How do you decide if something is worth keeping?

– 13 April , 2011Posted in: Minimalism

The question we all struggle with from time to time is how to decide if something is worth keeping.

Do we look at setting rules for ourselves and specific numbers of things we should keep?

For instance: only 20 pairs of shoes or less?

Or do we decide based on the quality of the item and its usefulness?

For instance: I go hiking, running, scuba diving, swimming, biking, and mountain climbing*. Therefore, I need gear and equipment for each activity.

So I may have more than 20 pairs of shoes in the end, including shoes for work and my personal life, but they all serve a purpose.

*All a myth. I only hike or bike. I don’t do any of the others, and I would only have special hiking boots. That’s it.

Personally, I’m in the second camp. I decide based on the quality of the item and its usefulness.

Once it doesn’t become useful any longer, I don’t bother with it. I donate it, give it away, or sell it.

I also base my purchases on buying quality over quantity. Time and time again, BF (and I) have been burned buying slightly cheaper quality, only to end up buying the better stuff later.

I hate wasting money like that, so it makes me a really careful person when I buy anything.

If I have a purpose for it, I keep it.

Even if others think I’m crazy.

CASE STUDY: Do I need 4 computers?

Yes. I could get by with just one. Hell, NONE if I’m being truthful, although that’d be kind of hard as a blogger.

But I really do have a purpose for each that I* deem useful.

Macbook — To test on another OS other than Windows, especially with blog themes and layouts
Sony Vaio i7 — My main laptop I work on and work with
Dell Inspiron — I use this to never touch the internet and to keep my ledgers and confidential info**
Netbook — I use this when I travel. No one wants to lug a 3-4 pound monster around.

*I, me and myself. You might think: Damn this girl is crazy! But it’s what I’m willing to lug around, use and keep.

**Call me paranoid or stupid, but the internet browsers you use, take snapshots of your settings. And who the hell knows what Microsoft puts on your computer (or any other OS for that matter) that sends special updates or scans of what you have to their own databases?

CASE STUDY: Do I need 20 pairs of shoes?

No. I don’t.

Check out my 21 pairs of shoes.

I could get rid of about 2-3 pairs right now, perhaps even get down to 15 pairs.

But this is where the struggle comes in because I’m battling with my own personal desires to have a pair of flowered sandals for specific occasions, and a pair of more neutral “practical” all-purpose sandals.

The real crux of this whole discussion is simply that I see a purpose in each. I don’t have multiple pairs of similar coloured shoes or styles (at least not in my mind, but BF would say otherwise I think), and I wear each pair more than once! This isn’t just a buy and forget about them situation, it’s a haven’t bought shoes in a year or two and I think I have enough now, situation.

CASE STUDY: Sentimental quilted blanket from my grandmother. Do I keep it?

Sentimental items are tricky.

I know they aren’t the people I love, but every time I use that quilt, I think of her and I miss her.

Do I need it? No. I have other quilts, and I only bring this one out on especially cold days.

Do I keep it? Yes.

This particular quilt was hand-stitched and is extremely heavy. She had no idea what “down” was, so she padded it with layers and layers of cotton so it would keep me warm at night. It weighs at least 30 pounds.

MY CONCLUSION: IT’S A CASE-BY-CASE FOR ME

Just recently, I got rid of 22 items of clothing.

I went through my closet and did a quick purge and I filled half a garbage bag:

I’m planning on doing a longer more thoughtful one, having snapped photographs of every piece of clothing I own.

How I got rid of items:

They didn’t fit
They looked old and worn out
They were ripped or torn
I’m not likely to want to even wear them again

I have a habit of keeping clothing just in case. I keep spare pants and shirts, just in case someone needs a t-shirt for whatever reason, and I can let it go and never worry about it coming back.

How do you handle your decisions on what is worth keeping or not?

Do you keep a set number of allowed items?

Tags: Minimalism, Quality, Quantity, Questions, Struggle

About everydayminimalist

I'm a 20-something year old girl who lived out of a single suitcase in 2007, and now I'm living with less, but only with the best. You don't have to get rid of everything to become a minimalist! Minimalism can help simplify and organize your life, career, & physical surroundings. You can read more about me as a minimalist. Or come and visit my other blog Fabulously Broke in the City where I got out of $60,000 of debt in 18 months, earning $65,000 gross/year.

http://www.facebook.com/brenda.brewer.330 Brenda Brewer

I do all these things but …. Iam still not simplified. Because I won’t discipline myself to spend time on clutter undecided on. Why do we not want to make decisions ?
287602117

PMRI appreciate for your kind and generous sharing. Shop online at christian louboutin sale mall for a great selection of christian louboutin 2012, wedding shoes, evening christian louboutin ankle boots, boots and sandals for girls, women and men with free shopping on all orders.Welcome to luxury christian louboutin high boots online store.The best christian louboutin bags at best price, free delivery, easy returns & exchanges, 100% quality guarantee! Save 82% Off. Cheap christian louboutin evening makes a woman’s feet dazzle and shine even after the twelve strikes of midnight. Own a pair of stylish and wonderful christian louboutin flats is women’s lifetime pursuit. We offer christian louboutin pumps red bottom shoes online shopping by an elegant but easy way. Shopping online at discount price for red sole signature designer christian louboutin sandals, from christian louboutin sandals, christian louboutin pumps, christian louboutin wedges, christian louboutin slingback and christian louboutin boots.
Order products in christian louboutin sale store are free shipping.If you want to be more remarkable,do not miss it christian louboutin high boots. They are sexy and gorgeous christian louboutin pumps. Welcome old and new customers christian louboutin sandals, we will offer you the best service christian louboutin slingback.All shoes has been worked by good craftsman and christian louboutin bags for men by hand and this is the result of a careful selection. If you are engaged in the vogue or you want keep the same pace with the trend, christian louboutin evening could be your best choice.It is really nice of you to share the excellent shoes information to others. christian louboutin shoes is absolutely representative of fashion and recreation, christian louboutin 2012, became a matter of course the popular protagonist of the season christian louboutin ankle boots. We will try our best to satisfy you christian louboutin wedges.
A lot of women like herve leger.This herve leger high neck dresses blue will make you very sexy and charming.Once you wear this beautiful,elegant, sexy and charming featured herve leger dress in the party,herve leger square neck dresses Black make your choice to go in the fashion front,herve leger strapless dresses the pursuit of fashion on the interpretation of the fashion herve leger swimsuit .Herve leger long sleeve dresses green make your choice to go in the fashion front, the pursuit of fashion on the interpretation of the fashion, sexy, charisma, temperament and so on.has always been favored in recent years,herve leger round neck dresses Green is enjoy a great reputation in the whole world,herve leger single strap dresses refined and elegant style of popular fashionable tide of people’s affection.herve leger bandage dresses is the famous brand from France. herve leger double shoulder is committed to shape the women’s line beauty, and the dress is known as the bandage dress.
di

Just ask: “Do I absolutely need this to live?”
Colleen

sentimental items ARE tricky. But the quilt from your grandmother sounds lovely. I think the “quality over quantity” idea applies to sentimental items just like it does to everything else.

When my grandfather passed away, it was hard to resist the urge to hang on to everything that reminded us of him. Fear that memories might fade and/or thinking that preserving material things will preserve the memories attached to them, you know?

I ended up keeping a tiny pin that reminded me of when my grandparents would take me and my sister to parties in Little Italy, and a children’s book that he used to read to us when we were kids. He used to make up/ad-lib parts of the story to make it funny, and one of my favorite memories is of when he would have us howling with laughter before bedtime at his silly rendition of this book

Just like it’s better to buy one high-quality pair of shoes than 2347239487234 cheap pairs, I think it’s better to pick just a few things that are truly special; things that make you smile and think of the special person who had them or gave them to you. We’re not talking about keeping piles of junk. Whether it passes the “do I use it regularly?” test or not, a handmade quilt from your grandmother is a wonderful thing to have.
Charlie Broadway

I find that people distinguish between probable use and actual use. If you go with what you actually use, wear, etc., you can cut way down on the clutter. If you go with probable use, the clutter is infinite. I learned this from watching Hoarders. Every one of those people has a justification for every item of crap they have.
- http://www.everydayminimalist.com The Everyday Minimalist
  
  Probable use is what my parents use to keep JUNK IN THE HOUSE. I’m about to
  go on a clutter rampage and get rid of their things.
eternitarian

Really enjoyed this post! I always love read your blog because of the rational way you assert your minimalist lifestyle. Nothing limited by numbers or rules set by other so called uber minimalists. Everyone has something that works for them. Look forward to your next post as usual!

Emma
Van

I have a really spastic/random way of decluttering. Sometimes stuff will be priced and placed in my antique store booth, other times stuff will be tossed into boxes/bags and donated to Goodwill. I need a better method of doing this…and I also need to crack down and get rid of tons of stuff. I'll continue to read your site for inspiration!
Jan

I can find a purpose for everything. So I have alot of stuff. Even torn clothes can be used to layer under regular clothes when it's cold out (no one will see it). But I do have some crappy tops I bought when I was a tween that I find gaudy now and I really don't know how to get rid of them.

Decluttering is very hard for me and I find to be stressful and overwhelming since I can't really throw anything away. If it's sentimental, it becomes a permanent fixture in my life. Like the quilt your grandmother handmade for you, my sentimental items that were part of my childhood or handed down from my mother and grandmother, I can't throw away. Those things are too precious.

Even old, torn shoes are somewhat sentimental since they bring back memories and have meaning. I want to find a way to repair them so that I may have them for a long time.

Even though I'm not really decluttering, I'm trying not to purchase new items unless I really need them.

I really like the idea of the internet-free computer for sensitive documents. I just might do that. But I hope I have room for it.

I have level one Clutter for reference. So I'm not that bad.
italiagal

I usually decide on an item based on its usefulness. Plus I have to love it in order to keep it. And I have to ask myself if I would buy it if it were in front of me in a store. Since I do not spend so much on myself, I only buy what I love and what is quality. Only sometimes will I fall back on the limit thing. Concerning my larger collections of items, I find that capping my number of books at 100 is helpful. When I buy a book, I donate one. One in, one out.

I'm kinda proud of my minimalist progress if I have fewer shoes than The Everyday Minimalist! I have a total of 14 which includes my pair of 'fast flats,' my pair of bowling shoes and a pair of heels currently in transit to me!
Joe

I think it's a case by case basis for everyone .. you have to weigh the pros and cons of each item .. I'm thinking about selling my desktop PC and replacing it with a nice portable netbook. I have to figure out if having the extra space and saving on electricity is worth trading for a smaller screen and less HD space,.. but the added usefulness of portability and simplifying my life down to the basics … still pondering …
http://twitter.com/sarahmoriah @sarahmoriah

I am really practical so I error on the side of if the item is functional, used and necessary.

This doesn't mean I don't ever bring in things that I like. I do.

I currently need to go through my closet again, I want to consolidate my items down into practical pieces but then, I don't have the money to do any consolidating so I'm stuck keeping things until I can make more practical purchases.
http://almostbohemian.com David William

I do this back and forth in my head all the time. At some point I hit this place and realized that sometimes its just okay to have something extra in your life. Simple, but true. 21 shoes seems nuts to me, but 3 motorcycles may seem a bit much to you.

My gf got rid of 10+ bags of clothes and shoes. And she still has the bigger closet full. In these situations, I just don't know…
Beverley

Since I started reading your blog I've been trying hard to reduce what I have, but I'm very much a hoarder of things that 'might be useful some day'. However, I am improving. Today I've managed to let go of a pretty top that I've had in my wardrobe for about four years that has never been worn. And I'm hunting down a pair of shoes that has also never been worn. So my main criteria is 'how long since I used it'. Changing my mindset has been hard but it's such a nice feeling to let things go.
Lan

I do not have a number per se, like 100 items or 120 items. I have clothing that lasts me at least 2 cycles of washing, I hate doing frequent laundry. I have shoes for different occasions, sneakers, dress shoes, work-appropriate sandals for summer, boots, beach sandals etc (about 10 +/- pairs.) Now I do keep furnitures & lamps in check. I keep the furniture to the bare minimum, bed, small nite table, chair, dresser and that's it. I used to have 8 different kinds of table & floor lamps in my bedroom, now its down to 2. I only have one item of the same thing, no repetitions of anything!
http://www.laislique.com/blog Aleksie

I am a case by case person myself. I do Middle Eastern dance and work with a variety of items, as well as other hobbies (making my own lotions); those 100 item lifestyles just aren't for me at this point. What I try to do is figure out really how much I need of each thing.
http://thequesttobefinanciallyabundant.blogspot.com Finding My Way

Really great post. Having started my quest to minimalise my life, I've noticed that for me I was a shoe-aholic. at one point I had 74 pairs (including sports shoes, winter boots, hiking gear etc.) I've been able to get it down to about 40 pairs. Similarly my closet is also full of clothing that I need to deal with in one fashion or another.

For me the test on whether to keep it or not is similar to yours:
1) Does it Fit?
2) Have I worn it in the last two years?
3) Is there obvious wearing, fraying, bleeding, stains, etc?
4) Was it a tailored piece made for me or something I purchased, wore once and didn't like?
5) Is there sentimental value to the piece that causes me to hang onto it?

The answer to these questions helps me purge as I go. The last question is something that I use in case I get that twange. Then I go through a deeper series of questions and determine if it the memory I want to keep or the piece that I get no use from.

The quilt from your grandmother, I would keep, but use more frequently. Perhaps it's nice to have as an accent on the end of a bed, or a throw on the back or a couch?

Like you I do keep clothing as "just in case" but I've found as of late, those are often the first pieces to go. I can just in case one outfit for guests but not an entire drawer.
Tony

This is something I am currently struggling with. I am 26 and have been following a minimalist path for the past year and it has helped with everything I hoped it would help with. My mind is clearer, there's less effort to keep my life clean, I am capable of working longer hours when necessary, and I find I have more time for the hobbies and passions I wish to pursue. Lately though the hard part has been getting rid of the sentimental things, things from my younger days. Books, games, nick-nacks, etc. I found a very useful way of thinking about whether to keep these items or not…do I want to grow up?
I feel that by keeping these items I am holding myself back in a perpetual state of childhood. At my age, I certainly don't want to be viewed as a child anymore. If there is something truly worth keeping, I keep it, but otherwise, I toss the past and move on to the future. It's a great feeling, no matter how small, that I am taking steps to move forward. Plus, most girls don't want to hang around a boy…
- Pansy17
  
  As the mom of a son your age who no longer lives at home but has left all his unused possessions at home for me to keep as if his bedroom is a museum of his youth, I say, purge it! I wish he would. I am getting close to boxing up his stuff and sending it to storage. Thanks for letting me vent. I am downsizing my own possessions, so this is getting to me.
Dee

Just want to say I heart you, FB! I'm moving soon into a smaller space (with a much smaller closet…boo) and so I know I need to downsize my wardrobe. One of my first thoughts was to check back and see how you downsized before.

So I don't really have any tips since I'M the one who needs to cut back. Just saying thanks for all of your tips

Advertising
In a Nutshell

other blog: fabulously broke in the city
minimalist since: 2007 -- why minimalism?
talk to me: contact me here!
current location: canada/usa
home: hotel room
owns: 3 suitcases 2 carryons of stuff
# of items: more than 100!
furniture: 1 japanese futon
works: business consultant
gadgets: macbook pro, ipod touch (pda)
drinks: earl grey cream tea
practices: rebel yoga and de-cluttering
loves: minimalism, $$ management, traveling
quirk: must prep my food before eating
Most Recent Posts

How do you decide if something is worth keeping?

*All a myth. I only hike or bike. I don’t do any of the others, and I would only have special hiking boots. That’s it.

If I have a purpose for it, I keep it.

CASE STUDY: Do I need 4 computers?

*I, me and myself. You might think: Damn this girl is crazy! But it’s what I’m willing to lug around, use and keep.

**Call me paranoid or stupid, but the internet browsers you use, take snapshots of your settings. And who the hell knows what Microsoft puts on your computer (or any other OS for that matter) that sends special updates or scans of what you have to their own databases?

CASE STUDY: Do I need 20 pairs of shoes?

CASE STUDY: Sentimental quilted blanket from my grandmother. Do I keep it?

MY CONCLUSION: IT’S A CASE-BY-CASE FOR ME

How do you handle your decisions on what is worth keeping or not?

About everydayminimalist

Advertising

In a Nutshell

Most Recent Posts

Categories

Archives by Month

Advertising

Contact Me