Reasons to Keep Clutter

Today I was talking with my mom on the phone and I said "I'm not a packrat," but as I continued to think about what I'd been telling her I started to question that. 

I do keep clothes from when i was 12 years old (some of which I still wear). I don't want to get rid of these clothes because I just think that someday I could use them to make my baby some clothes instead of buying fabric.

I have 6 bottles of almost used smelly lotions because it seems like a waste to throw them away.

I have stuff from family/friends that I won't use EVER, but I feel obligated to keep. I realized that I have moved a few of those said objects with me 6 times! One of these, for instance is like 4 copies of a church movie that I were leftovers from when my Dad was a Bishop and I thought I'd give them to my visiting teachees for Christmas -- well I'm actually doing it this year! Can you believe I've moved those with me 6 times???

So I realized I am a packrat, but since I love things to not look cluttered at all, all those objects/clothes are tucked away neatly in tupperwear containers under my bed/in cabinet space throughout the house. 

When I get home I am surely getting rid of it. 

One of my greatest motivations to get rid of things and simplify my life is the blog @ smallnotebook.org

She gets asked so often "what to do about other peoples' stuff" that she made this great diagram: 

This helped me identify a lot of things I have that I didn't even realize was unnecessary. 

One of my other favorite tips was her decision tree to buy a shirt/blouse: 

via smallnotebook.org

Maybe I'll use this when deciding to keep a shirt/blouse :) One of my favorites is the "drop it like it's hot" for a hoddie -- because I have this really old "brigham young university" hoodie that looked great on me when I wore it on the coast when I was 14; but now it just really needs to go, you know why? Not because I don't wear it but because it just looks too horrible to keep wearing!

I realized how many of these "reasons to keep clutter" (via smallnotebook.org) go through my head when I'm organizing/going through old stuff.

1. I paid good money for it.

2. Someone might want it.

3. It would be a waste to throw it away.

4. I just need to buy more storage totes.

5. That used to be special to me.

6. That was a souvenir from…

7. I might need it later.

8. I just need a bigger home.

9. It’s a book! (or a cookbook!)

10. It was on sale.

11. I could make something with it.

12. It belonged to my grandmother.

13. When I have more time, I’ll use it /read it / finish it.

14. I don’t have time to go through this stuff.

15. I’m too tired.

16. I’ll do it later.

17. It’s a sweet baby item.

18. Someone who loves me gave it to me.

19. I worked hard to write/study/make this.

20. I want it to stay in the family.

21. It’s not my clutter, it’s my spouse’s/child’s/roommate’s.

22. I need to wait until I have a full weekend to do it right.

23. I’ll keep it until I have a garage sale.

24. It might be valuable one day.

25. It might come back in fashion.

26. It’s vintage!

27. It’s a collection.

28. My child made it.

29. It makes me feel secure.

30. It shows how smart or talented I am.

31. It proves I was here.

32. Why bother? It will just get cluttered again anyway.

How do you keep clear of clutter?