Worth repeating: Getting past "I might need it some day"

3 February 2022

I wrote this post almost four years ago. “I might need it some day” remains one of the most often-heard reasons clients have for hanging on to items they no longer use or love. I thought it was time to repeat this message.

One of the most common reasons folks (including me) tend to hang to items that they use or love is that they feel they might need it at some point in the future and they fear regretting that they let it go. If you live in a home with plenty of storage space and you’re organized enough that you can find the item when you need it, then this might be no big deal.

But if your home is crowded with “I might need it some day” items, or you don’t have any systems in place to allow you to store the items where you can find them again, you might want to consider asking yourself these questions to get past that barrier:

What are the chances I’ll need it?
Will this item likely be the best choice at that time (considering that clothing goes out of fashion, technology becomes obsolete, books go out of date)?
Would I be able to buy a new one if I did end up needing it?
What’s the worst that could happen if I did find I needed an item that I had I let go?
What’s more expensive: replacing the item down the road or hanging on to it indefinitely?

That last point is particularly potent when you pause to consider the cost of keeping stuff you don’t need or love. When your home is crowded with unloved or unused items, it often makes it harder to find the stuff you do love and use. There’s a physical and emotional cost of keeping unwanted items “just in case.”

Sure you might need that item in the future, but if what you need now is more space and order, then perhaps letting it go is the most beneficial course of action. I’ve been a professional organizer for 13 years now and I’m constantly reminded that our lives become so much easier when we let go of excess.

Tagged with: decluttering, worth repeating

Comments

Great thoughts on saying goodbye to clutter. If you’re going to devote time and space to storing it, it should be something that fits into your life!

Optimal Garage and Closets February 3, 2022 02:03 PM

You have some great points here. I especially like how you ask if you can just buy the item again. Most of the time, yes, we can, and a lot of times it won’t even be expensive or hard to find.

L&B Closets February 8, 2022 01:21 PM