ZARİF YAŞAM — OCTOBER 2026 QUIZ
WHAT DO YOU REALLY NEED AT HOME?
What to keep, what to let go of — and what kind of keeper are you?
The Japanese approach known as “danshari” has three steps: dan, refusing to let what is unnecessary into the home; sha, letting go of what no longer serves; ri, freeing ourselves from attachment to things. The aim is not to empty the home, but to keep in it only the things that accompany the life we are living today.
Below are the 30 things that most often accumulate in our homes. For each one, mark the answer closest to you. There are no right or wrong answers; honesty is enough. Skip anything you don't have at home.
A — I use it regularly, and it has its place.
B — I don't use it, but I keep it because “it might come in handy one day”.
C — I don't use it, but it holds a memory and I can't bear to part with it.
D — I'm not quite sure how many I have; probably more than I need.
KITCHEN
1. Mugs and coffee cups
2. Storage containers whose lids have gone missing
3. Kitchen gadgets used only once (waffle maker, pasta machine, juicer)
4. Out-of-date spices
5. Bags piling up in a drawer
6. Sets received as gifts and never opened
BATHROOM AND CARE
7. Half-used cosmetics
8. Hotel miniatures and sample sizes
9. Perfumes you no longer wear
BEDROOM AND TEXTILES
10. Bed linen sets
11. Thin, worn-out towels
12. Trousseau linens waiting in a chest
13. Odd or holey socks
WARDROBE
14. Clothes that no longer fit you
15. Clothes with the tags still on
16. Special-occasion outfits worn just once
17. Bags and shoes you don't use
PAPERS
18. Old bills and receipts
19. User manuals and warranty certificates
20. Postcards, letters, invitations
21. Magazines and newspapers waiting to be read
ELECTRONICS
22. Cables and chargers whose devices remain a mystery
23. Old phones and tablets
KEEPSAKES
24. Children's drawings and schoolwork
25. Figurines and ornaments received as gifts
HOBBY AND WORKSHOP
26. Unfinished sewing, knitting or embroidery projects
27. Fabric scraps, thread and buttons
AROUND THE HOME
28. Things waiting to be repaired
29. Product boxes (“in case I return it, handy for moving”)
30. Vases, candleholders and decorative objects
CALCULATE YOUR RESULT
Count your A, B, C and D answers separately. The letter you marked most often reveals your way of keeping. If two letters are tied, read both results; chances are, both describe you.
MOSTLY A — KEEPER OF A HOME THAT BREATHES
You have a healthy relationship with your belongings. You know what is in your home, you keep what you use, and you send the rest on its way without overthinking it. The space the Japanese call “ma” forms naturally in your home: there is room to breathe between things.
Keep: The things your hand reaches for every day, the ones that do their job.
Let go: Only what breaks or no longer serves.
A small step for this month: To protect your order, adopt the “one in, one out” rule. When something new comes into the house, bid farewell to something of the same kind.
MOSTLY B — THE “MIGHT NEED IT SOMEDAY” KEEPER
You are prudent and think ahead. But “someday” often never comes, and the things saved for it take up today's space. In your home, what really fills the cupboards is worry itself: what if I need it?
Keep: What you have genuinely used in the past year, and what would be difficult or expensive to replace.
Let go: Things you haven't touched in a year and could easily find again when needed.
A small step for this month: Prepare a “waiting box” for things you're unsure about. Write today's date on it. If you haven't opened it within three months, donate the box without looking inside.
MOSTLY C — GUARDIAN OF MEMORIES
To you, your belongings are stories. In a cup you keep your mother's voice, in a tablecloth a wedding, in a drawing your child's early years. This is not a flaw; but not every memory can fit into the cupboards at once. The memory lives not in the object, but in you.
Keep: The most meaningful piece from each category. Your three favourites instead of a box of drawings; your own wedding invitation instead of ten.
Let go: Things that carry a memory but no longer stir anything in you. Photograph them before letting go; a memory lives on in a photograph, too.
A small step for this month: Use what you decide to keep somewhere visible, not in a box. When the trousseau tablecloth from the chest is spread across the autumn table, the memory becomes part of life once more.
MOSTLY D — THE QUIET COLLECTOR
Things find their way into your home without your noticing: a sale, a gift, an “it's cheap anyway”. Taken one by one, none of them is a problem; but together they fill the cupboards with things you can't even name. For you, the first step is not throwing away, but counting.
Keep: As many of each kind as you genuinely use. Six mugs in a home of six, enough bed linen for two beds.
Let go: Duplicates that do the same job. Keep the one in the best condition and bid the others farewell.
A small step for this month: Start with a single drawer. Tip its contents onto the table, count them, and put back only what you use. And don't forget the dan step: for the coming month, before bringing anything home, ask yourself, “Where will I put it?”
ZARİF ORDER NOTE
Letting go of an object does not mean less respect for it, or for the person who gave it to you. An unused object can find new life in another home. As you look through your cupboards this autumn, ask yourself a single question: “Does this object accompany the life I live today?” If the answer is yes, make a beautiful place for it. If not, thank it and let it go.
To prepare your linen and tablecloth cupboard for the season, take a look at “Order That Readies the Home for Autumn” on the Zarif Order page of this issue.