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Methods and madness in the making

Staying organized might involve lots of methods, at least a little madness, and almost always a combination of both.

Ways to be efficient with living space were spotlighted at a Sunrise Rotary meeting earlier this winter. Guest speaker Angie Fahl, who was one of my classmates at Southwest Minnesota State University, shared with the club her experiences of creating a comfortable living space for a family with children.

She and her husband, Jacob (who was also an SMSU classmate), accomplished that goal in a house with plenty of charm and character but a square footage total that might be considered too limited for more than one or two residents.

They did it with creative thinking down to some of the most specific details. Limited bedroom closet space is handled by having out of season clothes stored in the basement. Each family member has a coat hook near the back door, also for whatever apparel is needed for the time of year. Shirts and sweaters are folded in a way that helps to save on dresser space.

The same principles can apply to food, furnishings and home recreation. Together it leads to ways of making the most out of both living space and a household budget.

Fahl told the club that she didn’t “come by it honestly.” One of her grandmothers, Grandma Liz, was a product of the mid 20th century generation not all that far removed from Depression era home economics followed by war rations.

People tended to save many dozens of items, with the possibility that at some point in the future they might be needed or that an idea would maybe come to mind for how they could be used.

The result over many years was generously stocked basements, attics, barns and storage sheds. It hasn’t been unusual for an elderly person or younger family members to find things they’d forgotten about. In the 21st century, it’s known as “hoarding.”

Even though it’s still true that many people were poor in the past, are still somewhat poor, and might be seriously poor again; it’s still not enough of a reason to stockpile items that sit in storage for decades.

Instead expert advice calls for selling, giving away, or as a last resort throwing away anything that’s not needed. That doesn’t mean there has to be absolutely no chance it could ever prove useful. If there’s not a definite reason to hang on to it (as we learned this winter about snow rakes), the item should be judged as something that’s seen its day in the sun once and for all.

Carried out to an extreme, that principle could turn into “minimalism.” As the polar opposite of hoarding, minimalism requires looking for ways to exist in a healthy enough, satisfying enough, extremely low cost fashion.

A totally dedicated minimalist, just based on principle, should let all parts of the house more than 10 feet from a fireplace, space heater, or kitchen stove cool off to about 50 degrees in the winter.

That’s not exactly the most comfortable way to live. It’s probably not the healthiest or most interesting way to live either.

Fahl told the club that she’s definitely not a hoarder, but not a minimalist either.

I asked the question of whether some of Grandma Liz’s old possessions are still around. The real keepsakes still are, and have stayed with family members. Things that didn’t qualify went elsewhere.

In the back of my mind I was hoping there might be a “treasure chest” of bargains out there, one that might go beyond any ordinary stop at an antique store, garage sale, thrift shop or auction. I’m from a family of collectors. It’s always great to look and maybe find.

That fact, just like the idea of saving for a rainy day, is not a good enough reason to hoard. Even with collectibles, there’s a need to be selective. Specialization is always good for keeping it manageable and affordable.

Probably the best thing about well-planned food purchases, wardrobes, decorating and even hobby spending is that it cuts down on waste.

It’s good to think twice about stocking up on perishable produce, or buying something on a whim that’s unlikely to serve a long term purpose. Saving a few extra dollars almost always makes sense.

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