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Post by angelinahedgehog on Jun 28, 2008 15:32:08 GMT -5
In chat, we discussed how many pens and pencils it's reasonable to have. This is a hard one to call exactly for a number of reasons, but there is a surprisingly easy rule of thumb: if you can fit the pens and pencils comfortably into a coffee mug, you're fine. If you have more than that, you can get rid of some.
Is this perfect? No, of course not. Pens and coffee mugs vary in size. But if you're staring at your writing implements and all you know is that 342 pens and pencils are probably too many... Then this is a good starting point.
So, open question: when trying to determine how much of anything to keep, what other good starting points are there?
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Post by ramatama on Jun 28, 2008 17:23:11 GMT -5
Oh AH, this could be the next "topic of the week" thread.
Undies: i was told by my auntie, enough to see you through a two week span of time. This could include socks, pajamas, and be independent of season.
Dishcloths: 8, one for every day of week, plus one extra just in case or for laundry day.
Linen: 3 changes , logic being one on bed, one in laundry one for just in case.
Towels: same as linen.
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Post by suchamess on Jun 28, 2008 17:27:56 GMT -5
I pretty much go by the "can it fit in it's proper place" rule. Even though the place is a wreck, things like towels, dishes etc end up in their proper home at least once a week. It becomes unreasonable when I can't fit the new item in with the old.
I do the same with grocery shopping. I look in the freezer before I go and make a mental note. I know it can only hold a few items, so I only buy a few items.
Back when I had things completely organized, my rule for buying clothing was this "Buy a new shirt, donate or toss an old" Sometimes I even got rid of 2. I did this for the entire family and it worked so well. I have slipped over time and things are not where they should be, but I know once they are...I'll have to donate some things. A lot of things.
If you know you already have several of a certain item..but you still must have a new, get rid of a few of the old.
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Post by pegasus48 on Jun 28, 2008 21:17:26 GMT -5
The "mug" rule makes sense and the so do the number of changes of underwear and linens. I think the "can't fit in it's proper place" idea is a good one too. My only problem now is cleaning up those proper places so things that BELONG there will fit. I seem to have stuck things anywhere and everywhere to get them out of sight or off the floor or whatever. I'm sure I am not the only one with "weird" things in the "wrong" places.  |
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Post by Ms.Choc-o-lot on Jun 29, 2008 0:48:23 GMT -5
P48 - that is EXACTLY my problem as well. I have things that should belong together, strung out all over the place. And the 'home' they should live in, is filled with an incredible array of other things, to move that, would require moving something else, which requires moving something else - and so on and on.
Sometimes it seems like a vicious cycle - although the things I have MADE a home for - has been effective for me. I have a place for the thermometers/otoscope/AfterBite pen, and we all have gotten used to returning those things to that home. Some thing for telephone books.
It just seems that my problem is getting things a home to begin with.
I am sorry - i just realized that I went off-topic!
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Post by bluefrog on Jun 29, 2008 12:13:29 GMT -5
P48 - that is EXACTLY my problem as well. I have things that should belong together, strung out all over the place. And the 'home' they should live in, is filled with an incredible array of other things, to move that, would require moving something else, which requires moving something else - and so on and on. Ah! Around here we call that the "What Did You Do With the Goldfish, Ernie?" problem, after a Sesame Street book my kids had when they were little. The dialog went something like: "I dropped the goldfish bowl, Bert, and it broke!" "What did you do with the goldfish, Ernie?" "I put him in the pitcher, Bert." "There was orange juice in the pitcher! What did you do with the orange juice, Ernie?" "I put it in the soup pot, Bert." . . .etc., etc. Maybe you do need to make "homes" for stuff. Do you have a staging area--any clear area you can use temporarily--for homeless stuff, or stuff with a home that just needs to be put away? If you have or can make one, you can gather up stuff that all needs the same home. When you decide where that should be, the stuff that's already there can trade places with the stuff that now has a home, until it can be sorted and placed in new homes. Repeat as necessary. This has the effect of making things worse for a while, but better in the long run. At least it works for me. Now if I could only get DH to put stuff back where it belongs. . . |
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Post by SueDonym on Jun 29, 2008 12:29:22 GMT -5
I have a completely UNREASONABLE number of pairs of socks, and I never knew it until I started cleaning out the laundry room and storage room. I had no idea how many socks had somehow been stashed in places they shouldn't be. I think I need an entire drawer just for socks.
edited to add: The reason I have so many socks is because I would buy more when others got dirty and I didn't have a working washer due to my plumbing problems. So the old ones would get stashed away, and I'd buy a new pack.
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hollymaid
New Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 99
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Post by hollymaid on Jun 29, 2008 12:56:55 GMT -5
My problem is I don't have enough storage space for clothes. Dressers are not big enough, I tried to store off season clothes in rubber maid totes but the kids get in there and drag it all out. I have had laundry problems in the past and have bought new clothes just to have clean ones I know that has added to the problem. I also have enough socks I could pass them out to the homeless.
I love the Idea of everything has a place, and thats were it should be. I am very short on storage space. One or two things out of place and the whole house looks messy.
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Post by Ms.Choc-o-lot on Jun 29, 2008 13:01:19 GMT -5
Blue Frog - that is SOOOOOO my house. I probably need to buy that book - it sounds like me!!! A staging area - ummmmmm, I really don't have one. I would have to figure out how to create one, since it looks like the entire house is a staging area - piles of stuff that aren't in their home  |
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Post by messymimi on Jun 29, 2008 13:24:42 GMT -5
Shall I throw a wrench in the works here with the question, that just because I have this much space for these items, does that mean I HAVE to keep that many? Or even that I should? If I tend to hoard pens, should I keep the mug full, or should I only keep 3 or 4 in the mug?
Help, I'm having flashbacks to philosophy classes in college...
messymimi
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Post by Alexandra on Jun 29, 2008 18:21:53 GMT -5
Our pens and pencils keep disappearing.
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Post by eagle on Jun 29, 2008 19:35:49 GMT -5
Shall I throw a wrench in the works here with the question, that just because I have this much space for these items, does that mean I HAVE to keep that many? Or even that I should? If I tend to hoard pens, should I keep the mug full, or should I only keep 3 or 4 in the mug? Help, I'm having flashbacks to philosophy classes in college... messymimi No, I don't think we need to fill space just because we have space. If enough is enough, then let the space sit empty, I say. But I do agree that with limited storage space, then one must pare down the items that one needs to store. Example: We had a closet that couldn't contain all of our clothes. Hubby said, "We need more closet space." I said, "We have too many clothes. We need to get rid of some of our clothes." We do have a larger closet now, but we also have FEWER clothes than we did back then. And we live in the midwest now, where we really do need clothes for all seasons. Even so, we still have more clothes than we need. I recall reading plenty of books in my youth, wherein the heroine owned only one or two dresses and one pair of shoes. As a child my brothers and I only had one pair of shoes for school and one for play. Times and attitudes have changed, but I still feel that as a society, we tend to have far more things than we really need. That's why storage space is an issue. Not because we need all that stuff, but because we want it. Now the question is this. How do we change our wants and desires so that we want only what we need and use. I am still working on that myself. |
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Calico
New Member
Joined: October 2011
Posts: 59
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Post by Calico on Jun 29, 2008 19:57:23 GMT -5
So, open question: when trying to determine how much of anything to keep, what other good starting points are there? I try to think in terms of how much (or many) of the item I will use up in a reasonable time (say six months or a year). This is for the initial stages of de-junking. When I went through my office supplies, I tested the pens, tossed those that didn't work, then picked maybe ten that I liked best out of the ones that worked. I put the rest in the giveaway box. Yes, I'll need more pens eventually (or refills), but I'd rather just have a couple in each room where I use them (for me that's the office and the kitchen), and a couple of spares. When I start using the spares, I'll buy a few more. That's how I handle my purchases now: when I start on the last package (open the last bottle of shampoo, for instance), I'll put it on my shopping list. If I find it on sale, I'll buy two or three; otherwise, I buy one, and keep the item on my list until I've restocked at a good price. That way I always have a new supply on hand, but I'm not so overloaded that stuff is in the way. For instance, I just stocked up on kitty litter: three 40-lb. bags. It was on sale at the store that already has a great price. I had to buy some for my mom last week at the grocery store (at a higher price), because we were both OUT - and you can't be out of kitty litter! I'll be more careful next time to buy as soon as I open the last bag. Calico |
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