Back to stuff assessment exercise

What are keepers, givers and pitchers? Here we will give you definitions and tips on dealing with them. Read through this page before you begin your stuff assessment worksheet.

stuff assessment definitions and tips
Stuff, generally, fits into 3 categories:

stuff that you absolutely will not part with (keepers),

stuff that is somewhat meaningful but not essential (givers); because you can give these to family members)

stuff that doesn't have any particular sentimentality (pitchers)

keepers
A keeper normally has a lot of memories or sentiment attached to it. You will know instantly when you assess your stuff what the keepers are.
(HINT: If you hesitate, it's a giver or a pitcher.)

givers
A giver is something that may have some sentimentality, but you can find a new home for it by giving it to someone else. The more meaningful things will stay in the family, others may go to friends or even strangers.
In going through the process of giving these things away you will find some that nobody else wants either. Take a picture of it for your photo album and give it to the Good Will because your new small home is only going to be as successful as you are in finding new homes for the items in this category. If they end up becoming keepers, your home size will increase accordingly. Be strong! You can do it!

pitchers
Pitchers are things that have no particular sentimentality. You can keep them or pitch them, as your new home plan dictates. This is the easiest group to deal with and the things here should be carefully scrutinized. If your current furniture is in this category, you're in luck! Take measurements of your current furniture to the furniture store. You'll probably find that you can significantly reduce the size (footprint) of your furniture by replacing it with smaller models. This will help your new, smaller rooms feel more spacious. With any luck there are several things on this list that can be pitched without replacement. Test your collective "stuff management" skills with this exercise and see who in your family gets the highest score!

the ??? column
The ?? area of the worksheet is for the (hopefully small) list of stuff about which you and your partner or family have different opinions. We won't even try to help you resolve these issues, but remember to keep your goals in mind and the more of these that end up as givers or pitchers, the better!