Thinking About Stuff: A Wedding Registry Epiphany

Leo and I stood in the aisles at Bed, Bath and Beyond, gazing at all the amazing kitchen gadgets around us. In his hand, the scan gun was aimed at the ready.

It was time to register for our wedding. But this Saturday outing, meant to be fun, turned out to be difficult.

"Pots and pans? Already have a nice set," I said, walking by.

"Waffle iron?" he said. "Got one already."

And so it went. Leo and I have each lived on our own for so many years, and together for two, that we have just about everything we need. We bought an awesome vacuum cleaner two years ago. My parents bought me the super-cool KitchenAid mixer five or six years ago for Christmas.

There were some items to upgrade: dish towels and bath towels, which are now a random and fraying collection from our college days. But when it came to a shower curtain for our guest bathroom?

"We already have one," he said.

"Yes, but it belongs to our [rented] house," I said. "What about a new one?"

"Yeah, but we never use that shower," he replied. "And when we move, we don't know how we want to decorate the new one, right?"

True. That was the case with many other items. Sure, we could use a new set of sheets, but when we buy a new house, we plan to buy a larger bed. What good would it be to have a bunch of sheets for a bed we'll probably donate in a year?

I had to laugh, though, because the BBB people encourage you to have THREE sets of sheets per bed: one for the closet, one for your bed and one in the laundry. Perhaps there is some wisdom there, but it sounds to me more like a way to sell more sheets. Where would I keep all those?

The point of this long-winded story is that although a wedding registry is a great time to upgrade, replace and obtain things we need and use, it also was a chance for me to think about the stuff we have. Our tiny house is comfortable as is. Where on earth will we put all of this new stuff?

When was the last time you stood in the store and really thought about WHERE you would put something you bought? Or, if it was a replacement item, when you were going to move the old item out of your house? It's much easier to maintain organization if every item you buy has a home the second you bring it home.

A friend of mine who was just married discovered this truth. She used one entire bedroom to store wedding gifts, many unopened, for weeks after the wedding. She and her husband finally went in and organized it last week so they could reclaim the room for other uses.

One the thing I was excited to register for: Under bed bins, for storage. That is something I know I'll use, in this house and in the future.