What to cast off....Part 2

Previously, I alluded to some of the ways you can make decisions about what to keep and what to cast off.  After some thought, I realized that the list of things to get rid of kept growing to include a few things I didn't initially think of.

The big stuff....

In our society, ownership of things is a badge that says "I'm successful" or "I've arrived."  One of the items I found folks bragged about most was the ownership of real estate.  I'm not talking about a family home.  I'm referring to anything other than the family home....namely, vacation homes, second homes and rentals.  Now I'm a guy with a love affair for real estate.  The trip to the attorney's closing table on a new parcel charges me up about as much as skydiving for those who like to jump out of perfectly good planes.  I've bought my share of real estate.

As the years ticked by, I realized that ownership wasn't all it was cracked up to be.  Telling friends I owned five houses might have given me a brief charge from a societal point of view, but immediately after uttering the words, I'd remember that I needed to mow a lawn other than my own or had property tax bills due or that a contractor needed to meet me somewhere to replace a leaky water heater that had ruined a tenant's belongings.  Overall, ownership of property can be a headache...a huge one that in hindsight, didn't seem worth it in the long run.

With the real estate meltdown, there exists the temptation to jump into that second home or the vacation chalet in the mountains that you always dreamed of.  I've gone through the thought process...many times.  In the end, I decided against it for several reasons.  First off, by purchasing a vacation home, you've locked yourself into visiting the same place over and over again.  Even if you decide not to visit, there is the underlying thought..."I purchased this expensive home and now I'm not using it."  That's not to say that some people don't fall in love with a location so much, they simply must spend a lot of time there.  For most people, after a few visits, the luster wears off.

Secondly, a home requires maintenance even if you aren't there.  You can close a house down for a year and when you get back there is usually a significant amount to be done in order to get the place up and running again.  This means you are using leisure time for maintenance.  Unless you happen to be wealthy enough to afford a full time groundskeeper in your absence, there will be lots to do upon your return.  Many people make the situation work by renting through an agency while they are absent.  If this works, fine.  But roofs leak, red wine will get spilled on your white sofa by a tenant and AC units fail during the hottest months.  The calls to write a big check will come...inevitably.

When I thought about it, it made more sense to simply rent a place wherever I decided to be.  I'd rather walk in the door and be greeted by a home ready for me to relax and take in the surroundings.  When it was time to go...I could leave the keys somewhere and be on my merry way.  Leave the headache to someone else and increase your flexibility.  Ditch the thought of the vacation home if you are serious about simplifying your life.

Ah...the mountains...again...and again...and again.  I'd love to visit the beach someday.

Where to trim the fat

Items to avoid owning...

1. Single function items.

 Think a Slap-Chop is cool for cutting up veggies?  A chef's knife will take care of that.  Microwave egg cooker?  Flowbee?  Just gimmicks.  There are thousands of products that have only one function, but take up space in a drawer, closet, cabinet or tabletop.  Its OK to cook an egg in a pan and it's OK to cut hair with scissors.  Don't buy single function items.

2.  Stuff that needs batteries...especially toys.

Well...maybe with a few exceptions....:-)  The only thing I own that needs a battery is my remote for the TV.  If you have stuff that needs batteries, you can never own enough of them.  Need two AA's?  You'll surely have 1 "D", a package of "C" and six AAA's.

3.  Big stuff that needs constant maintenance.

Most of us really do need a car but when was the last time you used your snowmobile or your jet ski or your boat.  How many lawn mowers do you need?  Tillers?  Blowers?   I can't tell you how many people have asked me to sell a boat that's been moldering in a corner of the yard, trailer tires dry-rotted, axles frozen.  Too late now.  Should have sold it when the motor actually still ran and the hull wasn't filled with mosquito larvae.

4. Purge your clothing.

If you haven't worn it in a year, get rid of it.  Period.  I know in my closet, the stuff I didn't wear ended up in the back.  I simply took everything halfway down the rack all the way to the back and donated it.  Didn't miss a single item.  Shoes?  How many pairs do you need.  Emphasis on NEED.  We recently cleared an estate where the deceased probably had 500 sweaters.  If he wore one every day for the 100 or so days our climate requires a sweater, it would take 5 years to wear them all....if he wore each once and didn't buy any more.

5. Duplicates.

I've been in houses that had three coffee makers, 5 drills, 100 paint brushes, 1,000 towels and 5,000 twist ties and plastic bags.  Nobody needs that many.  You can only use one at a time, two if you are gifted.  The excuse?  You never know when you might need an extra.  OK...when the day comes that my circular saw dies, the Home Depot is right up the street.  I don't need 5 crappy used ones in the garage "just in case."

6. Miscellaneous accumulating crap.

You don't need to keep your electric bills for 10 years, or your pay stubs or your canceled checks.  Pull all the Christmas stuff out of the attic and get rid of what you don't use.  Have a clear out day.  Everyone has to get rid of stuff.  Tell your kids to get rid of 10 things they choose...or 20.  Put it all in one place then have a yard sale or rent a table at a flea market.  Go out to dinner with the money you make.  Just don't use the money to buy more crap.

Make it a point to analyze the reasons you are keeping things.  If it is sentimental and you don't have it on display or use it, take a picture of it then get rid of it.  Remember...you can't take it with you and even if you tried, you'd need to dig a mighty big hole to hold it all.

How many of these lurk in your cabinets?  50?  100?....and this is just one thing you can get rid of..