The Stuff of Spring Cleaning
I’ve been motivated to clean out closets, drawers, and even a bit of the basement. The reasons why are:
- Spring flowers are blooming
- One daughter-in-law is on a personal challenge to minimize the stuff in her house by 2017 items in 2017. And no, she does not want any more THINGS!
- Another daughter-in-law posted on Facebook an article about how very much her generation does not want the items of their parents or grandparents. Brown furniture is so-o-o not current!
- I have had to clean out the houses of various parents, parents-in-laws, and aunts. Do I really want to torture my children this way in the far off (I hope) future?
- It just feels good when I know that everything has a place and is in its place, and I don’t have to search and search and search. Maybe it’s here? No? Well, maybe it’s there? No? Then where IS IT???
Once I know what I’m willing to take out of my house, then comes the real dilemma. What do I do with all the stuff? Here are my options:
- Put it in the garbage can.
- List it on one of the many sites where one can sell stuff.
- Take it to a consignment store.
- Have a yard sale.
- Take it to one of the charity thrift stores.
I opt for #5. Rather than simply throwing away perfectly good items (well most stuff fits this description), dealing with people contacting you about buying your stuff, or going through all the trouble of having a yard sale, I decided that giving almost everything to a thrift store is the best option for me…even if the stuff has some monetary value. Why?
- It’s easy. I just drive up to the drop-off and a nice person unloads my car.
- I get a tax receipt for the stuff. (My list of what I’ve given is at home and will be stapled to the receipt to give to my tax person.)
- I have enjoyed my stuff but now others get to enjoy it as well. The person who buys my donated items gets a bargain and something to use. The charity gets funds to help people rebuild their lives. And I get more space in my house.
- Receiving some money for my items that I might sell benefits only me. Giving to a charity thrift store benefits a lot more people.
So… fair warning to my husband. I’m on a cleaning frenzy!