The road to clutter is paved with good intentions

In a sincere attempt to be good citizens and save the planet, we hold on to things that are broken, intending to get them repaired. Sadly, most of our small appliances and electronics are not built to be repair-friendly. Parts are difficult to find, or more expensive than replacing the entire unit. People who repair things for a living are disappearing rapidly. We are unwilling to wait for the part or the repair, so we buy a new unit.

record player

Sad example: this record player was repaired once, but when the belt broke a second time, the replacement was too hard to find.

So now we have a shiny new record player/computer/ toaster/ coffee pot/ ipod, but for some reason we still hold on to the old one. “It’s perfectly fine, except for the broken bit,” we tell ourselves, “and it cost quite a bit.” We feel guilty and wasteful. Well, that money is not coming back to you, no matter how long you save that toaster. If you haven’t arranged the repair in the last six months, you’re not going to in the future. And no one wants to buy or accept the donation of something that doesn’t work.

Take a deep breath and let go of the item, and the guilt attached to it. You really only have room in your life for things that serve you well.

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