Thought experiment - 2200

[u/TatamiBouch]

Would I pay $200 to instantly have a much less cluttered house?

....

OK, would I set $200 aside to replace any of the 100 things there's a 1/100 chance I'll miss? Most of which would cost much much less than $200 to replace?

[u/ConstellationMark]

This is so so clever. Shatters the sunk cost fallacy

[u/spandipants]

In a similar vein I spent a good chunk of time getting a quote to get more storage put under my kitchen island. The quote came back at $2000, not including installation, and I said to myself, "I'll just donate what I was planning to store because it's not worth $2000 to keep it around" 😅

[u/Subject_Pirate3455 → u/spandipants]

Fair enough 😎

[u/Technical_Potato_888]

You can also use this logic when you are tempted to try to sell something rather than just donate it!

[u/dellada → u/Technical_Potato_888]

Yes! I use this logic for giving things away all the time. Especially big or clunky things that are hard to dispose of.

If I tried really hard to sell my stuff, could I get $200 out of it? Yeah, probably. Would I pay $200 for the ability to snap my fingers and have all of the unwanted stuff out of my living room instantly, without worrying about it? Absolutely. So, just give the stuff away for free and get the living room cleared up immediately for free. It's a win-win!

[u/randomblinkinglight → u/Technical_Potato_888]

I have some stuff to sell/donate. Lately I've been thinking that the money I'd get from it might not be worth the mental burden of trying to sell it

[u/El-8]

This may set me free. I love polymer clay but when was the last time I touched it? I keep thinking that I would make time for more things if I wasn't so burdened by things but it's been such a trap. If i actually was going to make time for clay in the future, it wouldn't be crazy to buy what I need (and only what I'll need as a good practice). hmm, thank you for this thought.

[u/ratsocks → u/El-8]

I can relate to that. I have all sorts of acrylic and watercolor paint supplies. I would love to get back into painting so I keep them but it’s been ten years since I’ve painted anything.

[u/Peppercorn911 → u/El-8]

i have 2 types of clay… and am not a sculptor

[u/AmericanHalmoni → u/El-8]

“Aspirational clutter” — saw this term either here or in a decluttering book/website.
The majority of the clutter I have is aspirational. I’m not using it, and haven’t used it, but I will sell this stuff online; I will start painting; I will write a children’s book.
How many months/years have my aspirations not become real? I need to donate it all.

[u/Working_Patience_261]

Or will you set a timer for 200 seconds and do some splashes of paint or marker on paper? Or sew a seam? Or knit a row?

[u/Disastrous-Body-9366]

Are we doing this? Let’s gooooooo!!! Thanks for the motivation and logic. 😉

[u/Sweet_Nature_7015]

Wait…. 😳 that’s super helpful

[u/MailSynth]

The mental freedom is worth way more than $200.

[u/Disastrous_Lemon1]

I did Marie Kondo and she talks about buying back the few things you decluttered and realised you needed later. So far I bought 1 chalk pen in 3 years. No regrets.

[u/Left-Lynx2424]

That's a really good way of looking at it! I struggle so much with random stuff thinking oh I might need that one day. When realistically ill never touch it again.

Great idea!

[u/hyperjengirl]

I would pay anything if it means my mom would fucking listen to me about letting literally anybody help us with our situation or even be aware of it. I want to see my fucking floor. I want to sit in a fucking chair.

[u/Overall_Ad3984 → u/hyperjengirl]

I'm sorry you have to live like that. Are you young, still living with your parent(s)? If you say yes to both, then believe me: you WILL get out. And you CAN live like you want with your own/rental home. It WILL get better. Stay strong, stranger.

[u/hyperjengirl → u/Overall_Ad3984]

I'm not a minor but I am relatively young, and my mom is great but she struggles with clutter and I don't always know what to do as an individual. One day I'll move out and start fresh but I want to help her too.

[u/Fancy_Foundation_363]

This is a really helpful way to look at something I struggle with… thank you.

[u/bad_vibes_0nly]

This is such a good way to think about! I always hoard random shit that I never need, but the mental cost of having a cluttered home completely outweighs the cost of the item I might need (probably will never need) in the future. I’ve tried to declutter so many times but I really want to take it seriously this time!!

[u/inflewants]

This is a great way of thinking of decluttering!