Use The Things You Own

I’m writing about one thing for two reasons. Use the things you own.

Reason One: To only keep the things we use eliminates both physical and mental clutter. I tend to like a place for everything and everything in its place. That doesn’t mean I manage to live up to this ideal. It just means I try.

Reason Two: If we don’t use the things we have, those things are kind of going to waste. If I spent money on something, or if I was gifted something that I liked enough to hold onto, to not use it doesn’t make sense.

To truly clean up involves deciding what you love (or use), finding an easily accessible place for those things, and finding time to use everything.

I am a game collector. I have been an afficionado of board games since childhood, and I still love to play. I have a 5-shelf unit in my basement devoted to games. This is not enough because they fit together like pieces on a well-played Tetris board. I am, however, an empty nester. I found myself with two extra bedrooms, one to be used as a guestroom and the other as a gym. That lasted all of five minutes because we were greatly inconvenienced by Covid. I had just retired, and my two grandchildren came to me every day for virtual school. So my gym became a classroom. When my younger daughter got married, it also housed their shower and wedding gifts that wouldn’t fit into their small apartment. Pandemic over and gifts about to be moved to their new and improved apartment, that room is soon to become a playroom for the visiting grandchildren, and the new home of my game collection. I see many more shelves and a game table in my future. Not only will I make a space for my passion, but I will dedicate time to inviting people over to play- friends, family, and especially my grandchildren! The point is, I have this great collection and I should use it.

The kitchen is a great place to accumulate clutter. I’ve seen people look for a pot by removing a dozen other pots, as they are all nested together. This results in a pile of pots that have to be replaced in a cupboard before you can resume making your meal. I own six pots. I house them in a small cabinet at eye level next to the stove. They range in size from small (used for boiling four eggs) to large enough to cook a pound of pasta. They sit side by side on two shelves. On the top shelf I have a little used scone pan and a small but often used colander. That’s it. I have a sliding drawer for my four skillets and lids. I do have two much larger pots that are used at Christmas and for summer barbecues featuring lots of corn on the cob. Since they are used on rare occasions, I keep them on the bottom of the closet in the family room. When I decided to minimize my kitchen equipment and got rid of my excess stuff, I threw out all the gadgets I never used, and I’ve never regretted it, nor have I had to run to Walmart to replace anything I previously deemed unnecessary. Now cooking is streamlined and easy.

Finding time! Not long ago, I compiled a list of all the things to do in my house. I listed projects I never started, books I haven’t read, business ideas I haven’t acted on, and items I tend to neglect, like my unused piano and my hot tub. I have an app on my phone called Mixed Bag. I listed all these projects and underused but loved things. After my housework, reading, and writing, I pick a Mixed Bag activity. Currently, I am working on a mechanical wooden globe puzzle that has been stowed unopened on a shelf since two Christmases ago. Now when the day’s work is done, I pick away at the globe. In a week or two, it should be done. Maybe next time I pick, it will be a short project like “play piano for 30 minutes” or “do a crossword puzzle”. This way I really will work on things that would otherwise collect dust.

At the end of my life, I’d rather have a display of completed projects in a well-organized home than stare at the unkempt remnants of things I never did. So here I sit, using the things I own.