Last Week’s Cold-Apalooza Tested My Mug Math (Duplicates) Theory

A recent gift from a beloved friend,

Apparently, we eat a lot of foods out of mugs.

During last week’s Cold-Apalooza (coined by my client J.!),  we dirtied ALMOST all the mugs on the mug shelf.

All 5 of us were home, stuck inside and quite snacky.  There was coffee, of course. Tea.  Soup.  Hot Chocolate.  Brownies-in-a-mug (yes, that’s a thing).  Ice cream.  You get the picture.

Yep, we used ALMOST all the mugs on the mug shelf (approx. 14), but we didn’t run out.   So we have ENOUGH, but NOT TOO MANY.  Perfect.

If you have attended one of my presentations, you have probably heard me mention “Mug Math”.   “Mug Math” is a funny (in presentations, funny=memorable) tool we use to help folks determine just how many of a certain something they really need.

We  discuss Duplicates in the context of clearing clutter.  In my presentation, it goes something like this:

“Let’s talk about Duplicates. As in, how many duplicate items do you really need? For example, ‘Mug Math’.”
(quizzical looks from some, nervous chuckling from others)

“How many people in my house drink coffee?”
(I hold up one finger and then point it at myself)

“How many cups a day does she drink?”
(I hold up two fingers, but then say as an aside, I use the same cup.)

“How often does she run the dishwasher?”
(Every other day.)

Then we conclude with “I NEED 4 mugs, but of course I have more than 4 mugs.”

“But do I have 40?  Um, no.”  Not even if I count the ones on the very top shelf with the good dishes.

“And do I have to see all of them all the time?  Certainly not.”   I do NOT need to dedicate an entire cabinet to a type of item that I only use 5 or 6 of regularly.

My recently purchased Carbon Leaf 25 mug.

So, I am happy to announce that our Mug Math works, even in extreme circumstances. We certainly could have washed some out, but I digress.  I probably could purge more, or store them elsewhere, but I like variety and I have the space on my shelf for the approximately 12″x 12″ (one shelf, one cabinet door wide) footprint the everyday mugs take up.

The question is, of course… in what other areas of our home or office can we apply “Mug Math”? Let’s reframe it as “Towel Math”, instead.  How many sets of towels do you need? How many dirty people will ever need clean towels in your house at the same time?  Assuming regular laundry habits, we don’t need dozens of towels.

How Many of the following items are enough?  How many are TOO MANY?!  Like mugs and bath towels and… (with some help from my FB friends)

  • t-shirts
  • old sneakers for “yard work”
  • charging cords
  • crayons and cups full of pencils, pens or markers (JF, LK, JB!)
  • reading glasses
  • drinking glasses (thanks AR!) of every type
  • dish towels
  • sofa blankets (thanks KM!)
  • storage containers (thanks SM and MW!)
  • jackets (thanks SRC and SM!)
  • kitchen items like pizza cutters, potato peelers, measuring spoons, meat thermometers (thanks, MC!)
  • craft supplies, school supplies (JF, VB!)
  • cleaning supplies
  • handbags, wallets, wristlets
  • fat cells (thanks, CK!)
  • clothes in off sizes (SW!)
  • Tweezers, nail clippers, eyelash curlers… WHY??????? (thanks, KB!)

So what to do about it?!

  • Ask the tough questions and do your own mug math!  How many is enough, and how many is too many?
  • If you never get to the bottom of the piles, you don’t need all of what is in the pile!
  • Consider what you will actually use!
  • Stick with your favorites!
  • Stop buying more, and make sure to rotate your inventory!

So, if the cold is keeping you inside this week, look around and see where you can apply some Mug  Math, too!