Rarely Used Items

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Started 2 years ago by toberead
Latest reply from Aunt Cloud
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toberead
Member

One of my uncluttering frustrations is dealing with items that you use rarely - but when you need them, you REALLY need them. I recently moved to Maryland, and we just got hit with 25 inches of snow, with more to come. I used to live in upstate NY, so I'm used to snow, but when I moved to Atlanta, I got rid of all my snow stuff. After I moved here, I thought I wouldn't need much - I have a small collapsible snow shovel that's fine for a few inches of snow, which is the usual snowfall most years. But it's not enough for 2-3 feet of snow, which we get maybe once every 5-6 years. (Even though I live in an apartment, we're on our own as far as shoveling out our cars and shoveling a path from sidewalk to parking lot.) I've been using my tiny snow shovel to fill plastic storage bins and then dragging them across the parking lot to dump in the nearest empty spot. Not fun.

I hate cluttering up my limited storage space with something I'll only need once every 5 years - but when you need a snow shovel, there's really no substitute. (In an ideal world, you could borrow from your neighbors, but unfortunately, my neighbors are not so neighborly.) The same with heavy snow boots, heavy snow gloves, etc. I didn't replace my snow boots after my last pair died, because I hadn't worn them in 4 years - but now I'm shoveling snow in tennis shoes. I cleared out a storage bin in order to use it for snow removal, and I ran across other similar things - a hand saw, a 50 foot extension cord, bungee cords for strapping things on my car, etc. I may not use them very often, but it would be very expensive to get rid of them and rebuy them every 2-3 years. I've tried requesting such things on freecycle but mostly without success, and my friends either don't have these things or don't like to lend out their tools.

Every couple of years I get uncluttering fever and start getting rid of things that I haven't used in a year - and inevitably, I end up rebuying them a year or two down the road - and usually I need the item IMMEDIATELY and I don't have time to wait for sales or buy used, which is hard on the budget.

I'm not sure there's a solution, but it's one of the hardest thing for me as an unclutterer. (Other than find some generous friends who like to lend out their stuff - no luck with that so far.)

Posted 2 years ago #
Sky
Member

To me, the trick is to have a spot for seldom used things like your snow shovel or snow boots. It doesn't make sense to get rid of something only to turn around and have to buy another one.

My husband has shelves up high in the garage for his seldom used stuff and I have mine in Rubbermaid boxes in the attic. The stuff is out of the way but there if needed.

I live in South Carolina so our severely cold weather is limited but we do have some. I have a small Rubbermaid box in the top of my coat closet with gloves, hats and scarves. Out of the way and it doesn't take up much space.

I ruthlessly declutter things I don't need or love but having what's necessary makes my life simpler.

Posted 2 years ago #
Another Deb
Member

I must be a storage savant because for years I have been able to hang on to things like 10 foot long quilt frames, lots of books, lots of classroom materials and camping gear. Even living in small apartments I have been able to store massive amounts of stuff in guest bathroom bathtubs, the closets they put in apartment porches, or behind doors. I put things in bins that get table toppers placed above them, or stand things up behind clothing in closets. Some things store behind angled bed headboards or behind couches that set a little bit further from a wall. I don't mind having things stuffed out of sight for when I need them. I DO mind moving them up and down steps every few years, hence the uncluttering efforts!

Posted 2 years ago #
trillie
Member

toberead, I hate to hear that your neighbors are not so neighborly, because sharing a snow shovel and other things would be the perfect solution. (On a side note, I do understand your friends who don't want to lend out their tools -- I'm all for having good tools because they make life so much easier when you do use them -- I learned the hard way that sometimes, even your best friends don't return your tools in proper condition because they don't know how to clean them, care for them, or lose small parts.) I struggle with the same problem with some things, like my sewing machine. I don't use it as often as I would like to (maybe once a year or less), but it's so much easier mending/altering clothes using it that it's really worth storing it in the end.

As for your hand saw, extension cords and things like that, here in Germany some home improvement stores rent out tools and building equipment by the hour or over weekends. If you only need a power drill once every few years, it might be easier for you to rent one than to own one.

Or you could set yourself a price limit for things to keep, for example $20: If a new 50 foot extension cord costs less than $20, give it away. If snow shoes cost more than $20, keep them. Like Sky said, "having what's necessary makes my life simpler". Or if you have more car-related things (like those bungee cords), you could keep them in a small box in your car trunk instead of in your apartment. My mom does that - she keeps a foldable basket in her car trunk and everything is in there (first aid kit, ice scraper, a bottle of water, a blanket, and some car tools), and even though there is a lot, it always looks tidy.

Another suggestion I have is to look for some sturdy multitaskers: For example, rubber boots instead of snow shoes (you can use them throughout the year, you can easily squish them flat when storing them, and if it's cold outside, just wear two pairs of woolen socks). Or for the snow shovel, for example a broomstick with differend "ends" you can screw on, like a normal broom for inside the apartment, one with rubber brushes or the like, and one that is a snow shovel.

Hope this helps! Good luck :o)

Posted 2 years ago #
PrairieGal
Member

I think some stuff could be considered emergency items, like the snow shovel or spare tire. Even though it's not used often, you need to have a home for it so you have it when you need it. But some stuff you can do without. If it only snows every 5 years, it's ok to shovel in runners. As for tools, they are rentable!

Posted 2 years ago #
djk
Member

when there is a snowstorm, you can't get to the store to get the rental. And if you manage to, then everyone's already made it there to rent before you do.

I used to be a LOT more minimalist until I realised what is was costing me in money, time, and stress to be constantly replacing things I seldom used but really needed when I did need them. Since there is no storage in our home, and no trunk of the car to store everything in (although I used to do that before moving to Europe and no longer needing a car), I used every available space behind doors and under bed and couch.

This, clearly, does not apply to normal junky clutter that we stop seeing after a while--that can all go. Anything no longer serving its function (a pen that no longer writes is not fulfilling its only function, for example)

Posted 2 years ago #
trillie
Member

Good point, djk -- sometimes decluttering doesn't only apply to "stuff", but also to stress. If it saves you major stress once a year to rent or buy a snow shovel (or whatever else) then by all means own one. :o)

Posted 2 years ago #
nellieb
Member

I put things I don't need that frequently into storage containers and label the outside. Then I store those that are not too large on the higher closet shelf. It allows me to keep some items I do not want to replace every few years yet the items are out of the way. BTW, I always add a second shelf to all my closets because most homes only have one shelf and there is usually room for the second. It's a great place to keep things you rarely use.

Posted 2 years ago #
Aunt Cloud
Member

Here in Canada I need essentially two sets of stuff, since most summer and winter stuff is mutually exclusive. I have bins of roller blades, badminton rackets, hiking/camping gear, picnic blankets and a fan that won't and can't be used from October to May (if we're lucky). I also have bins of ice skates, a sled, two sets of winter boots and three different coats per person, a bucketful of gloves/hats/scarves, and of course two snow shovels: a heavy-duty one for the driveway and a smaller one for the car.

No way around that: when a heat wave hits, I'd rather not run and buy a fan. And I'd rather have some clutter in my house than risk frostbite or getting stuck because I haven't geared up properly for winter. Unfortunately cold climate is not always minimalist-friendly.

I love the second shelf idea. When I lived in cramped apartments I had a shelf over the bathroom door. I'm slowly converting to bins versus storing stuff on open shelving, with seasonal rotations - right not ice skates are out, roller blades are stashed. At least the helmets are the same.

Posted 2 years ago #

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