If you find yourself thinking or saying to yourself “I might need this one day,” it might be time to finally let go of the things you no longer need.
While I certainly want you to do things differently, I totally get why you think that way. Why get rid of something you might need? I have a shelf full of empty shoe boxes in my garage. They spend the bulk of the year collecting dust, taking up space and possibly even providing a home to random insects. Every now and then I may use one for something like a school project, but their intended purpose is to wrap gifts for my husband and sons. I simply dislike the idea of getting rid of them. But what would happen if I did?
What happens when I get rid of something?
I would have to buy or borrow the item if I ever wanted it. That’s it.
If I got rid of my shoe boxes, there might come a day where I would have to go out and buy a gift box or two, costing me both time and money.
It costs me time to find what I need. It costs me stress and guilt when I see my “collection” piling up out there, doing nothing. It costs useful storage space. It also makes me nervous because that big pile of cardboard boxes would be literal fuel if the house were ever to catch on fire.
I could keep a couple of nicer boxes in my gift wrap closet instead of 50 or so in the garage, and completely alleviate all fears related to a hypothetical emergency situation.
Instead of asking yourself, “Will I need this someday?” consider the alternative question: “Is this stuff affecting the organized life I want?” If the answer — the honest answer — is yes, then it is time to let it go.
While giving up some items can be tough, the cost of keeping those things can be even worse.
