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The Container Concept in Action: Glasses I KNOW I Love

April 23, 2014 By Dana White | 30 Comments

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Decluttering Something I Know I Love Using the Container Concept at ASlobComesClean.com

Grasping what I call The Container Concept has changed my life/home. Many of you have told me it has changed yours too.

Today and tomorrow, I’m going to share a few examples of how it works.

While decluttering recently, I excavated the glasses in the photo above.

My first decluttering question is: “If I were looking for this item, where would I look for it first?”

I’d look for glasses in the cabinet where I keep glasses.

Duh.

So I took them to that cabinet immediately. (That’s the second part of the first decluttering question.)

But when I got there, there was no room for these glasses.

Phooey.

I looooove these glasses. They’re polka-dotted!!! They’re big!!! They’re perfect for my ice-water obsession!!! I know this because I recently decluttered their Ugly Siblings. The ones I’d used to death.

I knew I loved these glasses. I was so excited to find them.

But once I arrived at the “place where I would look for them first” . . . there was no room for them.

My Glasses Cabinet has just enough room for the glasses I have. The grown-up ones I’m so proud to use. There isn’t space to add three (even three stackable) cups, no matter how loved.

The cabinet is my container. Its size is finite.

A container is meant to contain. The size of the container determines how much/many of something I can keep.

Really. If I try to put more into a cabinet than it can actually hold . . . doors don’t close, stuff breaks, and/or items fall on my head.

And even if I avoid those three pitfalls, it’s just plain hard to get to what I need.

So at this point, I had to make a decision. Should I get rid of some glasses that are already in the cabinet so I can keep these re-discovered ones? Or should I stick these perfectly-good polka-dotted beauties straight into the Donate Box?

Because I can’t keep both.

They don’t fit.

It was tough, but I purged the polka-dots.

Something had to go.

Decluttering-Something-I-Know-I-Love-Using-the-Container-Concept pin at-ASlobComesClean.com_

 

Save

--Nony

Related Posts:

Read Newer Post The Container Concept: I Can Keep It! It Fits!!
Read Older Post Removing Soap Scum From My Shower Without Chemicals (In Four Short Weeks)

Filed Under: decluttering | 30 Comments

Comments

  1. Shoeaholicnomore says

    April 23, 2014 at 8:58 am

    I think I need to take a look at my glasses cabinet again too. Great reminder Nony! Real life examples of other people struggling just like me really help 🙂

    Reply
  2. Patricia says

    April 23, 2014 at 9:42 am

    This is by far a favorite of mine too. Though, I’ll be honest- I’m have to REALLY think hard about it! My mind understands— but my heart Keeps cluttering things up! I’ve had to ask myself this quetion plenty of times when declutter; ” what’s love got to do with it?” Yep!
    We say we LOVE th

    Reply
  3. Patricia says

    April 23, 2014 at 9:45 am

    Oops! iPhone phat phingers!
    Anyway- we use the word love in all the wrong ways — that is why we have trouble decluttering!
    Well I do anyway-
    So you don’t really live those glasses or there is no way you could have tossed them right?
    Just saying– ” what’s love got to do with it?”
    Pat

    Pressing send now!

    Reply
  4. Amanda says

    April 23, 2014 at 9:49 am

    Some college girl is going to be so happy when she finds those at goodwill!

    Reply
  5. Gail says

    April 23, 2014 at 10:22 am

    I love those glasses too! I have come across this situation many times. One very similar occasion was when I came across a set of stackable dolphin glasses my sister-in-law gave me. I had NO room in the cabinets for them, but they were just too darn cute to throw away. My solution? I got a box that I put in the basement that now contains “things” (like the dolphin glasses) that I think my boys can use when they leave home. Both are in college now and some of the things I have been happy I’ve saved as they have been able to already put a few of the things to good use (and it has saved me money)!

    Reply
    • Elaine in Ark says

      April 24, 2014 at 10:46 am

      Hi, Gail. I like your solution of a “things” box for your sons. It’s kind of like an old-fashioned hope chest, wherein girls would put things that they will use to set up housekeeping when they get married. It has a good and useful purpose, and I think it’s a great alternative.

      Your sons will appreciate these items eventually.

      Reply
      • Dani says

        December 1, 2022 at 8:39 am

        Remember – a hope chest is a finite container as well. Beware of the ‘I’ll keep this for my kids someday’ trap. My grandma recently moved in with us and I had to empty her house… into mine. ::deep sigh:: I am working through all of the things she was saving to give to me, to my dad, to my kids… it’s a lot, and 9 times out of 10 we (the prospective recipients of the things she saved) don’t have any use for the things she cluttered her house up with for us…

        Reply
  6. Susan in England says

    April 23, 2014 at 10:27 am

    Well done Nony!

    I was thinking of you last week and of the post when one of your readers put forward the idea of ‘how much is it costing me to store this item?’

    I’ve been re-organising the bedroom and making it work better for me and in the process getting rid of some stuff. When I first moved here I only expected to live here three or four years and so I kept all the bubble wrap which I’d used in the move. And I added to my stash with every piece of bubble wrap which came my way, after all, I’d need it some day. I’ve been here six years and my stash had grown into three large bags full, either under the bed or in the closet. I recently decided that I love living here and that I’m staying here for quite some time, hence the re-organising.

    Three large bags of bubble wrap take up a lot of room in a one bedroom, one living room, kitchen and bathroom apartment. That’s a big space cost. How much will it save me when I do finally move? I priced out the cost of a new roll of bubble wrap and found it’s only 6.29 GB pounds for a very large roll. Just not worth keeping the old stuff until that move happens. So, I kept a small amount in case of wrapping presents etc and got rid of the rest, thus freeing more space for my re-organising.

    Re-organising and de-cluttering in one go. That’s what I like.

    Reply
    • Dana White says

      April 23, 2014 at 10:57 am

      Go you!! Love this story!!

      Reply
    • Andree says

      April 26, 2014 at 11:51 am

      Happy Dance!!! I love it when things ‘click’!

      Reply
  7. Melissa says

    April 23, 2014 at 1:16 pm

    Tough decision! Great determination that you showed! WTG!

    Reply
  8. Meg M. says

    April 23, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    absolutely LOVE this post. You are good for my heart (and my 702 square foot condo). thank you Dana.

    Reply
  9. Sarah says

    April 23, 2014 at 8:57 pm

    I think I need to make the container concept my next skill to master. Great stuff, lady. Keep it coming!

    Reply
  10. Kristy K. James says

    April 24, 2014 at 4:43 am

    I am with Sarah. Mastering the container concept needs to be my goal right now. And remembering that things like my desktop (which is here SOMEWHERE) and dressing table are NOT containers. Given how much I dislike clutter, just conquering that would solve most of my problems.

    As for the glasses… Those are SO cute! I can see why you had to think about it, but good for you for making the right choice. 🙂

    Reply
    • Not Alone says

      December 29, 2014 at 11:33 pm

      This is SO a problem hubby & I both have!!! Horizontal surfaces are EVIL, LoL — be they tables, counters, dressers, sinks, etc o.O This is why we got rid of our big dining room table that we NEVER used (always ate in our very cozy kitchen)!

      It was a junk & clutter catcher and nothing more! It made the whole room look bad, so we just gave it to someone who needed it & found a little square table to fit in our kitchen that all 5 of us share, haha. It felt SO good to get rid of 😀 even though our parents thought we were nuts :-p But now we have more room & less clutter, win win!! 🙂

      Lets both repeat this to ourselves ad nauseum, “Horizontal surfaces are NOT containers!!!” 😉

      Reply
      • Kristy K. James says

        December 30, 2014 at 2:56 am

        “Horizontal surfaces are NOT containers!!!”

        Yeah. I can totally get on board with that. Just not a horizontal board. 😀 My office is so tiny – something like 12 feet by 7 feet – that I need to be really organized. I have no room for anything that doesn’t belong, and certainly no room for anything out of place, lol. OR a desk with too many piles. 🙂

        Reply
  11. Carrie says

    April 24, 2014 at 9:57 am

    It takes strength to make that decision. That is a hard choice. It could have been so easy to find another container to keep those in, but we know that can become a problem in itself. Again…great decision making!!

    Reply
  12. Jennifer says

    November 22, 2014 at 6:39 pm

    whaaatttt???? do you mean i’m the ONLY ONE with one cabinet for crappy, overused, probably should-have-been-tossed-long-ago cups, and a COMPLETELY separate cabinet for “grown up” glassware (that rarely if ever gets used?)

    oh yea, and we are ignoring the fact that both cabinets are nearly overflowing.

    i have recently (like you, i see) been trying to make more of an effort to use my “grownup” things ceramic bowls and glass glasses. so i know, logically, i should purge my plastic/resin smiley-face tumblers that i bought when i went to college. that i also bought matching bowls for.

    i am also learning that the fewer dishes one actually has, the more often one has to wash them. which means fewer total dishes can possibly accumulate as dirty.

    i mean, but it is pretty sad that i had to start storing cereal on top of the fridge because too many of my cabinets were occupied by pots/pans/dishes/glasses/tupperware….

    fortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it) we’re moving, so i’m forcing myself to not even pack the things that i know i shouldn’t keep (the new place is about the same size as our current place, but different layout-so any delusions i have about there being more space are just that–delusions.)

    Reply
  13. karen green says

    December 30, 2014 at 7:19 am

    Proud of you girl! You are my idol and motivator!

    Reply
  14. Kelly says

    December 31, 2014 at 1:38 pm

    Can you come live with me? :(. I have the book but the reality is way harder!

    Reply
  15. Anita says

    February 16, 2015 at 6:37 pm

    I think I would have learned to look for them in a different cupboard. Of course, since I have enough coffee mugs for the whole neighborhood…for a week, I might not have been able to FIND another cupboard to put them in.

    Reply
  16. Theresa K says

    February 16, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    My son recently found a mug he wanted at Goodwill. For .49, how can you pass, right? But it immediately started a one in/one out conversation. Before we paid, we had identified a mug that could go. When we got home, we actually got rid of three! Go us!

    Reply
    • Dana White says

      February 17, 2015 at 10:32 am

      Go you!!!!

      Reply
  17. Sarah says

    January 13, 2020 at 8:48 am

    I have a dilemma directly connected to this issue. My son recently bid on and won a Coca-cola basket at a charity silent auction. Included in the basket were TWELVE really cool glasses and he LOVES them. I do not particularly like (or dislike) the glasses but they just don’t fit.
    I thought about inviting him to help me solve the problem. However, this particular kid of mine (unlike the other two) always puts himself last and would get rid of the glasses no matter how much he wants to keep them just because he would think that is “right” thing to do.
    Any suggestions on how to address this?

    Reply
    • Melody says

      February 5, 2022 at 10:55 am

      If he still lives at home maybe start him a hope chest….then when he gets out on his own he can use them in his home.

      Reply
  18. Heather M. says

    April 10, 2023 at 9:56 am

    Your container concept has changed my life!!!

    Reply
  19. Sonja Carroll says

    April 10, 2023 at 10:32 am

    Our problem is that we have 4 adults in the house. We all have our favorite bowls and cups. And my daughter seems to have a water mug addiction! I’m not sure what goes where anymore. Nothing makes sense where to keep stuff. Trying to work in the kitchen cupboards all week.

    Reply
    • Swan says

      May 23, 2023 at 8:06 am

      Maybe each person could get a shelf (or half a shelf or whatever, depending on how much space you have) for their stuff? Your daughter can keep her water mugs in hers if that’s what she wants to eat and drink out of. Each person gets to keep their favorites and no complaints that one person’s stuff takes over etc.

      Reply
  20. Becky E says

    May 23, 2023 at 8:03 am

    Oh my gosh, I had those same exact glasses. I loved them, but also decided to declutter them. I’d been keeping them in my Christmas stuff and simply had to reduce the number of Christmas boxes in the shed. Thanks for your continual support in the never-ending journey toward freedom 🙂

    Reply
  21. Kim says

    May 23, 2023 at 2:37 pm

    Why is this painful to read?

    Reply

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