The change of seasons is a great time to consider decluttering and rearranging your spaces. Let’s face it. Over the course of time, we accumulate a lot of stuff. That stuff can be furniture, knickknacks, or other accessories that just seem to reproduce in our living spaces. When the seasons change, so can our use of our living spaces. Freeing those spaces of useless clutter can change our entire outlook on how we see our homes and dare I say it? Maybe even our lives.
Now, how do you start and what do you do with the stuff you’re trying to clear away?
Store it away
The easiest way to clear the unused stuff around your living spaces is to simply pack it away. Just look around at what you have in your home and think about whether you need or use it. It’s it’s an extra cabinet handed down from your grandmother, you don’t want to just chunk it. The same goes for any type of family heirloom. The easiest thing to do with bulky furniture items you don’t want to use; but you don’t want to sell it to store it. Self storage is a great solution to packing away some of the valuables or things you can’t let go of. This will allow you to clear those items out of your living spaces until you are in a larger home or can actually clear space to accommodate it.
Donate it
One of the kindest things you can consider is whether anything you are getting rid of can help someone else in a less fortunate position. Donating to local charities and thrift stores can really help someone out. This can be as easy as calling you local Kidney Foundation to see if they are picking up in your neighborhood anytime in the future. They take bulk items and sell them; using the money for research into kidney disease. Of course the old standbys like Goodwill and Salvation Army are always good bets when donating items. They provide jobs for those who may not be employable in other circumstances. Local churches are great places to offer items that are in good shape, they undoubtedly have families who are in need who could use gently used furniture and would be grateful to have it.
Recycle your stuff
Simply throwing away the things you no longer want or need is a decision you mustn’t make lightly. There are already too many landfills full of junk, and they don’t need you to contribute more. If you really have to throw things away, then that’s OK. But many things can be refurbished, recycled, and upcycled. And there are even materials that can be reused. For example, a broken iPhone contains gold, coltan, and computer processors for recycling. There are many companies who will actually purchase you discarded mobile phones so check into that.
Ask friends and family
There’s almost always someone you know who would gladly take something off your hands. Be sure to consider them, especially if you’re offering something for free. You may know a couple who is just starting out who’d love your old dining room furniture or chest of drawers. Even old coffee table or end tables could help out a young couple who need everything.
Make a quick buck
Of course, you may want to make some money on the things you don’t want or need anymore. It’s smart to sell those items that are in good condition and you no longer need or want. Online marketplaces are great for quickly moving unwanted items. And you can even use the money from local sales for further storage or the purchase of new stuff. Price things so you can move off of the price in case people want to haggle; and they will want to haggle. Be careful and try to deal with local people because there are scammers out there. Deal only in cash and make drop off points in places like police department parking lots to protect yourself.
Using the change of season as a time to declutter is a great idea. Around the fall it’s especially great so it will free up your space for all of the wonderful winter décor you’ll be bringing out soon.