Week 4: Get Rid of Your Junk...Seriously
I study in the school of "throwin' out your crap when you don't know what to do with it anymore." I am all about purging our household of unnecessary items, and about twice a year we will go through closets and find items to donate. I find that sometimes people are offended by my lack of emotional attachment to physical objects. BUT I do save things that are meaningful to me. I still have the teddy bear from before I was born, pictures from my childhood, my preschool graduation robe, and toys my grandfather made for me. And they are well-preserved in labeled storage containers. I just choose what objects mean the most to me physically (most of the aforementioned items are being saved for my children) and keep those around. The rest get tossed unless they serve some useful purpose. For example: I loved my Barbies growing up. I had BOXES of Barbie crap. I remember the great times playing Barbies with my mom and my friends, and how jealous they all were of my awesome stuff. However, I have none of those Barbies left because the memories are more important than the physical objects. Books, on the other hand, are always useful. Unless they are turning to dust I will hold on to those suckers for as long as I can (thanks for the new bookshelf, Dad!).
This week Steve and I are tossing out the junk and replacing some of it with new junk. In case you have problems with this step, here are some of the guidelines I like to follow:
- For clothes: If you haven't worn it in the past season (for example, if you didn't wear a sweater this past winter) you probably won't wear it next season (unless you're pregnant, then ignore this). If it doesn't fit you anymore, get rid of it. If you're keeping something because it was a gift but you actually hate it, get rid of it. Clothes are some of the best items to donate, but they're useless if they've been sitting in closets forever getting nasty. Give them to someone in need instead of making your closet look more full.
- For kitchen supplies: If you've never used it and have had it for more than a year, you'll probably never use it because you probably forgot about it. If something is melted or rusted, it's probably time to replace it. Some kitchen gadgets are totally useless. Alton Brown says that a flour sifter is the most pointless kitchen tool because a fine mesh strainer can be used with the same results, and it's useful for other things (like straining). If you are missing enough of a set of something for it to be embarrassing, replace it. Steve and I only had four glasses left after busting the rest of them in the dishwasher. So we bought some beautiful new ones to replace the old! This is also a great way to make your new home feel really new without spending a bunch of money (Bed, Bath, and Beyond 20% coupons are THE. BEST. EVER.).
- For books, movies, CDs, electronics, etc.: Use the same rules as above. If you forgot you had it, it's time to go. Amazon.com pays pretty good money with their trade-in program and it's free to ship items. Powell's Books is my go-to place for selling books, and they pay more if you get virtual credit to their store instead of real money (which I'm all about). Most public libraries take donations of books, DVDs, and CDs for their book sales. Electronics can also be recycled at Best Buy if they are no longer in working order.
Goals for Week 5:
- Rid your house of all unwanted belongings (sell, donate, or throw away said belongings)
- Continue to prepare for packing by collecting packing materials and supplies
“Get Rid of Your Junk” -- indeed! Segregating what you should keep and what you should not, is a good way of keeping down the amount of stuff that needs to be packed. In that way, use of boxes would be cut down, and at the same time, your workload, and the movers’ as well.
ReplyDeleteEricka Muldowney