A number on a list can’t know who sits at your table.
That was my first thought when I saw a decluttering list that said to keep six mugs. Six mugs is plenty for a lot of homes. But six mugs wouldn’t last one Easter morning at my house.
My grandkids drink cocoa. My sister drinks tea. My husband has his own big mug, and nobody else is allowed to touch it.
So I set the list down and asked a better question. Not “What’s the right number?” but “What’s the right number for the life I actually live?”
That question changed how I sorted every cupboard and closet in our house. And it might help you keep enough, without keeping too much.
Why One Number Doesn’t Fit Every Home
Every home is different. A woman who lives alone and eats out with friends needs less than a woman who has the whole family over every Sunday.
Neither one is doing it wrong. They’re just living different lives.
When we follow someone else’s number, two things can happen. We either keep too much and feel buried, or we give away too much and feel worried the next time company comes.
I’ve done both. (The year I gave away our extra folding chairs, we had three cousins standing at Thanksgiving dinner.)
So instead of a number, I use three simple questions. They work in every room of the house.