We’ve all heard the statistics on stuff: the average household has over 3000 items floating around at any given time. Before I started decluttering, minimizing and straight up rage purging, I probably had even more than that! And while I never truly humored the idea of counting my items, I did begin to wonder where I fell on the spectrum of “stuff”.
And then the other day I realized something that may be tipping the scales (in the wrong direction) for me. I have an unreasonable amount of PENS in my house. It was time to declutter writing instruments.
Yep. Pens.
So what’s an ‘unreasonable’ amount you might wonder? I suppose it’s all a matter of opinion, but if I had to put a number on the RIGHT amount of pens to own, I’d say the count should fall somewhere between 5-10. Because let’s be real, when was the last time you used a pen to completion? As in, you’re making loop-de-loops on a pad of paper with only thin grooves in the paper to show for? I’m guessing it doesn’t happen too often!
I’ll cut to the chase. I went through my house and found 65 pens. And for anyone who actually cares, here’s a breakdown of how many I found in each room.
47 – kitchen
4 – bathroom
7 – general living space
1 – night stand
6 – computer desk
You might recall I’ve had a pen problem in the past… I found somewhere around 20 in my car during my car declutter 2 years ago. Not a proud moment! But 65 pens is just outrageous. Mind you, these are just standard writing instruments – not art supplies.
In an effort to continue my journey of simplifying my life – I’m keeping 10 pens out of 65. To me, that number is just right.
So tell me, have you decluttered your writing instruments? What’s the right number for you?