Things I Only Own ONE Of!
There's a little trend on going on right now where YouTubers are talking about Items they only have one of. I've seen a few, and it got me thinking about my own list. When I sat down to outline the post, it did NOT go in the direction I thought it would! So here's my take on this trending topic. Keep reading, or watch the video here for my twist!
If you're interested in decluttering, minimalism, or just paring down your things, it's helpful to think about where you can reasonably live with less. But are there things where you really only need one?
If I think about my own personal list, it's pretty small– like, EXTREMELY SMALL! And I don't like clutter, LOL! I only have one house and one car for each driver. There are some kitchen items where I only have one mixer or one food processor. I only have one heavy winter coat. And that last one does simplify things a bit because coats are bulky. But, wow, is that ever a short list!
So obviously the “only have one” mentality isn't really something that works for me. So here's how I look at things instead:
Find your own individual clutter threshold.
Each person an each family is different. Some people like to have only one dinner plate per family member. They feel like having twelve dinner plates for four people would just mean that they wouldn't take care of dishes for a whole day, and then that would mean a pile of dishes to do the next morning.
This just wouldn't work in our family! Sometimes I'll use plates when cooking. I'll put raw chicken on it before adding it to a skillet. What would I do then? Wash the plate while cooking so someone could eat off of it?
I also load the dishwasher as I go throughout the day, and then we run it at night. Running a load takes almost four hours. I wouldn't run it after every meal, and I definitely don't want to be handwashing all the time, LOL!
What about when guests come over? I don't want to always have to use paper products. Basically, having four plates for our family of four would stress me out in a big way! So this just isn't something I'm willing to do for the sake of reducing the amount of stuff we own.
Try it!
What if you're still on the fence about something? What if you're really intrigued by that one dinner plate per person idea? Then just try it! You'll never really know for sure until you just give it a go. I recommend NOT getting rid of the items in question just yet, though. Instead box them up and give it a try for about a month and just see how it goes. For something frequently used, one month is long enough to give you a good answer.
If you get two days in and absolutely HATE living without your extra plates or towels or clothes or whatever it is you're testing out, then pull them right back out! You don't have to go the full month! But if you're unsure, keep giving it a try for the rest of the month and then evaluate.
Don't let the goal of reducing clutter add to your stress!
Decluttering and minimalism can be great tools to help simplify your life and reduce stress. But there comes a point when it can go too far and then add to your stress instead of reducing it! We all have to find a balance, and that balance will be different for every individual and family.
Figure out what amount of stuff is just right! It's good to think about what life would be like with only one pair of athletic shoes, one pair of dress shoes, one coat, etc…but if you find you need two (or ten!) to live your life peacefully, then go for it!
Don't be afraid to have just the amount of things that work for your family! There is no right or wrong answer here, only the one that brings you the most peace and happiness!
Organization that actually sticks for busy, happy lives.
Copyright 2025, Get Organized HQ.
Michele Says
I love this. Someone recently said – you have too many pairs of scissors. Do I really? I have the sewing ones put in the sewing box, the kitchen ones on the kitchen counter, but what about the other 7 pairs. I want one at my desk, one near my bed where I take tags off new clothing, one by my table where I do after school projects with kids, one in the gift wrap box, etc. the very last thing I want is to need scissors and have to go on a hunt. There are somethings I can definitely decluttering and have less of- but it won’t be my scissors!
Vicki Peel Says
Laura, I really appreciate your common sense approach to everything. It is so annoying for me to read email headlines like “the 5 mistakes you’re making doing _____” or “10 rules to _____”. You don’t have to live like someone else tells you to. As a decluttering and organizing blogger myself, helping others to identify their threshold for clutter and their organizational style is key. You need to decide what is right for you, not blindly follow some guru’s set of rules. Thank you for realizing and exemplifying all those things!
Laurie Q Says
One plate per person? I’m guessing that these people never have guests for dinner. To me, paper plates in that case is just tacky…unless you only have company for a backyard bbq. To each his own I guess.