Spring is finally here and with it comes the time of year when we look through our basements, closets, and attics and find all the things that we no longer need. It’s a great time to get rid of the ‘clutter’ and donate it. After all the saying is true- one man’s trash is another’s treasure.
It feels great to pass on the things we no longer need to make more room for the things we love (and maybe a few new things!).
- Cleaning out your closet can make finding the items you truly wear (and the ones that fit!) into the forefront.
- Tidying up the basement may make room for a new workspace or playspace.
- Going through the garage can make project time easier since you’ll easily be able to find all your tools for any project.
- Attaining some organization in the attic is a great way to ensure that you have space for things that are important for you to hang onto while dumping all the things you no longer need.
Tips for Clearing the Clutter
- Get yourself ready. Arm yourself with a hearty breakfast, a giant glass of water, bags or boxes, and plenty of coffee (if you drink it).
- Tackle one closet or room at a time.
- Evaluate each item it’s either a Keep, Donate, or Trash item. There should be no maybes here.
- Take regular breaks.
- You can get more tips on how to declutter from Goodwill here.
The best part of dumping your clutter is that you can often donate items and get a handy tax write off as well. You can use Goodwill’s Value Guide to find out how much your items are worth.
Did you know you can calculate how your donation will impact your community? I think this is a great feature and one that encouraged me to give away even more! Goodwill’s Donation Impact Calculator shows how your donation helps your community. Simply click here, add you zip code, and then tally up what you’re donating. The Donation Impact Calculator will show you how each item adds to your impact!
I donated 6 bags, 1 laundry hamper, a game, and a ride on toy to Goodwill this weekend. You can see what we donated below. And with that simple donation of clothes that no longer fit and things we no longer need we made an impact of 6.2 hours of job search classes (I clicked through and read more of Cheryl’s story and was moved to find an additional two bags of things we no longer needed that brought our tally up to over 8 hours!)
Donate Stuff. Create Jobs. It’s the tagline of Ad Council’s campaign with Goodwill®, which reminds people that their donations support people who are seeking to earn jobs and build careers. To see how the process works, just watch our “How We Do It” PSA.
Kelly
Disclosure: This post was made possible through the support of Goodwill. All opinions are my own.
