There’s no denying it. Humans love stuff.

The never-ending options—from the free promotional items to expensive purchases, from the aesthetic to the pragmatic—they’re manifestations of the churning consumerism around us.

Here’s the thing about sneaky stuff: you’re unaware of how much you have until you’re forced to sort through it.

Moving is one occasion when that happens. One thing after another comes out of the closets, the drawers, underneath the bed, behind the furniture—until you want everything to disappear. Moving is also when a lot of waste generally occurs.

Perfectly good household items, furniture, and even money are tossed into the trash because the owner was too overwhelmed.

Likely that the item was probably not really needed or valued to begin with. Often it becomes another person’s burden disguised as salvaged treasure. But in the best case scenario, the tossed item goes to someone who needs it.

The last time I moved, I put a heavy TV stand, a wire rack, a couple of side tables, two lamps, paper lanterns, small wine rack holder, and an IKEA rug in the hallway of my second floor apartment.

They were all gone within the hour.

To have someone else take them was easier than lugging the items to the dumpster area. I felt lighter knowing that I had slimmed down some of my possessions and wondered about the person(s) who had given them a new home.

Had I just unintentionally added to a neighboring hoarder’s stash? Or did I just furnish an apartment with missing items?

Fresh from the moving experience, I knew I needed to be careful about future accumulation of sneaky stuff.

This especially applied to clothing, since I’d probably donated about eight large trash bags worth of clothes bought throughout the years that were rarely worn.

Now whenever I am faced with the decision of bringing any item (purchased or free) in to my home or not, I think of how often I will use the item and if it is worth holding on to the item for the next ten plus years.

If the item doesn’t pass the evaluation (yes, it’s hard at times), I put it down and walk away from the pressurized moment.

Most of the time, I realize I didn’t really want it anyway.

As for those not-your-style gifts that family and friends give, simply appreciate the gesture and thought. I tend to be more sentimental, so I generally hold onto them for a period of time until I feel okay letting it go.

If that’s not a problem for you, then that’s a plus for your ability to resist the sneaky stuff gathering in your home! Maybe just keep it around for a week or two if the person is coming to visit. 😉