- So these are my walking shoes.
I wear them when I go for walks. And I really like them.
They're really comfortable. And so I've been trying to take good
care of them so that they last for a long time. And then I started wearing
them around the yard and stuff, when we're doing yard work, and they
started getting dirty and I'm like, ah, don't do that. I really like these shoes for walking
and I don't want to wreck them outside. So then I had the thought, okay, I
should save these shoes for walking, but then I should get a different
pair of shoes just to wear outside. And if they get kind of
wrecked, that's okay. That will be the purpose of those shoes. But I didn't really want to buy a new
pair of shoes or even a used pair of shoes just to wreck out in the yard. And then I remembered
that I had these shoes. Now these shoes, I had gotten two and a half years ago
and I really like them a lot. They are, I think they're Anne Klein.
They're really comfortable. And I just always thought
they were really cute. But then I realized most often
when I go out, because I'm short, I actually like to have a shoe that
has at least a little bit of a heel. I can grab those shoes, one second.
So I had been wearing these shoes, which I really like. They're really
comfortable. They're versatile. They have a little bit of a heel, so
even though I'm five, one and a half, I feel a little bit taller.
And so I had been wearing, I still have my walking shoes and then I
had been wearing these if I was running errands or going out and about. And so then I still had these
just kind of sitting around. And so I have these three pairs
of shoes. Let's see if I can, I don't think I can
hold them all up. Okay. So I have these three pairs of shoes and
now I'm thinking and now I want another pair to wear out in the
yard that can get dirty. So now that's four pairs of shoes.
And I just started thinking, I'm like, this is silly. I don't want to
manage that many pairs of shoes. Like this just seems silly.
And so I'm like, okay, I still have these shoes
that I'm not wearing. Why don't I just make
these shoes my yard shoes? And at first it was very
difficult for me because, again, I'm very frugal and I've
always just kind of been like, if you have something really nice, you
protect it and you take good care of it. But I wasn't wearing
them. And so I'm thinking, I should just use these
shoes for my yard shoes, but it still was very difficult for me. And so today what I want to talk about
is the concept of use it or lose it. It can be a principle that we can use
when we're decluttering to decide how much to keep. And again, like I said, I was really struggling
because now I have four pairs, I would have four pairs of shoes.
And so I thought about it. I'm like, use it or lose it, Dawn. And so that's why I thought just
use these for the yard shoes. And so today I want to talk a little
bit more about this idea and some of the things of why we get hung up. Like you can already hear this
turmoil I'm having with like, just wear the shoes,
just use the shoes. Okay. And so this thought literally came
to my mind. I'm like, okay, Dawn, you say use it or lose it. So I'm
like, okay, you either have to decide, either use these shoes for
your yard shoes or decide that they're too nice to be yard shoes
and donate them so someone else can actually wear them and use them. Because them sitting in my
closet was doing no one no good. So I'm like, okay, use it or lose it. So are they too nice for me to use for
yard shoes? Or should I just use them, and like, yeah, I have a
really cute pair of yard shoes. And so I decided that I was just going
to use them. And so, I don't know, it doesn't, you can't totally
tell. They're pretty dirty now. They've actually turned out to be the
best shoes I wear like all weekend now, because when I'm in the
garden, dirt doesn't get in them. They're slip-on and they're
incredibly comfortable. And so I would never have gone to the
store and intentionally bought this nice of a pair of shoes to wear
outside and to trash, basically. But because I already had
them, then it was like, okay, let's just use up what we have, even if it's not fully
for its intended purpose, but let's just use it up as a way
to have less inventory to manage. So again, now I'm back to here for the
fall and winter only having three pairs of shoes that I have to manage.
And I really like all of them. They all fit well, they're all
comfortable. And I like wearing them. So let's talk about some other
ways that we can use it or lose it. So last fall, my brother,
so lovingly bought a big, like a big Rubbermaid tote. It was like
not the regular size. It was like a big, huge one. And he was like, "This is
your stuff. You need to deal with it. We're not storing it at mom and
dad's anymore." And I'm like, "Okay." And so I started going through
it and there was this whole set of rose glass dishes. I don't know, I think
that's what it's called. And I remember, it has no, like no one passed it
onto us. We got it at a thrift store. My mom found it at a thrift store and
we had this built-in china hutch in our house there. And so I put
it in there, and I loved it. I thought it was so pretty. I didn't
have a place to display it in this house. I didn't want to put it on our
open shelves. So I'm like, okay, use it or lose it. And so at the time we actually needed
some new glasses for the kids to drink from. And so even though this
is not a traditional kids' cup, it actually works really well because
it's smaller than a normal coffee cup. Well, normal now, right? Because we have
like a Mongo. I think back in the day, this was a normal size for coffee
or tea or something. Anyways, it wasn't something that I would drink
coffee out of now because I need my big mug for coffee. But I said, well, why
don't we just let the kids use these? So the kids have been using these for
over a year for their glasses to drink from. They're really thick
glass so they're really sturdy, but they're a nice size for them
and they have the handle. So again, it's not a traditional use for
these glasses to use as kids' cups. But I really like how it looks. I like
kind of the eclectic look in our kitchen. And so I really like that we're using it. And then I actually donated
the rest of the pieces. So there was bigger dinner-size
plates and dessert plates. I donated those and just kept the pieces
that we were actually going to use. And trust me, the thought went
through my head and I'm like, well, I could just keep the extra pieces down
in the basement. And I'm like, no, no, no. Use it or lose it. So I picked out the pieces we would use
and I lost the rest and donated those. Okay, so none of the stuff we've
mentioned so far is very sentimental. Let's talk about stuff from loved ones. So this is a potholder that we got from
a special neighbor when we were growing up and she made it. So we got this
for our wedding, Tom and I did, and she made this potholder.
There was actually two of them. But we just have one now.
And the temptation, again, because it was special and handmade was
to keep it in a tote in the basement so it was safe. And I'm like, oh my goodness, that's so silly that I would
keep a potholder in storage when, why did she make it for us? To
be used. Again, I was like, okay, I'm not going to just keep stuff in the
basement to try and protect forever. I'm going to use it. So we have
been using this for 13 years. I don't even want to show it too
closely cause it looks horrible. But what is so fun about it,
and what I did not expect, is that when I see this in the drawer,
I still think of the gal who made it. I still, like you look and the
edge, like it's not all perfect. Even the material is just kind of fun. But I think of the person
that made it. So for 13 years, I've thought of her on occasion
because this was in our drawer. If it would have been in
a tote in the basement, I would not have thought about it, except for those rare
occasions when I go through it. And then I feel guilty about
the stuff that we're storing. Or like when our basement got wet and
then I really feel guilty about it. And then I just put it back
in and close the lid, right? But instead I've gotten to enjoy it
and to think of her and to use it. And so this is kind of like a
happy story of using special stuff. We also got these glasses from,
they were the previous owners'. We went to an estate sale
with some of their stuff, and I just loved that they
were the previous owners', so we got a set of four and we used them. One of them was next to the sink
one day and I was actually the one, I knocked it off. It crashed to the
floor and broke. So now we have three. I was sad at the moment that it happened. I was kind of just frustrated with myself
that I was careless and it happened. But I was like, no, again,
they're meant to be used. This stuff is meant to be
used. Stuff is made to be used. Not to be in storage. Not
just to look at. I mean, we do have a few things we
like to look at, which is fine, but not everything can
be like that, right? So I'm glad that we're just
using them and yes, over time, maybe they'll all break.
But in the meantime, when we use them or when
we serve guests with them, we tell the story of where they came from, and I think that is so much more honoring
of the people who it represents than, again, just either keeping it in storage
or somewhere where it's super safe, but no one ever thinks about it. Okay, so this idea, use
it or lose it. Use it now, find a way to use it and make use of it
or just donate it and be done with it. It sounds really great, but I know there's some of you that
are going to over-complicate it, because you're really good
at that. So, and it's fine. So let's talk about a few ways where
this can not be quite so cut and dry or straight forward. So let's talk about like bathroom
products, cleaning products. There's two things that I'd
like you to remember with this. One is that if you simply don't like
it, here's what we need to keep in mind. If you don't like something now, you
will not start liking it tomorrow. If you don't like something now, you will not start liking it tomorrow.
If you don't like the way it smelled, the way it cleaned, the way it looked. So if you have cleaning
products or skincare products, if you can't imagine using that tomorrow
morning when you get ready for work, then nothing is going to change that's
going to make you like it a month from now or three months from now.
If you don't like it now, you're not going to like it tomorrow.
So complete permission to let anything, those things go. We've talked about it
before, a lot of it's trial and error. And it might work really great
for somebody on Instagram, but it doesn't mean it works well
for us. So if I don't like it today, I'm going to donate it.
I'm going to throw it away. So I don't have to manage it, and I don't
have to feel guilty about it anymore. Another thing is knowing yourself. I did a Facebook live with
Joshua Becker last fall actually. And someone asked about
using up bathroom products. And what he had to say was so good. He
said, "Well, you need to know yourself. Are you the type of person that uses
stuff up?" Meaning are you the type of person that's going to take your
50 trial-size, hotel-size shampoos, and systematically use them up so that
you don't have to buy shampoo for a few months? Are you that type? Me
personally, I'm not. Joshua said, "My wife is. I'm not." But
there's a friend, Lorraine, in our Facebook group and she did. We
were doing a bathroom declutter with her. She had all the travel-size
stuff. And I said, "Lorraine, will you use those?" And she said, "Yes." So she put them in a
container up on her bathroom vanity. And she has been systematically
working through them. But you have to know yourself. Are you
the type of person who will use stuff up? And if not, that's
okay. It's totally okay. You and I are the same. Throw it away.
Donate it. Pass it on to a shelter, so somebody actually can make
use of it before it expires. If you are not that type of person, it is okay and we give you
complete permission to pass it on. But the worst thing you can do is keep
sticking it in the back of your cabinet until it expires and then no one can
make use of it. Okay. And then lastly, the someday stuff. I know. I held onto these shoes for two years
thinking someday, next week, next month, when the cools off again, I will wear
them and I'll be so glad that I have them. Someday. And that someday never came.
And so here's what I would ask you. If you have some stuff right now and
you're like, ugh, use it or lose it. I don't think, I'm not
going to use it now, but I do think maybe next
spring I will. Okay, well, let me ask you this question. Would
you pay $5 per month to store it? Because we have to start learning that
it costs us something to store this stuff. So that's fine. You have a pair
of shoes. You're not using them now, but you don't want to
quite part with them yet. Would you pay $5 a month to store them?
And honestly, I would have told you yes, for at least the first few
months that I had these. Cause I still really liked them.
I just thought they were so cute. And so I would've said yes, I would. But maybe you have
another pair of shoes that we got these at a thrift store.
I thought they were really cute. It would be practical, but they're kind
of too big. And really let's face it, my feet aren't growing any more. So would I pay $5 a month
to store these? Uh, no. They don't fit and they're
not that comfortable. And really they're like brand new.
Someone should be making use of those. So would I pay $5 a month
to store them? Uh, no. And so that makes it much easier
to make some of these decisions. And so this can work for so
many different types of things. Like if you have games
in your house, like, oh, I really thought my kids would like them. I thought we'd have all these
family game nights. Okay. Would you pay $5 to store them?
Well, these two games I would. Some of the other games, no,
absolutely I wouldn't. Okay. How about your camping gear?
Well, we used to like to camp. I was hoping we would get into again.
Okay. Would you pay to store that stuff? It's probably not that likely that
we're going to go camping again. So probably I should pass it on now
and let someone else make use of it. But here's the biggest thing. This
whole idea of use it or lose it. It helps us get our inventory
down to a manageable amount, because so many of us are managing way
too much inventory and it is costing us so much right now. It's costing
our peace of mind, our time, not to mention how much stuff we
actually waste when we have too much. I mean, the cost is high and I feel like
it just keeps getting higher. Not the other way. So keeping this
mantra in mind, use it or lose it, can really make a huge difference. Well, I would love to know, what examples in your house have
you decided just to start using it? It's so fun to hear the
things that you are using now, that maybe you didn't
think you ever would. I love hearing like wearing clothes
that are too fancy for the occasion, but you love it. So you just want
to wear it. Jewelry. Shoes. Use it. Good dishes. Let's use it instead of
just maintaining it and managing it. Let's use it and enjoy it and appreciate
it and remember the people that gave it to us or that it represents. All
right, well, I hope this is helpful. I have a whole playlist
now of minimalism basics, so if you're a little
bit newer to our channel, it can be a great place to start. But
otherwise, I hope you have a great day. I love you. And I'll see you again soon.
