June 27

Own This, Not That – Suggestions for Simplifying

Hoarding at its best!

Hoarding at its best. — NOT our home, though!

Recently, the A&E show Hoarders has enthralled our family. The show is a disturbing look inside the homes of people whose inability to part with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis. As someone who struggles with clutter, every episode leaves me with the urge to throw out all the unnecessary stuff that accumulates around me. You should have seen the pile of junk we threw out from our garage after an episode!

You can watch full episodes of Hoarders on their A&E microsite.

Another interesting find is the web site, Unclutterer, a site for home and office organization. A recent article entitled, Own This, Not That, provides suggestions for doing with items in exchange for simpler, more organized alternatives. The list contains gems that everyone can use.

A reader asked if we had ever seen the weight loss books Eat This, Not That and wondered if we might be able to create something similar for uncluttering:

  • Have a Netflix subscription, not an enormous collection of DVDs.
  • Own a sharp chef’s knife and take a knife skills class, not a Slap Chop, Watermelon Knife, Pineapple Slicer, Mayo Knife, Bananza Banana Slicer, the banana shaped Banana Slicer, Garlic Zoom, etc.
  • Own a digital picture frame, not a giant mess of your kid’s artwork on the front of your refrigerator.
  • Own a filing cabinet, not a cardboard box where you throw important papers.
  • Use a daily calendar, not a series of sticky notes stuck to the front of your computer monitor, bathroom mirror, or meeting reminders scribbled on the palm of your hand.

Reader suggestions included:

  • Own an eBook reader, not a load of paperbacks
  • Own fewer quality clothing items that fit and all go together, not a closet full of things you don’t wear.
  • One good pen instead of several mugs full of disposables, which might or might not work.
  • Own a multi-port USB charger and short cable, not a tangle of separate chargers.
  • Own a library card, not a bunch of books you’ll only read once.
  • Scrapbook your old photos–only the good ones, give yourself permission to throw out any that are blurry or just plain dumb. Scan in your old heritage photographs so that you can keep the images in one album.

Recent Posts:

Related Posts:

There are no responses so far.

Leave your response: