STYLE Savvy: Should I Let This Go?

Lisa Hess considers a strategy for those times when we ask, "But what if I need this someday?"

When it comes to the "Let it go!" step in organizing by STYLE, each of us faces our own challenges. For some, it's emotions, for others, expense, and, for those raised with a "waste not, want not" mentality, it's the idea that we might actually need this thing someday.

Or perhaps a combination of any or all of these three, depending on the item in question.

Recently, I’ve become aware of a tendency to hang on to something others would easily let go of: boxes. As part of a generation that went to the grocery store to beg for boxes whenever I had to move, I've had a hard time parting with them for quite some time. When my daughter went to college, my collection grew. Who knew when she might need them to move, or when I might need a "just right" box to ship a care package?

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After my daughter graduated, I duly weeded out the boxes (as I promised my husband I would). But, in the past few years, I began augmenting my (once again burgeoning) collection with packaging materials.

Ironically, this new habit was due, in part, to my ongoing resolutions to use less paper and plastic. I couldn't keep merchants from using plastic airbags, but I could make sure they got re-used instead of just thrown out. And, while I was delighted to receive boxes stuffed with paper instead of plastic (thank you, Kate Spade and Nika's Home soy candles, among others), I began saving that, too.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that my collection was getting out of hand. I duly rounded up the bubble wrap overflow (did I mention the bubble wrap?) and corralled it into a large bag. Setting it aside, I promised myself I'd do something about this. Soon. 

Yeah. Soon.

A few weeks ago, as we took down the Christmas tree, I decided I was tired of a “system” that amounted to several neatly organized boxes and a bin full of leftovers. Consequently, I went in search of the right materials to organize my ornaments.

In search of? Who am I kidding? I knew exactly where to look. 

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I quickly located the perfect box (a lidded box I'd saved from a basement overhaul over a year ago) and the perfect packing materials. When I was finished, I was pleased with my system for the first time in a very long time. The box full of leftovers had been replaced with one that was neatly packed (and cushioned).

If you're cringing, thinking that I took this as evidence that I didn't need to get rid of my "collection," you can relax. I did not, in fact, succumb to the positive reinforcement that threatened to override my judgment.

I also didn't get rid of everything. 

My husband came to my rescue, though, promising to take my collection of paper off my hands and make sure it got recycled (something I'm pretty sure our local waste company does not do). He promised me he knew exactly where to take it, and that place was not the trash can.

Next, I sorted through what remained, finding homes for everything, and going back to a basic guideline I use often, but had failed to comply with this time around: when a space is full, I cannot acquire anything new unless I get rid of something old.

In other words, I reduced my stash in two ways: some I used (for the ornaments) and some I recycled. Moving forward, it’s time to make that guideline of adding nothing new to a storage space that's already full a hard-and-fast rule. No room? Out it goes.

In addition, when it comes to boxes and packing materials, "one in/one out" is non-negotiable. If the perfect box lands on my front step, I can only keep it if I recycle an imperfect equivalent.

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A few simple rules might be just what you need to keep things from taking up more than their fair share of your living space. #CatholicMom

Sometimes, "Let it go!" is an easy step: things that have gone bad, things past their prime, things we no longer feel any attachment to. Other times, our unwillingness to follow that seemingly simple guideline can catch us by surprise. If you, like me, find yourself in the second situation, a few simple rules might be just what you need to keep things from taking up more than their fair share of your living space. You might even find that’s all you need to rethink what's necessary and what's not.

Meanwhile, be patient with yourself. It's a process.

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