The “Just in Case” Trap That Filled Your Home with Clutter

Just in case. Those three little words have probably earned more space in our homes than any other decluttering excuse. I think I’ve heard every iteration of this rationalization:

“I don’t know what that cord goes to but I’m saving it in case I need it.”

“We haven’t been camping in 15 years but we may change our minds so it’s staying, just in case”

“I don’t know what this key unlocks but I’m keeping it just in case I remember”

“I saved all their art, report cards and schoolwork in case my kids want it someday.”

Each example feels perfectly reasonable in the moment, so you tuck the thing away and forget about it. Now, however, all of those isolated decisions have piled up. It took two or three decades for you to notice, but quietly they have become a major contributor to the clutter you now find yourself drowning in.

When you’re working on so many years of accumulated clutter, it’s easy for ‘just in case’ to derail your decluttering efforts. So let’s break down what’s really happening when you rationalize, how to shift your mindset when it happens and why you should trust your better judgement in the future.

Just in Case is really about fear

When we invoke ‘just in case’, we tell ourselves we’re being prepared when what’s usually driving the decision is fear. You’re afraid you’ll regret the decision in the future. Or that you’ll truly need whatever it is someday and be stuck in the lurch. It feels easier to just keep it ‘for now’.

Another thing that’s going on is avoidance. You tell yourself you’re keeping it in case you need it, but actually you are avoiding the inconvenience of getting rid of it. Double the avoidance if pain-in-the-butt logistics are in play or if you spent a lot of money on the thing once-upon-a-time.

In fact, ‘just in case’ ends up being a kind of catch-all for avoiding discomfort. That discomfort could take the shape of an unknown future, perceived hard work or spending guilt. When you can identify what’s happening with your thoughts as you are decluttering, it becomes a lot easier to push through the discomfort and do the right thing – which is usually to let go of the things you don’t use!

A Mindset Shift

How to push through a ‘just in case’ mindset? Instead of jumping right into ‘What if I need this someday?’, slow down and ask yourself a few clarifying questions:

• How likely is that, really?
• If I did need it, could I borrow, rent, or replace it?
• Is the tiny chance I’ll need it worth storing it for years?
• What am I giving up by keeping it?

I don’t even know you or what you’ve saved ‘just in case’ but based on my own experience and my work with clients I can answer those questions for you.

• The likelihood you’ll need it is low
• You could probably borrow it if you needed one later
• Your space (storage or otherwise) has a higher value than you are currently placing on it
• You are sacrificing lightness of being and comfort of home by keeping all this stuff out of fear

Y’all, our goal here isn’t to eliminate risk. It’s to stop letting unlikely scenarios dictate how you live every day. If you really want to be prepared for a future event that probably won’t happen but could – get yourself a disaster kit. That should satisfy the need to be prepared (for an earthquake, hurricane, fire, zombie apocalypse, etc.) without taking up three quarters of your garage!

And another thing – you aren’t giving your life experience enough credit in this scenario.

Trust Your Wisdom

You should have some distance from any ‘just in case’ decisions you made in your 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. Those items should be relatively easy to declutter. After all, a lot of time has passed and you didn’t actually need or use it – right? 

It will be harder with the things you’ve acquired more recently but don’t actually use (‘but what if…!’) or the items associated with some future-leaning possibility (such as the things you’ve saved for your kids.)

For these you’ll need to draw on both the mindset shifts and your secret weapon – the wisdom you’ve gained in your 50+ years on this earth! That’s right – you have a track record to refer to. You’ve seen how previous decisions to keep things played out! You have lots of resources to tap into if need arises! You know yourself and how likely you are to come back to that long-lost hobby, turn the kids’ tees you saved into a quilt, or jog the memory that’s getting foggier with each passing year. And most of all, you have the wisdom to place a high value on how good your home feels without the clutter that was taking up space for so long.

Based on all of your life-experience, you should have confidence in your ability to make thoughtful decisions instead of avoiding discomfort by defaulting to the lowest common denominator. You can solve problems when they arise instead of surrounding yourself with an armory of ‘just in case’ clutter.

Just in Case You’re Still on the Fence

If you looked honestly at everything you’ve saved “just in case,” how much of your home would it account for?

A closet? A wall in your garage? An entire spare room? Or more?

For many of us in midlife, ‘just in case’ is a pattern that’s been quietly shaping our homes for decades. The next time you are decluttering and those three words cross your mind, please pause.

Because now you know better!