Decluttering your home is hard enough, but if you’re stuck trying to figure out what you’ll do with everything once you’re done, you’re likely to quit before you even get started.
So, grab your favorite beverage and get comfortable as we figure out how to deal with the clutter so that it leaves your home for good.
“Life is constantly changing. So when an object comes into your life, enjoy it, use it well, and when it’s time, let it go. It is that simple.”
– Karen Kingston –
1. Prepare a Few Donatable Boxes
Set up three to four boxes that you’ve labeled with “keep,” “trash,” “donate” and, if you decide to…“sell.”
Before you start decluttering, find out where you can send your donations.
Ask friends and relatives if they would want to go through your boxes to find their own treasures and give them a time limit to do it.
Whatever you do, don’t take anything personally! It can be a shock that no one wants your porcelain doll collection, but if they don’t, then they don’t. Accept that it’s not personal, and continue decluttering.
Make the commitment that once something goes into a trash/donate/sell box, it will stay there!
2. Recycle What You Can
When it comes to throwing things away, you may be able to recycle some of the trash. Most of your plastic can be recycled, as can glass, paper, and possibly magazines.
Call your local garbage collection center and ask them about this because they may also supply individual containers to collect recyclables during your decluttering process.
It’s great to be environmentally conscious, but don’t let that stop you from throwing things away.
3. Freecycle
One way to get rid of some of your more useful stuff is to donate it. You can take things to a charity, but you can also join Freeclyle.org in your area where you can list the items that you’re giving away, and people will come to you to pick them up.
In most rural areas there’s often a place (usually on the side of the road) for “Free Stuff” – ask your neighbors if you don’t know where one is.
Feel good about “gifting” to others!
4. Sell on the Net
One way to get rid of stuff you no longer use is to sell it on the net. Be prepared though, because It may take some trial and error to find the areas where your items sell best. Check out Craigslist.org in the U.S. or Kijiji.ca in Canada, or Facebook Marketplace.
Your community may have a dedicated buy/sell Facebook page too!
5. Garage Sale
If you have a garage or a yard, having a sale is a great way to get rid of your usable stuff.
Be aware though, that you will likely only sell your stuff for 10 to 20 cents on the dollar. That means if you paid 100 bucks for something, you probably won’t sell it for more than 20 dollars at your garage sale. Setting up a garage/yard sale is a lot of work, so decide if you’re willing to put in the effort for so little reward.
Keep in mind that getting rid of things you don’t use is worth much more than money.
6. Trash
Ensure that trash is really trash and that you’re throwing things away the right way. For example, old batteries and computer parts need to be disposed of properly.
Your community may have donation centers for getting rid of things like this, or ask at your local landfill.
Be responsible with your trash.
Have a plan to deal with the clutter before you start cleaning out things.
Knowing exactly what you’ll do with the things you no longer need will make sure you have decluttering success.
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- Email your questions and comments to me at kim@kimyoung.ca
- If you would like more information about decluttering, here is an article that may interest you: 12 Signs that it Might be Time to Declutter
