Walking past the many temptations of Bunnings one afternoon, I doubled back as the glossy white plastic of the laundry aisle caught my attention. Those of you who share my penchant for lusting after images of beautifully decorated home spaces and laundries that look like they’ve never seen a full lint trap or experienced the heartbreak of a stained blouse, you know how dangerous this backtrack could be.
Fear not dear reader, this is not a story of regret nor is it another blog post that will leave you feeling like an inadequate homemaker… at least that is not my intention. You do you.
You see, I knew exactly what I wanted in this isle. Tempted though I was at the aesthetics of it all, I was there for a laundry basket. I already owned a laundry basket. What was I doing here?
This is the conversation I had with myself (hopefully in my head and not out aloud) right there in the laundry aisle.
Lauren 1: What are you doing?
Lauren 2: I want a folding laundry basket. It’s better than the solid one, it takes up less space. Dad has one like this, I used it when we visited and I LOVE it. Plus, look how PRETTY and NEW it is!!
L1: But there’s nothing wrong with the old one.
L2: It takes up so much space. And it’s broken in two places.
L1: It still works! It still holds clothes to be carried out to and from the clothesline, doesn’t it?
L2: Yes, it does… but those broken handles have scratched and pinched me and everyone else countless times. It’s kinda dangerous.
L1: Ok yeah, it is dangerous. Those broken parts are sharp. But you can’t donate a broken basket! and you know a second basket is only going to let you leave a bigger pile of folding!
L2: I’m not going to keep the old one. I don’t need two. I’m going to… throw it away.
L1: What? There is nothing wrong with the old one and you’re going to throw it away? What a WASTE!!!
L2: It’s not a waste! MY HOME IS NOT A RUBBISH DUMP. It’s not good enough to donate, why would it be good enough to keep in my home? I deserve a washing basket that doesn’t hurt me or get in my way and I deserve a home that is clear of clutter and rubbish!
Lauren 3: We can use it for craft!!!!
L1&L2: NO!
L1: … ok. buy the basket. But make sure you throw out the old one as soon as we get home.
Yeah. I showed her.
We are well practised at conversations like these. We can debate reasonably quickly now and, one way or another, I win.
Most often I find myself leaving the item in question in the store, confidentiality and with the knowledge that I will not experience the dreaded buyer’s remorse. Let me tell you, that’s a great feeling. But this time, as you can see, I bought the basket AND left knowing it was a good choice, where it will reside in my home, and what is to be done with the old basket.
There is a common misconception that declutterers don’t buy things (that’s silly) or that decluttering means throwing out perfectly good things in the name of minimalism and aesthetics (nope!). For me at least, it’s simply about making well thought out choices. For the record, the old broken basket is gone and my new folding basket is still very exciting to me. If that makes me old and lame… so be it!
If you’d like help with these sorts of conversations, I would like to invite you to book a discovery call with me via this link, in this free no obligations call we can discuss your decluttering and organising concerns or prepare you for your next shopping hurdles like the one I’ve described in this article. You’ll leave the call with a clear idea of your next steps to curating the life you want.
On the other hand, if you’ve been reading this and thinking “Oh my gosh I thought I was the only one who had debates with myself in the laundry aisle of Bunnings!!!” I REALLY want to invite you to book that call to discuss the place I’m holding for you in Simplicity – you’ve found your people.