Just for When

Just for When Too often we cling to the things we own just in case we might need them someday. Of course, someday rarely arrives, and yet we continue to clutch tightly to the excess in our basements, attics, closets, junk drawers, and storage facilitiesâ€"just in case. Just. In. Case. The three most dangerous words in the English language. They encourage us to stockpile our junk as if its essential. In reality, though, we can give ourselves permission to jettison the junk because we can replace nearly all of our just-in-case items for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes with the 20/20 Rule. However, there are a few things were certain well use in a definitive future. We call these belongings just-for-when items. Nobody purchases their toilet paper one square at a time, their soap one droplet at a time, their toothpaste one nurdle at a time. We buy a small stock of each of these products just for when well need them. The key to letting go, then, is to be honest about the trinkets were clinging to just in case we might need them and the goods we acquire just for when we will need them. If we do this properly, our excess begins to look a lot like junk, and its easier to unload. Subscribe to The Minimalists via email.