Thoughts on Stuff

Last month I was reading a book called SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life! And in it she talked about "separating out the treasures"...I tried this when I was packing. For example, looking at a bookshelf, I picked out the books that I definitely wanted to keep, that were definite "treasures."

This was a difficult task for me. I haven't mastered separating out the treasures, because my instinct is to hoard every item just in case I might need them. Because I have them already. Because to buy them again, it would cost money. Or even if I had gotten them for free, then I perhaps see it as a "gain"...Pack ratting/hoarding has been on my mind the past couple of years. And I have tried to let go of stuff, and I have, a little. The worst part now is that I actually feel guilty about NOT throwing stuff away. I feel bad about keeping useless things. And I also feel bad about throwing them away. So I'm in a lose-lose situation!

Events in the past 10 days of course, have brought up this issue once again. In the end, I packed up roughly 30 boxes of stuff from my apartment (not counting clothes!) and took them to my parents' house, where they sit in piles in the living room, sadly. Those two large boxes in the picture above? Stuff I packed up and shipped here via Parcel Post. They just arrived and I haven't opened them to see what's inside yet. (Because yes, I have mostly forgotten).

When I was moving I rationalized that these were things I needed. They were things that would be a waste to throw away. They were things that would be a waste to buy again. But more importantly, they would be a waste of TIME to run around the city to buy and schlep around (yes I said schlep!)

So $57 spent shipping those two boxes is worth the time. The monetary value of the things inside the boxes may not be much, but the time and energy saved is certainly worth it. There is something to be said about living in a small space and relying on public transportation. A simple trip to Target becomes a 2-hour journey. In L.A. we buy things without a second thought - toss it in the cart! Toss them in the trunk! If you don't like it, return it! Here, every item I buy in the store I have to ask myself, "Do I really need it?" "Do I have the space to store it?" and more importantly, "Can I schlep it back on the subway?" Less critical items (or too bulky ones) stay behind in the store.

Time to open the boxes.