A Fine Line
There’s a fine line between hoarding and being prepared. On one hand, having too many things becomes overwhelming, especially without a clear plan and intention on what you are keeping and why. On the other hand, knowing ahead of time what you will need just in case and having as much on hand as possible to support your family can be vital. It may seem that these two things are a world apart, but it’s just tip-toeing a tight wire.
Gathering Collections
Most of us have seen at least a clip from the hoarder shows of people with avalanches of stuff everywhere. We all say, “Oh, that could never be me.” But in truth, the majority of people hold on to a lot of things beyond their usefulness. If you’ve never moved, you may not understand; however, if you have moved even once in your adult life you have seen how much you can collect over time. How many things do you have hidden in little nooks and crannies? You see something that you know someone specific would love, and then you set it aside and the next thing you know, it’s been a couple of years before you find it in the top of the coat closet.
When we decided to start downsizing, I had to look at what I was holding on to and why (Albert was already way ahead of the curve). I discovered it isn’t enough to realize what you are keeping but also what drives you to want to. I had to ask myself if something would be useful to me, or someone else I know. I surveyed my closets (I had three closets at the beginning) and removed clothes I hadn’t worn in a very long time. Anything I was no longer using, needing, or wanting was gifted away.
It isn’t enough to get rid of items around the house that you no longer need but also watch what new goodies you bring home. Walking down a craft aisle at the store (dangerous ground HA HA) I see several new and exciting kits that show you “how to” do something that I don’t know how to do. I love to learn so I am immediately attracted to it. I currently have half a dozen projects either started or planned to start in the “near future”. One of the projects is a blanket that I have been working on for over ten years; I say working on but it sits in a bag waiting for me to finish it.
This desire to learn more makes walking down the craft aisle more treacherous, as I have to think if I will use it in the next week, month, or year. If I know I will not use it in a short period of time, I have to decide to walk away. The good news is, if it was found in a big box store in the first place, it will probably still be around when I am ready to conquer a new challenge! No reason for me to hurry up and buy it now, to take up space. This is one area where it is easy to get carried away if I am not mindful of what I am putting to use and what is likely an expensive paperweight, sitting on a shelf collecting dust.
Seriously, preparing for a zombie apocalypse?
Any fans of The Walking Dead know that a lot goes into being prepared in the event of an apocalypse. You not only have to think about food, shelter, and security but also medications, bandages, and gasoline if you are hoping to drive. I know this seems an extreme to look to for being prepared, and it is. BUT, if you are prepared, as much as possible, for a zombie apocalypse you would be prepared for just about anything.
When COVID hit, I was working from home and we had some car trouble. We could not drive for a month. At the time, we lived in an RV so we could only store so much food and supplies but we got by on what we had for over three weeks. We eventually had to reach out to the family to bring us some supplies, we got the car fixed and started stocking back up. You learn what your favorite foods are when you are down to your “backup” food. When you grasp these lessons, you find ways to make more of your favorite foods backup foods.
I also realized what foods and other items we didn’t use, even when the choices were limited. These items became things bought less often and only if they had an immediate purpose. I began to think about the foods that took up space on the shelf, foods that were processed and preserved. There weren’t a lot, but enough. These are foods that I had the ingredients to make and truth be told, I also had the time when I reviewed some recipes. I started small with recipes found in one of my recipe books or online. I am still slowly adding to this list of homemade joys.
Unfortunately, this too can get away from a person if they aren’t careful. Have you ever heard of a hoarder who had bedrooms filled with canned food? Canned food is a wonderful option but should not be expected to last forever. Eventually, canned food will go bad and when that happens gases expand and the contents go everywhere. Yuck! A mess that could have been avoided and food that went to waste. Store only foods you use and rotate those foods as you buy more so that you are using the older product first.
This is where having a plan is essential. You do have some homework if you want to live smaller. You have to learn and track what your family uses. There is no sense in buying bulk rice if you haven’t finished that small bag of rice you bought last year. Toilet paper is a staple that will not go bad, as long as you keep it dry, but you have to consider where you will store it. We can keep a case of toilet paper on the top shelf of our closet so we only have to buy it twice a year. We replaced paper towels with paperless towels, which use a small amount of space in the linen closet.
Winding Up
As with many activities and questions in adulthood, I can’t tell you what is right for you. I share some of my experiences in this blog in hopes that others may learn from my successes and failures. I am still learning to manage that fine walk between holding on to more than I need and having enough. I am thankful to have a partner to wander this journey with as we ask each other, “Possible hoarder question, should we keep this?”
In life, while we find our purpose we should also determine the purpose of the objects we keep around us. We need to ask ourselves what we are allowing to share our space. I notice a difference in my mental clarity when my physical space is not cluttered. I am comforted that we can skip a couple of trips to the store without anyone going hungry, even the five cats. Are we completely prepared? Oh, no. There is still much to be done and much to learn. Please stick around and follow our journey.
