How Much is Enough?

In my last post, How Much is Too Much, I shared some examples of what too much looks like. So, how much is enough? I get this question every time someone begins down sizing. How many towels do I need? How many toys should my kids have? How many dishes should I have? How many pots and pans should I have? How many clothes should I have?

There is no magic number. What I try to teach people is to ask themselves questions. If you can find the right question, you can find the right answer, for your life situation. Using the questions already raised, here are the questions I would ask myself.

How many bath towels are enough?
How many people are in your family? How often do you do laundry? How often do you have out of town guests staying with you? What is the maximum number of people using towels in your home, if you have all of your guests there?

How many toys should my kids have?
How many kids do you have? How often do other children come over to play? How long does it take them to pick up toys? Are they good at maintaining their toys and keeping them picked up? Are they even able to pick them up if they are all out at the same time?

How many dishes should I have?
How many members are in your family? How often do you wash the dishes? How often do guests visit? Do you use paper plates when you have a large group of guests? Do you want special dishes for holidays? Have you ever used your china? (Don't keep it if you aren't going to use it. But really, just use it! Then keeping it will be a joy not a burden.)

How many pots and pans should I have?
Who does the cooking? Could you use the larger saucepan instead of the smaller saucepan, and donate the smaller saucepan? How often do you make big meals?

How many clothes should I have?
How often do you do laundry? Do you need to wear more formal or more casual clothing? Is there anything that you have been saving because you don't fit into it? (If it hasn't happened in a year, it isn't going to happen before it goes out of style. Let it go. Embrace what you look like now.) Is there anything that you save for a special occasion that never happens? Is there anything that you aren't wearing because you don't like it but it is sentimental. (Take a picture of it.)

And if all else fails... Don't ask yourself if you COULD ever use it again. Ask yourself if you will ever NEED it again, and how much it would cost to replace. Pick an amount you are comfortable with. For many people that amount is 20 dollars. If you get rid of it, and it turns out you need it, run to Target and buy it for 20 bucks. When unsure about how many of something to keep, ask yourself a question. Then you will know just the right amount for your situation.