Isn't this suggestion radical? "When you buy something new, give away two." Some readers of this column will remember that I alluded to the "hoarding syndrome" a couple of months ago. I mentioned the "give-away solution" and said I would expand on it later. Well, you answer the question for yourself. Isn't it time to consider whether your accumulation of goods isn't ruling your life-or at least taking up too much space?
When I began helping people organize their lives, most seminars had to do with stuff at home rather than in offices, stock rooms, warehouses, and the boardrooms of industry and the technical world. In those home seminars, I was (and still am) constantly sharing the need for all of us to cut back, cut out, and cut down. The facts are indisputable. The vast majority of us simply have too much stuff, and much of our stuff is drowning us and blocking out light and air. I began to encourage people, "Keep that little saying in your mind and when you buy a new sweater or a pair of shoes. Give away at least two of something for each new item--maybe a shirt, a pot or pan, the old sweater, the pair of shoes you're replacing, perhaps an old jacket. That way you will never get into the "hoarding mentality." Instead of your stuff controlling you, you will take control of your stuff.
Am I simply trying to promote charity? Not at all. Your giving habits are - and should remain - your own business. But think about it. Just look at the amount of stuff we bring in to our offices and homes as compared to how much goes out. The old movie scene in which the retiring worker takes a single cardboard box of stuff home after 25 years is humorous in today's cluttered world. Now it takes a U-Haul truck! We need to buy a suit, a sweater, shoes, couch, table or TV, but rarely do we spend any time focusing on the need to eliminate stuff, to make the pile smaller. When was the last time you intentionally gave away two of anything when you brought a new item into your home?
Our cabinets can only hold so much stuff. Our drawers can only hold a certain number of socks or stockings or sweaters. When the drawer is bulging, that's the sign we must eliminate. But no one is saying it's easy. The sweater was a gift from a special friend … the socks remind us of that fabulous vacation … that old, rickety table brings fond memories of college days… So on we go - hanging on instead of releasing.
Sharing our good fortune with those less fortunate is a freeing, liberating experience. Gathering and packing, then taking our used furniture, clothes, or whatever and offering them to the nearest Good Will Center or Salvation Army Thrift Store, donating to the Purple Heart, or checking to see whether your church or synagogue has a Give-away Closet for the disadvantaged or families temporarily homeless because of flooding, fires or other emergencies will set you free from the hoarding mentality to enjoy simplicity at its fullest and the knowledge that your "leftovers" have served others.
