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NEW BEGINNINGS
This month’s
newsletter is about rebirth and new beginnings.
When looking at this from an organizing
standpoint, it means finding new uses for old
items, and changing your habits.
In other
words, rather than throwing something away, then
giving in to the impulse to purchase something
new to replace it, why not think about how you
can live without that item, repair it, or find
another use for it?
Below are some
ideas that are more prevention and maintenance
than they are actions. This article is not
about how to organize what you have. It’s all
about looking at your possessions from a new
perspective and living within those parameters.
BUY NOTHING NEW
Perhaps you have heard of groups that are
springing up across the country that agree to
buy nothing new for one year. Of course this
does not include food or sundries necessary to
live a healthy life. You are allowed to buy
food, toiletries and other consumables. What
this group focuses on is the material goods we
have in our homes—the stuff.
Take a quick glance around your room as you read
this. Perhaps you are at the kitchen table
reading this on-line. Maybe you are in your
office. Or maybe you are sitting in the family
room with your laptop while catching up on your
favorite television programs. Where ever you
are, look around the room. Do you have 200-plus
DVDs on your shelves? Perhaps you have a
toaster oven, a toaster and a grill master on
your kitchen counter. Maybe you have the last
twelve issues of three different magazines piled
in a corner.
Now think to yourself—do I really need all those
items? Do I use all of them? Have I seen every
single movie on that shelf? Have I read every
magazine? Have I toasted any bread or bagels
lately? What would I do if any of these items
broke or disappeared from my home?
When we purchase these items, we think we need
it. We can’t live without it, otherwise why
would we buy it? But if one hundred of your
DVDs went missing, admit it—couldn’t you live
without them? Even if one of your favorite
movies was among the missing, what’s to stop you
from running to the store to rent it, or better
yet, to the library to borrow it for free?
And what if you stopped getting those three
magazine subscriptions? Can’t you go to the
library to check them out? Or why even go out?
Why not read them on line? Especially since you
never have the time to catch up on them anyway,
why should they be there cluttering up your
space?
And if your toaster broke down today, can’t you
use the toaster oven? Or can’t you take it in
for repair?
It may surprise you to learn that these groups
of people not only survived buying nothing new,
but they extended their pledge for another
year.
So how DO you live within these parameters? How
can you change your lifestyle and start a new
life?
RE-USE OR RE-PURPOSE WHAT YOU HAVE
Before you throw something away or donate it,
think hard about that item. Does it serve a
purpose somewhere else in the house? Can it be
re-used in another area of the home? For
example, you’re about to throw away old, faded
bed sheets. The following week, your spouse is
running to the hardware store to purchase tarps
for the painting you asked him to do in the
living room. Those old sheets would have been
perfect for covering furniture or the floor.
Or how about those old baby food jars? You
throw them in the recycle bin, then the next day
you find a new compartmentalized box sitting on
your spouse’s work bench. It’s filled with
nails and screws—all little items that could
easily have been sorted and stored in those jars
and stacked on shelves.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not supporting the
idea of saving every little thing in your home.
That only creates clutter. What I am saying is
that you should think hard before putting that
old dresser on the driveway for the trash
collector. Maybe it is scratched and a drawer
is broken. But does that matter in the garage?
Could you find a use for it in the basement or
shed before sending it to the landfill?
REPAIR BROKEN ITEMS
This is a concept many in my neighborhood I just
don’t understand. I see item after item sitting
out on the curb for trash, when all many of
those things need is a bit of repair and a
polish. I’m not talking snowblowers or
lawnmowers here, although sadly I see plenty of
those, too. I’m talking about lamps that need
nothing more than a new switch or re-wiring,
wood tables that need nothing more than a leg
glued and re-attached, and hose reels that need
nothing more than a new washer or connection.
But rather than take the time to fix it, too
many find it easier to toss and replace. Just
think how much money you would save every year
by repairing (sometimes for as little as $1.00)
instead of replacing. And if you don’t know how
to repair something, either learn how to do it,
or find someone who does.
BUY USED
Now while I said the “Buy Nothing New” club
doesn’t purchase anything new, that isn’t to say
that they aren’t coming home with items during
that year that are new to them. Rather than
going to the mall, they will shop at thrift
stores, scope out Craig’s List and Freecycle.org,
or hit the flea markets in the summer. So don’t
think they are suffering. They still have ‘new’
clothes. Someone else may have worn them, but
for them it’s a new coat or suit that cost less
than half what it would retail.
The same goes for household items. Maybe you
are painting the basement and want to have a
small refrigerator down there for refreshments.
Why buy new? Look online or in the newspaper at
the ads. You’ll probably find what you are
looking for, and you’ll save money buying it.
Did you want to re-do your daughter’s room now
that she’s older? Why buy a new bedroom set
when you can get a used one that is in great
condition but the owners are downsizing and no
longer need it?
GO WITHOUT
Finally, and this is perhaps the most difficult
to learn, is to go without. Before purchasing
anything, think hard. Do you really need it?
Is it replacing something, or is it a new ‘toy’
with no real purpose? Sure, if you drink
coffee, you’ll want to replace your broken
carafe. But do you really need to replace a
broken pizza cutter if you rarely eat pizza and
a pair of scissors will do just fine?
Do a study—If something breaks, don’t replace it
immediately. Try going without it for a week,
then a month, then three months. Do you even
think about it after that? Do you miss it? Did
you need it? If not, then don’t replace it.
Professional
Organizers are in the business to clear the
clutter from people’s homes. But part of the
learning process is trying to figure out why
your home got the way it did, and what can you
do to remedy the situation so that it doesn’t
happen again?
Often, the
answer is above. Changing your habits will
change your lifestyle. And by learning to live
with less, you’ll have less to take care of on a
daily basis. Wouldn’t it be nice to reclaim
that time?
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