declutter/donate/toss situation with them when they get here. And we, as parents, are working on it, too. Constantly re-evaluating our clothes or what we have in our closet, tossing things that we don’t use or need, donating/selling things that have value and could be useful to others. It feels good. I have a LONG way to go, long, huge way to go, but we are getting there, slowly but surely.
And while you may be a hobbyist, you certainly sound like a professional to me :)
What is with kids and their love of SO MANY STUFFED ANIMALS? They multiply, I swear! :) Decluttering kids’ stuff is hard if they are mini hoarders. Ha.
I sometimes wonder if I will ever hit the point where I wonder if I have enough. The answer now is that I have too much, and I am constantly trying to find time to have less stuff. The worst part is that my grown kids have stuff and it’s harder to get rid of it. Plus my grown daughter STILL won’t get rid of a stuffed animal, and she has millions. They live in a giant bin in her room… But there is hope, because she moved home from her college room (super organized, every thing has a place) and announced that her room needed to be decluttered, cleaned, and streamlined because she is used to the way her college room is!
It’s like when you stay in a hotel room and love how…empty it is! :) There IS hope. It’s got to be harder as your kids get older, I’m sure!
Very nice home
I’m new to your site and am loving it.
Have had a huge closet clean out and wow has it been liberating.
I have now started on the house, with four children, two dogs and hubby it is going to be challenging. I am taking a measured approach in fear that I may remove moody teenagers. I throw out ten items a day.
Today is day four so only forty items have departed but oh my goodness the junk, the broken items, the number of empty bottles in kitchen and bathroom is just incredible. I plan to do this for a full 30 days. I lay in bed last night and hubby said ‘what are you thinking about?’
‘Why?’ I asked
‘Cause you’re grinning like a crazy person’
I was thinking about which ten things would be getting the heave-ho in the morning.
It’s the small things I guess.
Thanks again for the incentive.
(Crazy grinning girl from Oz)
Oh my gosh, I love this so much!! :)
Cleaning out junk is my favorite.
Whilst I believe in the value of de-cluttering and having fewer things, I feel there is a misconception in evaluating use-value. What you use now is not necessarily what you might to use in the future – and that could be three weeks later or three years later.
Things I own now which are not seeing as much use as some other things, does not necessarily mean they are automatic contenders for the skip, recycling, give-away or sale. There are things I have in order to replace objects that often break – toaster, kettle, a rice-cooker I got for a song – and I have them because I can’t possibly know what my financial situation will be in a few years time, no-one can know. If my microwave-combi oven packs up within the next year, I have a replacement waiting in the boxroom; this one cost 10% of the price I’d end up paying if I needed a quick replacement. It takes up space I’d like to use for other useful stuff hanging about, but that’s how it goes when you don’t have the money to just get a bigger home.
I agree with you, the more you declutter, the more you want to declutter. My question is: after you have decluttered all the way to the last declutterable, now what?