Tip Tuesday – Remove and Replace

“Remove and Replace” is a common concept applied to dealing with files (be they paper or electronic). When you receive some new information that changes or updates older information, then the best practice is to “remove and replace” those old files as they are no longer valid.

For example, you get an amended car insurance policy for the next year. You remove the old policy and replace it with the new. Or you get an updated financial statement on an investment account. Again, you “remove and replace” this file as the information on the old statement is no longer accurate.

Apply this idea to any new purchases or objects you bring into your home: If you replace something, then you MUST remove the same sort of object. It works like the classic “one in = one out” rule.

So if you purchase a new pair of winter boots, then you should think of those shiny new boots as replacing an older pair. When you bring the new boots home, remove an older pair, therefore replacing them with the newer one.  
This action will limit the number of things you own in any one category. And it works for all categories, whether those things are papers, dishes, toys, books, canned goods or winter boots.

It’s when we hesitate to “remove” that things pile up. If you only have so much room then the trick is always to “remove and replace” or “replace and remove”!