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The Minimalists
The Minimalists are Emmy-nominated Netflix stars and New York Times–bestselling authors Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Alongside their podcast cohost, T.K. Coleman, this simple-living trio helps millions of people eliminate clutter and live meaningfully with less. Learn More.

Just for When

Too often we cling to the things we own “just in case” we might need them someday.

Of course, “someday” rarely arrives, and yet we continue to clutch tightly to the excess in our basements, attics, closets, junk drawers, and storage facilities—just in case.

Just. In. Case. The three most dangerous words in the English language. They encourage us to stockpile our junk as if it’s essential.

In reality, though, we can give ourselves permission to jettison the junk because we can replace nearly all of our just-in-case items for less than $20 in less than 20 minutes with the 20/20 Rule.

However, there are a few things we’re certain we’ll use in a definitive future. We call these belongings “just-for-when items.”

Nobody purchases their toilet paper one square at a time, their soap one droplet at a time, their toothpaste one nurdle at a time. We buy a small stock of each of these products just for when we’ll need them.

The key to letting go, then, is to be honest about the trinkets we’re clinging to “just in case” we might need them and the goods we acquire “just for when” we will need them. If we do this properly, our excess begins to look a lot like junk, and it’s easier to unload.