A blog reader wrote, "I have and use alot of items that are not working well for their purpose...i.e. cuffs worn thru on sweatshirts, sunglasses with one lens that constantly drops out. I hate shopping though and these items would need to be replaced if I tossed them. Also I feel the items are not even good enough to donate and as such would end up in landfill...whereas I could still get a bit more use out of them. Any thoughts?"
When something isn't working well for us it becomes clutter. There's pain experienced when using the item. It's an inconvenience to wear sunglasses with a lens that's constantly falling out. It diminishes our self-worth to wear worn out clothing.
We can get used to using things that are broken in some way. We can get used to the diminished feeling it gives us. But it's possible to break out of the habit of living down.
When you ask of an item, "Do I love and use this, or can I let it go?" you are honestly looking to see how it makes you feel. If you feel it compromises your well-being in any way, then it doesn't have a place in your life.
If something isn't good enough to donate and would end up in a landfill, then it's time for the item to leave your life. You'll feel relief when the clutter goes. You'll feel better about yourself because you are removing something that diminishes your life in some way.
As far as hating shopping goes, you may decide after letting the clutter go that you don't need to replace it. Or if you decide you do want a replacement, you might feel better about shopping for the new item because you want to treat yourself to something that you would love and use now.