#clouds☁️

Why do we save things?  And what do we keep?

I admire people who can let go of things without hesitating.️ My husband & I both packrats, but I think we’re driven by different reasons. We recycle, ♻️ but keep a lot, too

It seems like saving possessions boils down to reasons like:

Necessity
Usefulness
Sentiment
Value 
You “might” need it someday
You’re a hoarder!

Sometimes it doesn’t make sense to save things because space is limited. As my friend Suzanne used to say, “If in doubt, throw it out.” When she moved from Seattle to Portland, she gave me her Christmas ornaments. She told me she wouldn’t need them. (She never bought another Christmas tree.)

In the US,  people sometimes downsize & have less space when they move to a new home️. So all the extra stuff that won’t fit in their new place goes into a storage unit. I wasn’t surprised to learn more than 10% of households in the US rent a storage unit. We know a lot of people who have them.

Is renting a place to store your extra belongings a worldwide trend? Here, the average storage unit costs $89/mo. (79e / 10,285y).

Our youngest son moved in with us during the pandemic & has since moved out, but he left behind a bunch of his bags,  boxes & belongings! We also have things that belong to our older son who moved out in 2002! ‍‍‍

I’m a fine one to talk. My sister lives in our childhood home & I moved out decades ago. There are still boxes of MY stuff in the basement!

Many things I keep because they have sentimental value. ♥️ My husband is more of the “I might need this someday” school of thought. ‍♀️ I admit, he’s proven time & again the logic of keeping things that we’ve ended up needing.

Marie Kondo asks the question, “Does an object spark joy?”

Are you a hoarder? What are the reasons you save things you don’t use or need? ‍♂️
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PHOTOS: Maybe we love #Copalisbeach because it’s clean & devoid of unnecessary stuff! #oceanbeach #sandflats #lowtide #naturepatterns #sandpatterns #beachsunset #oceansunset #clamdiggers #Washingtoncoast #clouds☁️ #sentimental #sentimentalcircus #packrat #sparkjoy #storageunit #hoarder
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(at Ocean Shores, Washington)
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