This table has got me thinking, what makes you hold on to your “stuff”? This week I asked you guys what made you love your stuff more and hold on to items just a little longer. Will and I have discussed what is meaningful and important to us and it was interesting to see and hear the variety of responses! It was also interesting to see that Will and I differ on this. All of this is super subjective, I know, but I think it could help you reevaluate your situation and motivate you to invest in ideas or pieces that last.

For me to love a piece of furniture, object, or room, I have realized I need to be involved in the process in some way. Whether it’s designing it, DIYing it, or simply just driving far away to get it, I need to be a part of what it becomes. I think when I spend time creating the idea, then actually executing, there is a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment with it. Usually when you spend time doing it yourself, you are putting in time, effort, money, and as a result, meaning. For Will, he said a big thing for him is quality in materials. He wants something that will last and hold up. To him, when something starts “breaking down” it loses its value. So enough about us, here is what YOU said!

• TIME
• EFFORT
  • I think the first two go hand in hand. Usually if you are spending a lot of time on something, you are going to be putting effort in as well. Anytime time and effort are involved, chances are, you are going to value it more.
• MONEY
  • Rarely have I spoken to someone who didn’t LOVE something they paid a lot of money for. Lots of times money = worth to people. The saying “you get what you pay for” didn’t come out of nowhere. I try not to think of the price tag when valuing importance of things in our home, but I think we all do subconsciously. Even if we don’t LOVE the piece but paid a lot of money for it, we feel we have to hang on to it longer to justify the price tag.
• MEANINGFUL
  • This can mean a lot of different things for different people. For me the meaning of something increases if all those bullets above are checked. Meaningful to me also means personalized gifts, where I was at a certain stage of life, or simply because it sparked a strong emotion when I saw it. Whatever the meaning is to you, we tend to stick with it longer.
• SENTIMENT
  • I would say I generally am not a sentimental person. I guess it just depends on what it is. If someone gave me a gift or something handmade, I love it and find a place for it always. But when it comes to something I purchased, I typically can part with it. Sentimental things from others tend to hold more value than things we buy for ourselves.
• PERSONALIZED
  • I’m really big on authenticity so it makes me happy when you guys cherish this stuff too. I love unique, personalized gifts and feel like it’s a direct way of showing someone you care. So when someone does specific things like that for me, I absolutely love it.
• QUALITY
  • This one is huge for Will and I’m sure anyone else who cares about function over form. Investing in quality materials that will last the test of time are key to a lasting, loving relationship with your item.
• STORY BEHIND THE ITEM
  • This is another big one for Will. He loves to keep every random object or t-shirt or item if there is a story behind it. I have learned to embrace it.
• FAMILY HEIRLOOMS
  • A no brainer for why this would make you keep something forever!
• SOMETHING BOUGHT WHEN BROKE
  • LOVE this one. I still have two end tables that I first bought when I went to college in my apartment that I refuse to get rid of. It was the very first thing I ever bought and I remember how EXCITED I was when I finally got to move out of the house. I don’t know what it will take to make me get rid of them.
• BRINGS YOU JOY

I think the last one is a great one to end on because it sums it up best. If it brings you joy, then really there is no need to worry about whether you will enjoy it long term or not.