Why Donate Items If You are Moving to a Bigger Place?

I was asked this question and it made me pause and think. Was he right, could I stop sorting?  Getting rid of items gives me anxiety because "What if I need this item in the future"? "What if I get rid of something I didn't want to by mistake?"  I could save a lot of time and energy if I just put everything in a bin for a future day. I can normally overcome this anxiety within a few minutes of handing the item over, but it was a good question to ask.

Most minimalism stories I read are people downsizing and selling/donating their things because their space won't hold all their stuff. But what if you are moving to a bigger place that can easily house it all? Why should I organize, sort and donate my used items that I do not want anymore? Even if it's just a few minutes each week. 

Despite trying to get rid of unneeded items, I have not donated my "just in case" items as much. This relief has saved me a ton of anxiety.  I can hold on to my what if items if I see them as something I probably will use someday. However, I do want to talk about my buying thought process, which has completely changed since I moved into a small apartment.  When buying something it doesn't matter how much storage space you have. You either need something or you don't.

I want to only buy things that I have a reason for having in my life.  Do I need another skirt - yes or no? The answer depends on my life, not my storage.  The storage affects if I can keep it. If I didn't have the storage something would need to leave my apartment. For example, the "one in, one out" rule.  If I needed the skirt for an event and it didn't fit my closet, a different clothing item in the closet would have to go to make room for the upcoming skirt.

I want to get rid of things when they don't work for my life anymore. For example, last weekend I donated a blue summer dress because it ripped (It was great in the summer).  I donated it rather than trashed it because it's still useful to someone else.  I know if I donate a 100% cotton dress to Goodwill they can recycle the textile. (Btw if you say I could wear the dress with a hole in it. I agree I could but I would choose not to.) I have plenty of other clothes. It will be more useful as a textile than it would be sitting in the back of my closet.  So I make the effort and small anxiety of somehow fixing it someday and drive the dress to Goodwill.

Today I donated 2 pairs of shoes.


If you had more space what would you buy?