Have you ever started feeling wasteful when you load up a bag of donation items. Questions pop into your head like, “How could I have all these items that we don’t use? Did I buy all of these?”
We’ve all been there. But imagine if, instead of donating your items you hang onto them because you feel so bad about being wasteful. Are you any less wasteful because you held onto it? It might sound silly when you reframe it that way, but I can guarantee we have all done it before!
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A to B Updates
We are jumping right into the good stuff! If you’re curious about Bethany’s new found love of mumus, have no fear. This is the mumu she is currently rocking. It sounds like it will be the first of many. Her gateway mumu, if you will.
This one is actually from Kohl’s, not Nordstrom’s Rack like she said in the episode. Bethany has officially joined the mumu club and she has no regrets!
Simplifying with Duplicates
In our last episode, Ep 74 How to Be a Minimalist without Getting Rid of all your Stuff, we shared a few areas to pair down. However, our tip today emphasises the many benefits of having duplicates. We even recorded a whole episode about having duplicates in Ep 12 Simplify with Duplicates!
If you have a baby or are potting training a little one, use a mattress protector then a fitted sheet, then add another mattress protector and a fitted sheet so you are doubled up. That way, if there is an accident in the middle of the night you only need to pull off the top layer and the bed is made!
We’d love to hear about areas where you simplify with duplicates or areas you are a minimalist in. Connect with us through email Hello @ AtoBpodcast.com or you can leave us a voicemail (858) 480-7722. You can also find us hanging out on Instagram @AtoB podcast or Facebook!
Reframing Wastefulness
When listening to our podcast, you can hear me say over and over again, you should get rid of it, or you should say goodbye to it, and I say this over and over again. I can imagine from another’s perspective (possibly Bethany’s), it sounds like I am wasteful and encouraging others to be wasteful.
This is where I think we need a little perspective shift because what if we did hold onto items because they are not “used up” enough or they are still good?
I was thinking about this question at my sister’s garage sale recently. I came across this baby sign language DVD that she was selling. My sister and I both had a copy of this particular DVD for our oldest daughters who are both now 13. So this DVD has been around a while and it was showing it!
I gave my baby sign language DVD away years ago and there was her copy in a garage sale selling for maybe like $0.25. I can’t help but imagine the life of the 2 DVDs. Hopefully mine was found at a thrift store by somebody who was excited to see and use it. Or maybe someone found it and was able to resell it online for a little profit.
Whatever happened to my DVD, I feel like it was used more than a few times and it lived a good life. Now to compare that to my sister’s DVD that has been sitting on a shelf for 7+ years, never to see the light of day. Now the DVD is outdated. Nobody wants it. It missed it’s window of opportunity to be useful to others.
Of course, this is nothing against my sister. We have all done this with items. You find something that has been stuffed away and thought, if only I had given this away sooner, someone might have been able to find a use for it.
So now I’m asking all of us, can we please stop thinking that getting rid of our stuff is wasteful? I feel like true wastefulness is letting an item sit on a shelf or be packed away in a box never to be used again is the true definition of wastefulness.
Of course I’m are not talking about sentimental items, those have more value to you than they would to others. I’m specifically referring to items you know you probably aren’t going to use but you hate that little voice telling you are wasteful.
I am arguing you are actually being wasteful, and if we are going to go there, a little selfish, keeping the items all to yourself. They are just sitting there on your shelf, nobody else can use it.
Maybe you argue that thrift stores are not the perfect system. But to me, they are the better then collecting dust, not getting used and appreciated. At a thrift store there is a chance it can find a new home.
Think of antiques where do you think they find the antiques, thrift stores! Also, people can make a living re-selling things on online which an amazing service when you’re looking for a particular item!
I’d love to here what you think! Does that feeling of being wasteful hold you back from getting rid of your clutter? Does it hold you back from buying items at a store?
Let’s us know!
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Links Mentioned:
- We 1st mentioned Guitar Hero in Ep 6 Love it or Lose it
