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Writer's pictureJonda Beattie

Drowning in Free Stuff


Free is great! Yes? Well, sometimes – maybe. But what if we didn’t discriminate? What if we got as much free stuff as we could and we held on to all of it because someday it would come in handy and we wouldn’t have to buy it?

What are some of the free things that come into our life and where do they come from?

Dentists – free toothpaste, floss, and a toothbrush at a minimum Doctors – free samples of drugs for you to try Make-up Sales – free samples if you buy so much of a product, small samples to try a new color of product Newspaper – in the wrapper you might find samples of Advil or even cereal Mail – free samples sent for marketing purposes Credit cards – free items for opening an account – college students love those T-shirts Charities – free items if you have ever given anything to them – calendars, pens, notepaper, calculators, and gift wrap Health Fairs or Conferences – goodies handed out all over the place Events – free mugs, water bottles, cozies, shirts, and more

I’m sure there are lots of other places but you get the idea.

Now, if you get something free and you try the product right away and make a decision about it – that can be good. If you get a free individual box of cereal and put it in your cupboard with the last 10 free boxes and think, “I’ll save this for when I have a child guest or for an emergency,” – this is not so good.

I have seen bags and bags of free stuff being held because the item is a good size to take when traveling. Some people could travel months at a time for the rest of their life on the stuff they have stashed away. I have opened kitchen cabinets and seen whole shelves devoted to water bottles. I have seen more pens that you could possibly use – and many of them don’t even work well.

So, here is my challenge to you. Go through your cabinets and drawers. Put all like items together and see how much you actually have. Then think, “How much could I use in the next year?” Set those items aside and get rid of the rest. Look at how much space you have now open! Don’t fret about the stuff you got rid of. You will have plenty of opportunities to get more.

Jonda S. Beattie Professional Organizer

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