My clients tell me all the time that it is easier to get rid of stuff when they know it is going to a worthwhile cause or someone truly in need. Therefore, as an incentive to reduce and de-clutter pick a worthwhile local charity and give.
Some of my most frequented drop sites are:
Savers
Bay State Textiles
New Hope
North Attleboro Animal Shelter
One thing many parents have a difficult time getting rid of is the things their children have made. Some items are cherished treasures, like a drawing that showcases their personality, their first hand-made Mother’s Day card, or a precious clay bowl. Other items are less meaningful, but are equally important to the giver. That causes problems, right? These things have a high sentimental value. I understand that, but we can’t keep everything. You know we can’t. So, what goes and what gets kept?
Setting limits is a great way to minimize what is kept. A good limit is to have one ‘keep bin’ per child. This one bin will hold all the art treasures that are being kept from that one child. Label this bin and use it to store the creations each child makes. Set some guidelines on what is kept. For example keep only those items that significantly highlight your child’s personality and talents. Go through the bin yearly to reevaluate and weed out items.
Another way to minimize what is kept is to re-purpose and reuse. Below are some creative ways to do this.
It may be difficult to make decisions on what creations to keep, but your child will thank you for only holding onto one ‘keep bin’.
©September 2016 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer All Rights Reserved
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Have you ever decided that you’re ready to give something away, only to find that no one will take it? This happened to a class attendant of mine who wanted to give a pull-out-couch to someone who was in need of one. Unfortunately, this proved harder than she anticipated. When she contacted the donation locations she knew in her community, no one wanted it. They said it was too big, too heavy, and not worth reselling. She became frustrated, and called me to ask for more options for donation. I gave her a few recommendations that I knew, and wished her good luck. A few days later I received a second call from her. She had no luck with my recommendations, because she was outside their pick up area. How frustrating. What now? She asked me for more options. Luckily, I was able to provided her with a few more ideas, one being the local Boy Scouts. I knew they were having a big yard sale soon, and were looking for items. Success at last. They took the couch from her. It was time consuming and frustrating, but the couch was out of her house and on it’s way to finding a new home, thanks to the Boy Scouts.
A similar situation happened to a client of mine who was ready to say good-bye to a wheelchair that she was no longer using. She wanted it to go to an organization that would donate it to someone who really needed it. Unfortunately, this proved harder than she or I anticipated. After a quick on-line search for donations options, we had a full page of possibilities. That was great. We were optimistic. That was the easy part. Once we started calling the donation options we didn’t have as much success. We made a total of 15 calls. Here are some of the responses we got. The Muscular Dystrophy Association couldn’t take it because they only accept chairs that they can service, and they couldn’t service her high-end wheelchair. The Disabled American Veterans did not have anyone who serviced MA or RI. The local VFW Post had no way to re-distribute the chair. Chariots of Hope only worked in CT. Power Chair Recyclers of NE would refurbish it then sell it. She wanted to give it away, not sell it. We were running out of options? Would we ever find someone to donate this chair to? We didn’t give up. We kept calling. Eventually, we found a good option. The Masonic Lodge of RI had a Medical Equipment Center that would pick up the chair, clean it up, and pass it on to someone in need for a small fee. We both agreed it was worth the time and effort, especially since someone in need would be getting a very good wheelchair.
Giving stuff away isn’t always easy, but it is always worth it. I’d encourage you to take the extra effort to give, because someone in need will be very grateful that you did. If you’re in need of donation options, please contact me. I’d be happy to share any resources I have.
©August 2016 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
A game helped my husband and me get rid of 930 things. We played the 30-Day Minimalism Game in June 2016. Deciding what stuff to get rid of was the first step. Figuring out where to get rid of the stuff was the second step. Physically removing the stuff from our house was the third step. Want to know where it went?
We were givers. Our goal was to give the stuff away, not throw it in the trash. Five things out of 930 went in the trash. The rest of the stuff was reusable. So we gave it away.
We gave to family and friends. We didn’t just unload our stuff on them. We made a point of asking if they wanted the stuff, before we gave it to them. My sister was happy to accept a small framed photo of her and her son, that had been sitting on my shelf for years. My friend enjoyed looking at the clothes and jewelry I was getting rid of. She took a few shirts and a pair of earrings. My sister, who has 3 small children, gladly accepted an unopened pack of washable markers.
We gave to local causes. Our local library was collecting for their annual books sale. We donated several books and DVDs. We also gave several books to the school where my husband teaches. We dropped off several pairs of eyeglasses to the local Lion’s Club. We gave unopened toiletries to the New Hope shelter.
We donated to resale stores. We dropped off a car load of items to Hometown Savers. We made a trip to the Habitat for Humanities ReStore to donate an old door and a few old tools. We gave craft items, that I wasn’t going to use, to The Craft Room. We gave a bunch of clothes and household items to Savers.
We recycled. We recycled some old phone books and a bunch of paper. We recycled broken and outdated electronics to Indie Cycle.
We consigned. We used Chic2Chic for our clothing consignment. We used The Thrifty Witch for our household consignment.
We offered items for free. We put old hand weights, a hose, and an unused shelf out by the side of the road with a free sign. They were picked up within hours.
We got rid of 930 things. You can too! We know it takes time and effort. Use these resources and options. They will help.
©July 2016 Janine Cavanaugh, Certified Professional Organizer® All Rights Reserved
*** I’m looking forward to bringing the New England chapter of the National
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