Stuffy Stuff

We Americans have a lot of stuffy stuff.  Some stuff is good and useful or beautiful.  Other stuff is just stuffy stuff.  I have a whole attic full of stuffy stuff to go through before we move.

Ugh!  And that's only part of it.  You know what I read in my Bible study time this morning?  "Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, life does not consist in an abundance of possessions."  (Luke 12:15).  I have an amazing opportunity right now to move and NOT to move all this stuff with me.  I have a choice.

As I see it, my stuffy stuff fits into several categories.

1.  Stuff I once needed and no longer do.

Boxes of piano music, an old area rug, aluminum lawn chairs which haven't seen a lawn in quite a few years... you get the idea.

2.  Stuff I never needed, was just a passing fancy, but that I spent money on--so it seems wasteful to get rid of it now.

 For instance, quite a few years ago, we thought we needed this space heater.  But now we haven't used it, yet there it sits in the attic.

3.  Stuff I might need one day, but haven't needed for a year or 3 or 10.

Well, see #1 and #2 above.  I still have this stuff, just in case. So, the storage boxes above contain baby things, fall decorations which are not currently decorating my house even though it is the autumn season now, and dress-up clothes/costumes. 


4.  Stuff someone else might need someday.

My attic is just full of stuff like that.  None of my kids has a permanent residence of their own yet, so they can't take their own stuff much less all the furniture that's up there just in case one of them need it.  The preceding picture is my son's section of the attic.  He'll be home to visit soon.  What are my chances of getting him to sort through it all?  Oh David-- the treasures that await you-- a Jurassic Park compound, your barn, baseball cards, legos, Cal Ripken posters... and who knows what all is up there!  Don't feel bad, your sister has an entire garbage bag full of stuffed pigs.

5.  FAMILY HEIRLOOMS.  This is the hardest group of stuffy stuff to deal with.

Yes, this is my little child-size rocker.  I loved this rocker as a little girl!  Now, this is where our kids come in.  What do we do with stuff that we can't bear to part with but don't want to keep in our own houses?  We make the kids take them.  Then the kids can never get rid of them because they are a FAMILY HEIRLOOM.  We have heirloom furniture, pictures, certificates, toys, instruments, books... and even a horse blanket.  Kids-- we're saving it ALL just for you and your attics!

6.  Stuff that's not mine to dispose of.

Notice that there a two sets of golf clubs here.  My husband uses one occasionally.  But it's not up to me to decide on the fate of either set.  To his credit, my husband does not hoard.  He's pretty good about getting rid of stuffy stuff.  Hey, he even got rid of his 1970s beer can collection this year!  Way to go!

7.  Stuff I actually currently use and/or enjoy.

 Canning jars and freezer boxes:  these are needed on an annual basis but must be stored somewhere until they're needed.

 This is a cabinet I re-organized last winter in a fit of decluttering.  Everything is in its labeled bin and I do actually use these items on a regular basis.

And here a some of my cookbooks and other books.  I recently weeded them out and only kept a few favorites.

There may be more categories of stuffy stuff, but this seems to cover what I have.  So, if life does not consist in the abundance of possessions, why would I keep anything from categories 1 & 2???  Someone else could use them. 

"Anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions."  --Peace Pilgrim

"Every increased possession loads us with a new weariness."  --John Ruskin

"It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly."
--Bertrand Russell

"Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants."  --Epictetus

"Refrain from hoarding dusty boxes of stuff to prove who you once were, or what you once did...  Give similar thought to any heirlooms hidden here [in basements or attics]: if they’re not special enough to keep in the house, question whether they’re special enough to keep at all."  --Francine Jay in The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide.

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions and give to the poor.  Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  --Jesus Christ in Luke 12:32

If my heart is where my treasure is, then I want my treasure in the kingdom of God, and not in my attic.  I am ready to get rid of a bunch of stuffy stuff.  Anybody need an old dusty TV?