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Stuff. And De-Stuffing.

May 16, 2010 – 8:30 am

So, as I’ve mentioned, we are moving to San Francisco.  Movers are coming in less than two weeks to load up all our Stuff into a truck and ship it off to California.  We felt like we needed to get rid of a lot of Stuff before making this move, for two main reasons: a) we are downsizing from a 4-bedroom house with a full finished basement, fenced yard, and 2-car garage to a 2-bedroom apartment in urban SF; b) it’s too expensive to move a bunch of superfluous stuff over 2000 miles across the country. We have been ruthlessly selling, donating, and trashing Stuff.

This necessary De-Stuffing comes at a good time for me, as I was already feeling somewhat burdened by our house filled with Stuff.  You should know, our house wasn’t cluttery before — we are not clutter-bugs, or savers, or hoarders, or excess-purchasers.  Nevertheless, Stuff has a way of creeping up on you, especially when you have a large-ish house with lots of room to put Stuff.

The process of De-Stuffing, going through everything, organizing everything, culling the excess; has been quite enlightening for me on several levels.  When I change my outlook about Stuff, and really starting looking at it as just stuff, I’m able to be more objective in deciding which Stuff actually makes my life more convenient (as opposed to less), more beautiful, more comfortable; and which stuff is just distracting me from the good Stuff.

Another aspect has been that I have been forced to part with some items that I did really think about before I acquired, and that I do really like and use and am attached to.  Some of those partings have been sad, but I have told myself: It’s just stuff, and obviously I don’t need it to help me through this next stage of my life, and obviously it would be more of a hindrance if I didn’t part with it.

It also makes me more wary of acquiring things.  When I go through and really evaluate objects that at some point I thought it was a good idea to bring home, I think to myself: did I even think that through? or, Why didn’t I take the time to search for a more well-made, better quality, or more-beautiful version of this?

Trust me, there is nothing like making 2 major moves in less than a year to make you evaluate your Stuff.  I have come up with a few questions that have helped me think about what to keep and what to let go of:

a) Does this item serve me now, in this season of my life? Just because it served me at some point in the distant past, doesn’t mean it still does, or will. Remember, Stuff is seasonal.
b) Do I actually like this item? Is it beautiful? Is it useful? Does it make my quality of life better?
c) When was the last time I used this? I think the old adage is true — if you haven’t used it in a year, you’re probably not going to.
d) Will I have space to either display this item, or keep it somewhere within easy reach?  I have learned that another adage is true: If you can’t see it, you won’t use it.  If it is buried in a cluttered closet, or a dark basement, you aren’t going to get much use out of it.
e) Does the benefit of keeping this item outweigh the cost of moving and/or storing it?
f) Does this item qualify as a Justin Case? If so, he is not your friend, and he is likely easily replaceable if the imagined need were to actually arise.
g) Could someone else get more use out of this item than me/us? If so, consider giving it away.

It also helps to remember my goal, which is: to have a clean, calming, organized, restful, and welcoming home.  If the item doesn’t support that goal, I probably don’t need it.

I’d love to hear your comments on Stuff, and stuff, and De-Stuffing, and Over-Stuffing, so please, leave one below.