Navin R. Johnson is one of my all-time favorite characters. In the classic movie the Jerk, he says, “And that’s it and that’s the only thing I need, is this. I don’t need this or this. Just this ashtray. And this paddle game, the ashtray and the paddle game and that’s all I need. And this remote control. The ashtray, the paddle game, and the remote control, and that’s all I need. And these matches. The ashtray, and these matches, and the remote control and the paddle ball. And this lamp. The ashtray, this paddle game and the remote control and the lamp and that’s all I need. And that’s all I need too. I don’t need one other thing, not one – I need this. The paddle game, and the chair, and the remote control, and the matches, for sure. And this. And that’s all I need. The ashtray, the remote control, the paddle game, this magazine and the chair.” (-the Jerk 1979) What a classic scene. But if your goal is to truly attempt to declutter your house, here are five things you can really live without!
- Personal Memorabilia— I’m glad that your little league team won the regional summer youth baseball league when you were nine years old. Odds are, the trophy is buried in the basement in some cardboard box. Oh yeah . . . your son doesn’t want it either.
- Old T-Shirts- Do you really want to collect Peachtree Road Race T-Shirts in your closet. You won’t look at them again anyway for another ten years and who is going to want them. You just got back 10 hangars in your closet.
- DVD’s- I just turned my Mission Impossible DVD into an ice scraper during the recent snowmageddon in Atlanta. Who knew DVD’s could double up as a handy dandy ice scraper? As I chipped away the ice, I pretty much realized these are all on demand anyway now.
- Books- Unless you are keeping them in your library or family room as part of the overall décor, it’s likely you’ll never read them again. In another decade, they will likely be as obsolete as Borders Bookstore is today.
- Kitchen Gadgets- Just bust through your lazy Susan or open up the under counter that you pretty much rummage through during the holiday season, and you’ll realize that there are tools you bought, used one, and should now make the official ‘I Collect Dust’ hall of fame.
With these five smart money moves, you can free up some space in your home and maybe even make a few bucks unloading these items. As we buy larger and larger homes, pretty much all we do is collect more stuff. The sad truth is we don’t use most of what we own, so considering taking a weekend here over the next few weeks asking yourself what you can live without. I’m pretty sure the decluttering gods will have a good time with you, and you’ll free up some space for what you really use and need.
Written by:
Ted Jenkin
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