Decluttering seems to be a hot social media topic at the moment and it means everyone is pushing to organize, declutter and clean at home, in the car, at work, everywhere! And many times professional organizers or simply declutter gurus spout the same tired advice.

The most popular one? Get rid of duplicates.

While this is good advice if you’ve started to buy multiple major appliances or are running out of room but I really hate generic advice. So here are a couple areas where I embrace duplicates:

• Chapstick – I found my favorite flavor and bought a dozen when I found them for $1 which allows me to wash or lose 2-3 per year by mistake. I have them in the car, in my purse, work bag and nightstand so there’s always one close by.
• Pens – while I agree that most homes probably have too many pens, I like having several of my favorite brand (Pilot G2!) in the colors I use most often. For items like this which are relatively cheap and small, I have no problem having many duplicates.

• Throw blankets – okay, I may have a problem here because I love a good throw blanket and keep them in baskets around my house. Since they get dirty with pets I appreciate having several to use so I can wash them and have extras.
• Needles and thread – I am a quilter and it wasn’t until I was well into hand sewing my first quilt that I realized what needles I liked and also that they can get dull! Having several on hand for replacements is key, plus I drop them on occasion. I also stock up on my preferred thread because sewers will know the pain of going to the sewing machine and running out of thread.
• Some bathroom items – while I do not want my house to resemble a Sephora or be overflowing with backstock, I do appreciate having a spare toothbrush, extra floss, q-tips, an extra razor, and my favorite shampoo for the day when I run out. And obviously, toilet paper

When I work on lists like these the problem I see is that “multiple” could mean 2 toothbrushes or 83. Obviously I’m not suggesting that everyone needs as many of one thing as they could ever possibly want, but I also don’t think it’s smart to shame folks who don’t live a minimalist lifestyle.

This has been especially relevant lately as my car is in the shop and the closest grocery store is a mile away. Walking there is fine, walking back with groceries in 90 degree heat is not so easy.

Thankfully I’d just been to the grocery store when my car began having issues so I’ve been able to turn to my stockpiles without feeling any gaps.

It’s not horrible if I run out of printer paper but I don’t want to run out of laundry soap. Over the past year I’ve strategically stocked up so I have shampoo back ups and a 12 pack of toilet paper hiding in my closet. It’s also helpful because now that I’m budgeting for car repairs, I can also cut back on groceries and household items to save some cash.

Bottom line: if you’re decluttering your home think about excess items you don’t need or use but that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of all duplicates, forever.