Crossing the Line

Personally I have not had a problem with throwing away things that are obviously trash. Things that are broken, spoiled food, ripped clothing, etc. But if an object is usable, it seems wasteful to throw it out. That must be the sticking point for me, whether something can be used – even if I don’t have a use for it.

The other day I was going through a box of old business papers and needed something to put my “to be shredded” papers in. I pulled an old plastic wastepaper basket out of a pile of such baskets, which are all stacked up inside each other. The one I pulled out had been with me since I was a kid – maybe close to 30 years? Anyway the plastic/rubber material had become brittle with age and the top rim broke when I pulled it out. Immediately I felt a sense of relief. The wastebasket had crossed the line from usable household tool to trash, and now I could throw it away without feeling guilty of being wasteful.

The feeling of relief did surprise me. What had really changed for this item to cross the line to trash? The item itself didn’t change that much (it could be repaired with tape and still used) – the change happened in how I perceive the item.

Another example of this is sorting through a pile of old t-shirts, and I find a threadbare shirt that I won’t wear out in public because of the condition. There is a moment of hesitation because it’s not trash, it’s not good enough to give to charity, I don’t really want it anymore but feel like I have no option but to put it back with my things. In that moment of turning the shirt over in my hands, holding it up to my chest, reading the tag, I might pull at the seams to vent my frustration. If it rips then I toss it in the trash without a second thought. The torn seam moved it across the line from good to trash.

What I’m realizing is that “the line” exists in my mind, not in the items. If I can change the way in which I perceive their potential usefulness, the line can be moved and more of the junk that is piled up around me can be thrown out without causing guilt or other mental distress.

No Spares

Critical examination of my stuff led to a small revelation about spare things. Spares are extra items that are kept in reserve, that can duplicate the function of similar things that I am using regularly.

A good example of this is “good china” dishware. Some people have a set of good china that they keep stored away, and another set of plates and dishes that they use every day. My minimalist side says to get rid of the everyday stuff and use the good china all the time. If it’s so nice, then USE IT and appreciate it. Dishware is a tool that is meant to be used, even if it’s hand-painted by your grandmother and inlaid with gold leaf. Are you afraid a piece will break? Don’t worry about that – if it breaks then just live with one less teacup or get new china. Wedding china is not a family heirloom – it is only “special” to the married couple who received it. The married couple’s kids will want to get their own. If it’s truly so exquisite and delicate that you can’t risk one scratch, then it is worthy of being displayed as artwork. If you don’t have space to display it, then sell it and use the “everyday china” every day.

The point is that it doesn’t make sense to have two tools that do the same job. Especially if, like me, you are trying to vastly reduce the volume of crap you carry around the earth with you.

I use a rubber filter on the shower drain so that the pipes get clogged up less often. I clean and rinse it after every use, but still it was getting stained after a few years. I also have a brand new one taking up space in my junk drawer. Today I threw away the old one, even though it’s still “usable” and started using the new one. I figure that when it wears out I’ll buy ONE more and replace it. There’s no need to keep a spare filter, especially for a cheap item that can be replaced for a dollar or two. That was a minor victory of course, but I am excited about applying the concept to other spare things I have. I’ll be looking at duplicate copies of shoes, screwdrivers, radios, backpacks, hairbrushes, etc. If I have a spare item that never gets used, I’ll compare it with the similar item I do use to decide which one to keep.

Jeans on eBay

I have six pairs of old jeans here in a pile that I have wanted to get rid of for years. None of them fit me anymore, they are too big on me because I lost so much weight. One pair I call my fat jeans have the largest waist size. They are the most dramatic example of my weight loss when I put them on and see the huge gap on the sides, like clown pants. They are huge, I could fit two of me in these pants now. Why did I keep them this long? Just to have a way to measure my new size compared to the old size? That’s not a good reason to keep them around. I’ll never be big enough to wear them again, and if somehow I am I’ll just get new jeans.

So my plan was to list them on ebay, because it’s easy to do that with a photo and a simple description. eBay is a good place to sell jeans, especially a name brand like Levi. People can search the site based on a size to find what fits them, and they do bid, plus it’s simple to ship them in a tyvek priority mail envelope. So anyway I had this intent to list them for at least two years. They were in a bag in the closet, then draped over a chair, then in a pile on another chair, etc. I never got to it, and was exhausted just looking at them. I wanted that pile of pants out of here! Considered dropping them off at a charity to just get it over with.

Why did I have this need to list the jeans on eBay? Because giving them away would be a “waste”? Did I want to recover some of the money I spent on them? Or is it just because I promised myself that I would list the auctions?

There are many hundreds of other things here in a similar situation, saved to be auctioned. The jeans are being used as an example.

I believed that the value of something was based on how much I paid for it or what I might get for it on ebay. That may not be true. Here is my reasoning:

1. The money that was spent to buy it is gone. That transaction is history and cannot change.
2. An object can either be used or sold.
3. If it’s not being used, the only real value is potential – what the market will trade for it, minus my cost to sell it.
4. The cost to sell is measured in dollars, time, effort, and aggravation.
5. Selling will pay back in the form of money and peace of mind. I can get the peace of mind faster by throwing it away instead of selling.
6. Therefore the money I get needs to be valued higher than all the costs of selling for it to be worthwhile. If not I’m better off throwing it away.