Donation Challenge – Part 4

We all tend to hold on to things for a variety of reasons, for example, it was a gift, it was passed on to me, it was expensive, etc.  However, if we don’t use and value the items in our possession there is no valid reason to keep them.  I’ve summarized the items we donated to this worthy cause (H.O.P.E. Program of Boston Children’s Hospital) in the hope that it may motivate you to let go of things, or at the very least prompt you to look at the items in your space from a different perspective.

Summary of items donated:

Origin:

• Received as a gift, but didn’t really like. Regifted 37 items.
• Used items passed on to us. We didn’t use them, so we passed on 18 items to be used by someone else.
• Items that were originally purchased by us, but were no longer used or appreciated by us. Donated 46 items.

Usage:

• Possessions that were never used by us. 41 items let go to have a chance to be useful to someone else.
• Items that were used within the past five years, but most likely wouldn’t be used within the next five years. Passed on 28 things to be reused.
• 32 items donated that were not used within the past five years.

Reason:

• Items that were given to us but we never used. 26 items let go to have a chance to be useful to someone else.
• Number of items that were intended as gifts but never given:  7
• Donated 13 things that were purchased by us for our use, but never used.
• 55 items were donated that were used in the past, but are no longer wanted or used.

© June 2013, Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All rights reserved

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