S.T.O.R.A.G.E. – Stuff That Overwhelms Rooms And Gathers Everywhere

Storage is where we place the things we’re not actively using or ready to let go of. It’s often a holding zone for items we’re unsure about, things we don’t want to deal with, but aren’t ready to part with either. Whether it’s a hallway closet, attic, basement, shed, or full-blown storage unit, these spaces become a kind of security blanket. They offer a sense of relief, a way to delay decisions. And that’s perfectly okay… at first. But when those items stay in limbo too long, without a clear purpose or plan, whether to use them, display them, or donate them, storage can quietly shift from helpful to overwhelming.

Today, most of us have way more stuff than we really need, yet many of us still feel like we don’t have enough. Even with all the things around us, our minds can get stuck in a mindset of lack or deprivation. Because of this, we tend to hold on to more than necessary and stash things away in storage, hoping it might someday fill that gap or solve that feeling.

Having helped dozens of people downsize, I’ve noticed that most things we hold onto fall into a few clear categories, many of which honestly don’t need to be kept at all. I want to share three types of stuff I believe it’s usually okay to let go of. Later, I’ll also talk about three categories of belongings that I do think deserve a place in storage. Hopefully, this will help you figure out what’s worth keeping and what’s better off gone, and why.

Obligatory Items

These are the things we hold onto out of guilt, duty, or emotional weight. Maybe it’s your grandmother’s fur coat, your child’s handprint cast from preschool, or a hope chest that once belonged to a relative. You’ll usually know something is an Obligatory Item if, when asked why you’re keeping it, your answer involves someone else’s feelings.  “It belonged to my grandmother.”  “It was a gift from my son.”

If you’re hanging on to your mom’s bundt pans for sentimental reasons, that’s totally okay, but make sure you’re actually honoring her by using them, not just storing them in a box in the basement.

Here’s a simple guideline I use for this category: if an item could still be useful, even in the slightest, to someone else, and you are not using it regularly, it’s time to let it go and let someone else love or use it. Holding onto it too long risks it becoming outdated or unusable. Think: computer accessories, radios, DVDs, items that might have had value once but don’t serve anyone now.

To release an Obligatory Item, you have to let go of how you think someone else might feel about it. Most of the time, you’re the one assigning emotional weight to the object. I once helped someone let go of a “#1 Dad” mug after pointing out it was probably bought last-minute by his ex-wife when their son was two and wouldn’t even remember it. That little shift helped him see it differently and let it go.

A lot of times, people end up with heirlooms simply because they were the only one with room to store them. A friend of mine inherited a piano that sat in her basement for 25 years, untouched and untuned, just taking up space and collecting dust. No one played it. No one honored it. It was just… there.

Obligatory Items don’t just take up physical space, they weigh on us emotionally. Every time you see them, you’re reminded that you’re not using them, not honoring them, and not doing anything with them except feeling bad. One sure sign that something is an Obligatory Item? You secretly wish it would break or get ruined so you’d have no choice but to let it go. Or you feel instant relief when someone says, “Hey, I’m looking for a treadmill,” and you think, yes! I can finally pass it on.

Held With Intention

These are the things we keep for “just in case,” for future plans, or while we wait for clarity. You’ve used them before, or maybe you picked them up with good intentions, things you plan to return to one day. They’re not junk, and they’re not useless, but they’re often just taking up space in the meantime.

This category usually falls into two types:

1. The Someday Projects
   These are the items tied to who we hope to be. Maybe you’ve got exercise equipment for the day you get back into shape, or an old guitar you swore you’d learn to play. I held onto my scuba gear for ten years after having kids, convinced I’d dive again. But over time, the gear aged, parts broke down, and eventually I had to toss it. The truth is, the longer I held on, the more I felt weighed down by what I wasn’t doing.
   
2. The Just-in-Case Backups
   These are the crutches, walkers, camping gear, or bins full of cables we keep in case something happens, or happens again. There’s often a quiet fear behind these items: that we’ll get caught unprepared. But ask yourself, how likely is that? And is it really worth giving up peace of mind and space in your home for a scenario that might never come?
   

When it comes to letting go of these things, here’s my suggestion:
Only keep the truly specialized items, things that are hard to replace or made just for you. I kept my custom-fit scuba buoyancy compensator because it was unique to me. But the rest of the gear? That was easy to borrow or rent if I ever needed it again, so it went.

Letting go of these “maybe one day” items is a gamble, sure, but holding onto them is a gamble too. One costs you money and storage space. The other costs you mental clutter and peace. I’d argue the latter is the steeper price. Reclaim your space now and trust your future self to figure it out if that day ever actually comes.

Micromanaged Rehoming

This is the stuff we are ready to part with, but only on our terms. We don’t just want to let it go, we want to manage how, when, and to whom it goes. And I’ll be honest, this is my least favorite category to deal with, both for myself and when helping others.

I totally get it, though. I’ve been there. I had expensive scuba gear I didn’t want to donate to “just anywhere” because I didn’t think anyone would value it the way I did. Same with a high-end camera. I told myself I’d sell it, and maybe I tried a little, but not hard enough. The real struggle wasn’t the stuff, it was my attachment to how the stuff left my life and needing it to go to the “right” person.

Eventually, I had to shift my thinking. I realized the goal wasn’t to make sure some perfect, deserving person got my gear. It wasn’t about recouping money, and it wasn’t about crafting a feel-good story about where it ended up. It was simply about getting it out, out of my house and out of my mental load.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to find a good home for valuable things. By all means, post it in the right groups, reach out to people who may need it. But don’t pour too much of your time, energy, or emotions into finding the “perfect match.” That perfectionism can keep you stuck just as much as clutter can.

Where I live, you can put things by the curb with a “Free” sign, and someone will always stop to scoop it up. I used to call those folks “vultures” because I knew they were reselling my stuff at the flea market. It drove me crazy, until it didn’t. One day, I realized they were actually doing me a favor. Sure, that hopeful female scuba diver might not have driven past my house, but she might find what she needs at the flea market thanks to that “vulture.” They were part of the process, part of a system that worked.

Once I let go of the need to control where my stuff ended up, I found freedom. The real win wasn’t in who got it, but in knowing I no longer had to carry it.  So I changed my focus from making sure the right person got it to just make sure it get out into the universe and let the universe take care of it.

If you are wondering what items we should be keeping in our storage spots, check out…

When it comes to letting go of these things, here’s my suggestion:
Only keep the truly specialized items, things that are hard to replace or made just for you. I kept my custom-fit scuba buoyancy compensator because it was unique to me. But the rest of the gear? That was easy to borrow or rent if I ever needed it again, so it went.

Letting go of these “maybe one day” items is a gamble, sure, but holding onto them is a gamble too. One costs you money and storage space. The other costs you mental clutter and peace. I’d argue the latter is the steeper price. Reclaim your space now and trust your future self to figure it out if that day ever actually comes.

Micromanaged Rehoming

This is the stuff we are ready to part with, but only on our terms. We don’t just want to let it go, we want to manage how, when, and to whom it goes. And I’ll be honest, this is my least favorite category to deal with, both for myself and when helping others.

I totally get it, though. I’ve been there. I had expensive scuba gear I didn’t want to donate to “just anywhere” because I didn’t think anyone would value it the way I did. Same with a high-end camera. I told myself I’d sell it, and maybe I tried a little, but not hard enough. The real struggle wasn’t the stuff, it was my attachment to how the stuff left my life and needing it to go to the “right” person.

Eventually, I had to shift my thinking. I realized the goal wasn’t to make sure some perfect, deserving person got my gear. It wasn’t about recouping money, and it wasn’t about crafting a feel-good story about where it ended up. It was simply about getting it out, out of my house and out of my mental load.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t try to find a good home for valuable things. By all means, post it in the right groups, reach out to people who may need it. But don’t pour too much of your time, energy, or emotions into finding the “perfect match.” That perfectionism can keep you stuck just as much as clutter can.

Where I live, you can put things by the curb with a “Free” sign, and someone will always stop to scoop it up. I used to call those folks “vultures” because I knew they were reselling my stuff at the flea market. It drove me crazy, until it didn’t. One day, I realized they were actually doing me a favor. Sure, that hopeful female scuba diver might not have driven past my house, but she might find what she needs at the flea market thanks to that “vulture.” They were part of the process, part of a system that worked.

Once I let go of the need to control where my stuff ended up, I found freedom. The real win wasn’t in who got it, but in knowing I no longer had to carry it.  So I changed my focus from making sure the right person got it to just make sure it get out into the universe and let the universe take care of it.

If you are wondering what items we should be keeping in our storage spots, check out What To Keep: Rethinking Storage With Intention