I have been working my way through one of the self-help areas of the library, weeding or removing books from the shelves that are dated or worn out. I came across a lot of books about “stuff.” How should you organize it? What should you keep? What should you do when you have too much? That topic goes hand in hand with weeding books!

People have a lot of stuff. Have you seen the number of storage units around here? Yes, I have one too. It’s important to get rid of old stuff. This is the time of year for fresh starts. If you want advice on how to start the year with a tidy house, we still have plenty of choices on the shelf, including these newish books:

“No New Things: A radically simple 30-day guide to saving money, the planet and your sanity” by Ashlee Piper (2025). The author explains how she realized she was stressed by her stuff. The author set out to not buy anything for two years, excluding things like groceries and toiletries. It worked so well for her that she published a book about how she did it.

“The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter” by Margareta Magnusson (2018). In the author’s words, “In Swedish it is a term that means that you remove unnecessary things and make your home nice and orderly when you think the time is coming closer for you to leave the planet.”

“How to Keep House While Drowning: A gentle approach to cleaning and organizing” by K. C. Davis (2022). The author found herself overwhelmed during the Covid lockdown, with a toddler and a newborn. Her approach to organizing is based on mental health. “You can spend a lot of time organizing things the ‘Instagrammable’ way only to find that the system is not functional for you, especially if keeping it pretty requires extra steps you don’t always have the capacity to do.”

“Organizing For the Rest of Us: 100 realistic strategies to keep any house under control: by Dana K. White (2022). White talks about cleaning as well as organizing. The first step is decluttering, the next step is staying on top of daily chores, and finally the actual cleaning. You can’t clean when you are busy trying to move the clutter around.

We also have several books on organizing that rely on buying clear containers, and specific methods of sorting etc. You are welcome to browse the shelves to see if you can find a system that works with your style.

A final book, “Stuff: Compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things” by Randy O. Frost & Gail Steketee (2010). The back of the book says, “A riveting look inside the fascinating and secretive lives of compulsive hoarders.” I read part of the first chapter, and oh, my! It was a good reminder of why we should get rid of unnecessary things.

After reading these books, you may find yourself with stuff you want to get rid of. Remember your rubbish could be someone else’s rubies.

Have you heard about Panhandle Frontier Finds? This is a three-day shopping adventure with over 300 miles of vendors (or, better yet, places to sell your extra stuff). For more information go to www.panhandlefrontierfinds.com. You have some time to get ready, it’s June 5-7, but if you want your sale listed for $25 in the printed guide, you need to get the information to them by March 1. If you miss that date, your sale can still be listed online. Vendor Coordinators for the Scottsbluff/ Gering area are Misty Dykes (308-562-0113), Christie Dykes (308-672-1173), and Rebecca Shields (rebecca.shields@allofiber.com) – you can reach out to them with questions or if you have trouble registering.

When I lived near Grand Island, I remember people showing up to the Junk Jaunt (a similar event) from other states with fists full of cash and trailers to haul off their loot, this could be a big thing!

Article by Sherry Preston