Question: Do you have a trash can in your house? That's kind of a silly thing to ask, right? Most of us have a trash can in the kitchen, office, bathrooms, and garage/outdoors. Some of us even have trash cans in each bedroom and the den. Why is this? Because we know we will generate trash each day and we want to have a convenient place to put it.

Why, then, do we let things we want to donate to charity pile up in closets, on the stairs, or under the bed for months, always saying with a sigh, "Gosh, I have got to get a box and get this stuff over to Goodwill"?

Can you imagine treating your trash the same way? Imagine piling up your leftover dinner, used kleenex, and old dental floss under the kitchen sink and saying, "Tomorrow I'll get a box to put that in." No way! The same thinking should apply to items you want to donate. Getting things you don't need or want is an inevitability, just like generating trash every day. So you should have a donation box always ready to put stuff in, and when it gets full, it's time to go.

It seems like actually boxing stuff up, loading it in the car, and then piling in with the kids and driving down to a donation center, however, is always a hassle. Well, I have GREAT news! There are countless organizations that will come and pick up items from your house any time. Do you ever get those postcards in the mail that say, "Our truck will be on your street next Thursday?" All you have to do is leave your stuff out by the curb. It's that simple. Even better, you don't have to wait to get a card in the mail. If you have the phone number from the postcard, all you have to do is call and they will come on a day of your choice.

So here's how to get started:
  • Get some cardboard boxes. Paper boxes from the office or diaper boxes work well. You can also get free shipping boxes at the post office.
  • Label the box "Donations" and set it up somewhere. I have mine in the guest room closet.
  • Anytime you decide something in your house needs to be donated to charity, put it in the box. When the box gets full, call for a pick-up, or wait for the next postcard to arrive in the mail.
Follow these steps and your donation box will become a regular fixture in your house, just like your trash cans. You will reduce your clutter on a regular basis while enriching other people's lives.
--Kelly =)




 
You might think that some people are born with the organizational gene and some aren't -- just like some people are naturally talented at math, or football.  I think that organizing is a skill we have all learned -- we can all categorize, sort, and label.  The skill that people struggle with is PURGING.

Being able to throw your stuff away is definitely something you are born with.  Some people are like "Throw it all away!" and some are like "I'm saving EVERYTHING!"  Most of us are somewhere in between.  But to truly be organized, we have to hone our purging skills and be able to get rid of something.  So here is my advice if you have a hard time purging: figure out what you absolutely love -- like your vintage tea set collection, your Disney figurines, or your kids' school projects -- and don't even think about those.  Instead, find stuff that doesn't hold much sentimentality, like old bills, the semi-dying plants in the backyard, or out-of-date food in the pantry -- and start the purging and organizing process with that.

Once you have mastered purging with non-sentimental things, move on to things that hold more memories.  You can do it!  
-- Kelly =)