A friend and I were having lunch when I told her about my inability to throw out an orchid. A gift, it had stopped blooming a few years ago, although putting forth healthy shoots. I gave my husband another orchid, but when he asked if I would get rid of the other one, I said no. After all, all the special needs animals seem to collect at my house. Why would I give up on a plant just because it no longer bloomed?

My friend introduced me to the stock purchase theory of decluttering. I have her permission to relate it here.

The Stock Theory of Decluttering

If you are considering buying a stock, you decide partly on how much it costs now.

In the Stock Theory of Decluttering, you decide if you would buy the object today, at today’s prices, knowing what you know about the usefulness and the current state of the item. If not, it should leave your house.

Applying the Stock Theory Of Decluttering

Applying It to Clutter

The first application of this theory is to the stuff laying around my house. Inspired by Simplify. 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life, I have been working on getting rid of stuff. Applying the Stock Theory gives me one more way to consider the items I am assessing: do I love it? Do I use it? Am I taking care of it? and now, Would I buy this today knowing what I know about it, in its current state?

Applying It to Activities

The Stock Theory can also be applied to other areas of my life. Activities, for example. Would I have gotten involved with creating specifications for a non-profit’s sound system knowing what I know now? No. Would I be a Brownie leader? Possibly. Would I write this blog? Yes. Would I continue to teach at my summer retreat? Yes.

It has been very interesting to apply this new theory to simplifying my life. I keep finding ways to apply it, and it is making things a bit easier as I go through the on-going process of simplifying.

Photo by jm3