Donate your stuff

I have moved a lot in my life. My parents were in the military when I was younger, so we bounced around quite a bit.  One thing  (of the many) my mother taught us was that when you get rid of stuff, you donate it.  A couple times a year the diabetes association would call and tell her they were having donation pick ups in our area and ask if she had anything to contribute. We would go through our old clothes that no longer fit and our toys we no longer used, put the items in a bag and leave them on the front porch for pick up.  During times when there were no pick ups, mom would drive us to a second hand shop and we would dropp it off there. My grandmother always said “waste no, want not”.

In the last 6 years I’ve moved four times and have learned several valuable lessons in this regard.

The More Stuff You Have, The More Stuff You Have Holding You Back

·      Most of the time storage is expensive and lets face it, who really wants to pay money to not see or be able to use their own belongings.  I did for a year and a half and you know what I realized at the end of it? Most of it I didn’t need or even notice was missing. When packing your things, get rid of what you don’t need or care about. The result will be a smaller and more affordable storage space.

·      Moving boxes are also expensive and sometimes a waste. Ask around and see if a friend or neighbor has some old ones kicking around. If not check out a local store and ask if they have any old boxes you can have.

·      Moving is often done by weight or cube size, therefore you basically pay for the amount of stuff you have. So the less you have, the less it will cost you. Remember if you are moving yourself you have to factor in the cost of gas.

·      If your friends are your movers don’t think you are off the hook. They will remember that time they lugged load after load up the flight of stairs, but what are friends for right?!

If It’s Free, It’s For Me

·      This is most peoples attitude towards free anything (well almost). Go through your things. If it doesn’t fit, you don’t like it, use it, need it or have multiples of it, donate it.

·      Family and Close Friends-donate to these people first, they are the ones that love and support you and will scrape you off the ground if you face plant into it. They are deserving and have probably donated to you at some point in the past. Ask them if they want the items you were iffy about letting go of . The things you really like but just don’t have room or use for. If you do this, you will know those items are going to a good home and may even see them being appreciated from time to time.

·      Second Hand Shops and Charities - Donate the items your family and friends do not want or need to these locations. Some donations to charity qualify for tax receipt so remember to ask if your not sure.

·      The Streets- If you live in a concentrated area with lots of foot traffic and you want to spread the love. Grab a box, make a simple sign that reads FREE, place your items in it and stick it outside. You would be amazed at how little will be left for garbage day. Just remember to clean up after and don’t put your items out when its windy or raining.

Keep the things you really truly care about . With less of the other stuff around cluttering your life up, it may be easier to see, appreciate or use them.

Once again, I’m moving soon. A short move this time but none the less I did the purge.  I donated to my sister, friends and the streets.  Sometimes its hard to give your things away, pick a day when your in the right mood. Once its done you’ll feel great about it.