Too Much Stuff

Because the weather was unseasonably cold and the wind was whipping upwards of 30 MPH today, I decided to do a bit of spring cleaning in the basement.  I've had my eye on the growing mess down there for quite some time, but could never motivate myself to tackle the issue in any meaningful way.  Besides, where do you put things when you have too much "stuff" for your living space?  As I surveyed the clutter, I began to reminisce about the days when all I owned would fit into a military duffel bag, and most of that was government issued.  Oh, those were the days.  Things pretty much remained like that well into my 20s until I got married.  Then, quite suddenly, the amount of "stuff" I had increased tenfold and continued to grow for the next 10  years.  Just when I began to feel for the first time that I had too much "stuff" my wife and I decided to part ways and suddenly most of my "stuff" was gone, at least the good "stuff".  Some of this loss could also be attributed to a thief who broke into our locked storage area and emptied it.  It was a shock at first, but gradually I replaced most of the furniture and necessities (thanks to help from my new wife); however, this time we shopped mostly at thrift stores instead of big box stores.  In place of the knickknacks and whatnots my ex-wife would buy,  we bought useful things like tools and "how to" books.  Despite starting over, it did not take long to fill up my living space again, and just when it was filled, we moved to a farm in West Virginia that had three outside storage buildings.   Well, to make a long story short, we cleaned out the previous owner's "stuff", replaced it with our own, and began building more outbuildings to hold new "stuff" such as tractors, implements, mowers, garden and mechanic tools, chains, ropes, etc.  Now, it seems we have so much "stuff" that if we ever sell this place, we'll just give the new owner a key and leave on my motorcycle with all our "stuff" in two saddle bags and a bag on the luggage rack.  How did we accumulate so much "stuff"?  Well, part of the problem is that we live on a farm and are always fixing or building something and more often than not you need something to complete the project...something you can't buy or don't want to buy.  Consequently, when something breaks around the farm and becomes unserviceable, we'll keep it, or at least parts off of it, just in case we can use them for another project.  This also applies to scraps of wood, wire, pipe, fasteners, auto and tractor parts, and even tinfoil, twist ties, onion and potato sacks, and plastic/paper bags (I picked that up from my Granny).  Therein lies the problem.  This sounds good and oftentimes you can use those things again, but after awhile things begin to pile up and appear junky and cluttered.  This is why some farms around these parts look like junkyards, at least a section of the back forty.  Trouble is, I can't stand having a place that is junky or cluttered.  So, every so often I get the urge to purge and will gather up clothing that doesn't fit and things we haven't used in years and donate them to the local thrift store, gather up all the junk laying around and take it to the scrap yard to sell, or gather things up that are not useful to anyone or recyclable and burn them in a large fire that in the past has probably been visible from the moon.   Today is one of those days.  We'll be making a trip to the thrift store next week and plan to have a large fire in the firepit when the weather permits.  Nothing like restoring some order to your life, and best of all, I'm sure our "stuff" will brighten someone's day at the thrift store!

Comments

[barbara]

Thomas -- Well, you certainly have a good plan to get your stuff under control. What is it about humans that they cling to stuff. I have been recently preparing my home to sell on the market and I am amazed at the stuff I have accumulated in the 4.5 years I have lived here. Like you, I take it to good will, restore it, or just plain give it away. I pledge to myself that I am going to start anew by only living with a minimum of basics. I think life will be easier that way. -- barbara

[Thomas Key]

Hi Barbara:

Well said about starting anew with a minimum of basics. When I drafted this post, I thought of you since you're getting ready to move across the country. I just can't imagine at this point in my life trying to sort and pack all I own, then move. I did that so many times in the military that it isn't funny. In fact, I swore I would not move again once I moved here so we'll see if that was a realistic oath. Take care and good luck with the move.