Don’t Walk On The Heels Of Your Shoes And Seven Other Tips For Taking Care Of Your Stuff

Long ago I remembered hearing some excellent counsel: Don’t walk on the heels of your shoes. It was not merely a definite direction for how to make sure your shoes last for a long time, but it was (and was meant to be) a metaphor suggesting the need to care for all of our stuff.

Stuff isn’t as important as people or our relationships with people, but if we care for and respect our stuff, we’ll be the new it less often, which is both good for the environment and for our wallets. So here is a different tip in the spirit of not walking on the backs of your shoes.

1.  Wash your car regularly. By washing your car, you’ll be more comfortable in it, making it appear to be more appropriate to get it serviced and cared for in a timely way. By making your car past a long time, you empower yourself to really save.

2.  Hold your yard neatly trimmed and clean. Not only will your neighbors think you, but you are sentenced to identify potential problems with bug infestations, sprinkler problems, even problems with the exterior of the house if you are out in the yard regularly mowing the lawn and trimming the bushes.

3.  Teach the kids to look after their toys. Not only are bicycles and skateboards left in the front yard an eye-sore, they are a mighty temptation for the neighborhood punks who might somehow find it amusing to ride a six-year-old girl’s bike into the nearest river or watch it bounce down a nearby hillside.

4.  Repurpose and repair clothes. When one child emerges from something, with any luck, there is a sibling who can go to get some use from it. When buttons fall off, replace them. When a dress shirt gets a stain or the cuffs become too worn for the office, a yard-work and painting shirt has been born.

5.  Keep your house cleans. Getting a few things out of place is a wonderful reminder that a family lives in the house and that’s what makes it a home. On the other hand, if you can’t find the vacuum and there is stuff growing in the fridge and the shower, you are wasting money. Everything in your home will last longer if it is uncontaminated, not only because the dirt, mold and mildew will ruin it, but you and the other people in the home will not respect the things that are dirty.

6.  Give up on the stuff, you don’t need. If you haven’t been worn that sweater in two years, chances are you won’t. Give it away. There are numerous charitable thrift stores in virtually every city in America. Periodically purge your closets, basement and garage to ensure that you aren’t accumulating things that you don’t need and use. Having unused “junk” lying around the house will create an environment that is that disrespects and cheapens your belongings.