What to do with the STUFF?

     I have mentioned yard sales as an option for buying equipment and supplies when dealing with a strict budget.  I have been to many and bought a lot of stuff.  I mean a LOT!  So, now that you have a lot of stuff, what do you do with it?

I wanted an iron.     Got it!

     I say use it.  I just today bought an antique iron, the kind you placed on the wood stove to heat.  When it was hot you lifted it off, ironed till it cooled and switched it out with one that was sitting there heating while you ironed.  Well, what do you do with that?  Clean it.  Oil it. Use it as a door stopper.  The day comes I want to iron something and there is no power, I'll go grab the door stop, heat it up and iron!
   
     I have seen all kinds of vintage and cleverly kitschy objects painted and sold for wall art at art fests in my time.  I really don't need to hide a circular saw on the wall disguised as a painted scene, I keep mine with the saw in the saw box.  I need to keep and store items I will use or could use and I need them to be ready for me.  I can use a door stop.  I have a bedroom door that won't stay open.  

     I'm not saying I don't like the painted blades and tools.  If I had a set of tools for a particular job, like for example, horse shoeing or horse grooming, I would keep them near the horse.  If I had a second set for back up against hard times, I could see painting them in a horse type scene and hanging them to view until I needed them to use.      

     I talked about thinning and sorting my collection of books.  I don't line the handy tip books, survival skill books and first aid books all in a row on the same shelf.   I have some books together in a small group for grab and go.  I have others in another place for reading.   I have others I have read stored on a book shelf along the back of other books.  It's like this; on the shelf with the frilly craft books on Christmas crafting and gift making, I have a survival guide book, a first aid book and a cook book of the same height and width flat across the back of the shelf and the Craft books all title bindings facing out.  You see craft books, you do not see the books behind.  They are not valuable to anyone but me but they tell everyone a bit about me. This is my home, not the public library.
  
    This is another form of what I call Urban Camouflage.  I don't need someone to come in to my house and from first look, they know I am a disaster prepper.  I only want the trusted few in our group to be sure I am a prepper.  I don't need the neighbor's thinking that I have things they need in an emergency.  No one needs to know I have food stores or life skills supplies.

     But, yes, I have too much of another lifestyle stuff.  I have things given to me I don't use, things left in my care and out grown and things that just showed up one day.  I donate a lot of clothing to charity shops.  I give away the sentimental things to the next generation if they like it and the rest, if it doesn't sell at the first (last) (only) yard sale I am going to throw this year, it also goes to the charity shop.

     What do you do with the STUFF?  Use it.  Sell it.  Store it! Give it away.  Don't let it take over!