My cousin asked me a question once that has actually turned into a bit of a controversial topic: why don’t they tear down the ghetto? He went on to say that the lower-income areas in many cities are actually in a great location – near downtown and close to popular attractions. In other words, they occupy prime real estate. Often times, though, the houses have fallen into disrepair, and the owners do not have the money to fix them up. Frequently, these houses are rented by low-income families, and the landlords spend very little on routine maintenance. My cousin’s point is that the property values are high and, if someone were to purchase those properties, the residents who own rather than rent would be able to move to a nicer area and possibly have money to spare. Developers could then build newer, nicer homes in their place.
Of course, we’ve actually witnessed this sort of “revitalization” in recent years in a lot of areas, and it’s controversial because it displaces renters who often have no place to go as there is a supply shortage of low-cost housing.
This example is not meant to start a debate about the best way to solve a very difficult problem. Instead, I think we could apply the question to our own lives. In many homes, there seems to be a shortage of storage space because old junk is currently occupying prime real estate.
Think about the closet in your bedroom. Do you have enough room for all of your hanging clothes? If not, is it because you have some articles of clothing that you never wear? The answer for most of us is yes.
Again, we keep it “just in case.” It still fits, so why get rid of it? We may wear it one of these days. Right? We all know the answer to that question.
If you feel guilty about getting rid of something, you can try to get something out of it. Give it to someone you know who would use it. Donate it to charity. Sell your old, unused clothes in a garage sale and use the earnings to buy something you really love and will actually wear.
A while back, I had COVID. Cleaned out closet. Found a pullover that I really like but is way too big on me. So I took a picture and sent it to my friend Brian. He said he’d take it; he’s actually been buying extra-large recently. But he actually had a large pullover that he’s never worn, so he sent me a picture of that. We decided to trade.
Why do you have a junk drawer? Do you have a garbage room? If it’s junk, get rid of it. If it’s not junk, have a place for it. A junk drawer is actually an inbox for odds and ends that never gets emptied. So maybe change the name of the junk drawer to the inbox and clean it out weekly. It can be one of those things you do while watching TV.
What tends to pile up? Pharmacy receipts? Create a place for them.