The Monster in My Garage

Stuff.  It’s a sneaky adversary, casually approaching with it’s mantra of “this will be useful someday!”   It calls to us from yard sale signs, thrift shop windows, and consignment shops.  Maybe you are one of those lucky people that can pick one project and finish it before moving on.  Or maybe you are like me, eternally collecting items that will be so cool – when they are finished (painted, patched, put together…).  Until then, they stack up in a growing pile of good intentions in my garage, creeping in on my husbands workbench, corralling my children’s bikes and creating an obstacle course that puts most Survivor challenges to shame.  What is it about me that can’t seem to hone in on one craft or project??   

Laura, self-proclaimed “Organizing Junkie,” has a lot to say about de-cluttering your life in this article on her website.  In it she lists some of the reasons we hang onto our “stuff.”

  1. I might need it one day….

  2. I don’t want to hurt so and so’s feelings….

  3. I don’t want to seem ungrateful….

  4. It was so expensive…..

  5. Do you know how much this is worth…..

  6. It brings back so many memories….


She goes on to catalogue some of the questions I should ask myself when determining whether or not I should continue storing that vintage coffee table that will look perfect with an antique-glaze finish.

  1. Do I love it?
  2. Do I use it?  How long ago did I use it?
  3. Do I have the room to store it without it being a cluttered space?
  4. Am I willing to give up something else in order to make room for it?
  5. Can I imagine myself or anyone else in my family ever loving it or needing it in the foreseeable future?

ImageToday, in honor of “National Letting Go of Stuff Day” (a nationally recognized day founded in 2008 by author and business coach Darren L Johnson), I’m taking a second look at that coffee table — and wondering how much other stuff I could fit in the garage if I let it go.

I know … I’ve got a long way to go.