Pondering Donating or Trashing...Your Unwanted Items May Be Reusable!

In the past couple of months, I have completed two more decluttering purges. I accumulated all items, and then divvy them up to their new home (i.e. trash, Goodwill, consignment store, etc). As I am ridding items from my apartment, I try really hard to prevent unwanted items from ending up in a landfill with researching if they could be recycled or reused. As you are mulling over items in your life and home, here are some possible locations you can donate your unwanted items:

• Unwanted Toiletries 
• Unopened travel-sized shampoos you've collected during your travels (shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shaving cream) are welcomed donation items at homeless and women shelters
• Or maybe you have decided you really don't like a face wash after you've used it a few times. Posting a photo of what you're looking to toss on social media; what you no longer want might turn out to be a friends favorite product.
• Worn-out bedding and towels
• These well-used items can take up a lot of room in your closet. The best place to give them a second life is an animal shelter or vet's office.
• Spare Hangers
• Unwanted hangers take up lot of space .If your closet is overflowing with metal ones from the dry cleaner, take them back to the cleaners--most have collection bins right inside the door.
• Spices and spice packets
• You might not notice this, but there are manufacturing codes on the bottle packaging of your store-bought spices. Most spice producers have an online feature where you can check the frseshness of your specifc container using the code. This will help you determine wheter it's time to throw out the contents and recyle the bottles. Only repurchase spices as you need them
• Cookbooks
• Are you keeping a cookbook around because you love a single recipe in it? Photocopy or photograph the recipe and donate the book to your library or favorite bookstore. The Seattle Public Library has a Cookbook Sale annually, and then also quarterly booksales throughout the year.
• Glasses
• Old glass frames, with or without prescription lenses, might be cluttering up your drawer or nightstand. If your eye doctors office doesn't participate in a recycling program, stores like Target, Walmart, PCC will gladly take them.
• Outdoor equipment
• Biking, camping, and sports equipment are bulky and likely to be quite expensive. If they are in good condition, bring them to a consignment shop. A local scouting troop might be open to donations.
• Formal Wear
• Evening gowns, tuxedos, dress shoes, and rhinestone jewelry take up tons of space and has very little everyday use. Approach the theater department at your local high school to take them off your hands.
• Framed artwork
• Is there artwork on your walls that no longer interest you? Try selling on craigslist. Contact your local library, many libraries have artwork loans where you can check out works of wart, just like books, and they accept donations to their collections.
• Product Packaging
• unless you plan on reselling certain electronics you purchase (have the original packaging increases the items worth), your product packiaging should always be recycled. Collecting cardboard is a fire hazard and takes up a lot of space unnecessarily .

Many books and DVDs were donated. Also, since I have completed digitalized all my music, their empty cases were donated. In this photo, there are also many clothes, unused board games, and empty photo albums (photos are being scanned and digitalized as well). The reality is that I spend 30 seconds on my hair routine, and so goodbye hair dryer and straightener.

Empty CD cases, a wireless keyboard that I haven't used in six years, board games (yes, I finally parted with Friends Scene It).

I received a Nespresso for Christmas, so I decluttered my Keurig and all of it's accessories. And yes, the Nespresso provides superior, convenient, on-touch coffee.

This expanded file folder held all the places I want to travel. It included maps, magazines, and brochures. All of these items have now been scanned, and are saved on a hard drive to reference on adventures.

I have begun parting with designer purses that I no longer utilize. These items were sold at a consignment, and I have utilized the money earned from them into new adventures and vacations...cha-ching!

Clothes that I was able to sell at a consignment store.

Kitchen items, empty photo albums, books, dvds (mostly TV series), clothes, and pillows.

When Your Daughter Is A Minimalist....This Could Happen

My parents began decluttering their massive home, and the initial results filled up an entire moving truck. No, they are not physically moving; but rather, they are moving things that no longer provide a purpose or joy to their lives. Being in Missouri for two weeks during the holidays allowed me to help my parents with moving items down three flights of stairs in some instances. As a person that avoids upper body exercise, I met my quota of strengthening for the whole year. Also, my parents stated that it was encouraging and motivating to have me there to assist them delving into truly what items add value to their lives.

So how did my parents execute the daunting task of sorting through years of accumulating and storing items that belong to themselves and others (including their granddaughter, children, grandparents, great grandparents, and other relatives)? That is over FIVE generations of stuff taking up space, collecting dust, and being unused! My parents still have the goal of downsizing to a smaller house, so they realize the reality of taking everything with them is unrealistic, and thus begins their journey towards their new goal.

My parents were initially thinking of participating in the city-wide garage sale that occurs in the spring, but after evaluating the time and effort to do so, they decided that donating the items was the most practical option for them. Their local Goodwill will come and pick up donations if there are at least three big items (usually furniture). My parents donated seven large items; therefore, Goodwill also took their boxes and containers of unwanted stuff.  The truck was emptied when it arrived, and was full when it left. After the truck departed, we came across a few more items that were meant to be donated, so we dropped them off to the store ourselves. It was fulfilling to see many of the items from our home were already out in the store for purchase; things that we were no longer using were finding new homes and not ending up in the salvage yard. Remember to find ways of reusing and repurposing when decluttering when possible and appropriate!

Decluttering the House

• Games/Puzzles: there are so many games/puzzles we no longer play or have outgrown; in addition, there were many card games that were missing cards.
• Books/Magazines: there were so many childhood books that were donated; some were recycled, such as the collection of TV Guides and Disney Adventures.
• Furniture: there are many pieces of furniture that are not utilized in my parent's; the ones that were donated were those that have been deemed uncomfortable.
• Kitchen items: my parents use to own a restaurant, and they have kept many shelving units and dishes that were utilized there. My parents also had many dish sets, and so they ended up donated all sets except for one; which freed up a lot of kitchen cabinet space.
• Baskets: I couldn't believe the number of baskets (various sizes) that my parents possessed.
• Children clothes: my mother kept almost all my baby clothes; although it was immensely nostalgic to go through them, I decluttered many of them.
• Holiday decorations: my mother loves to decorate for the holidays, but she is expending less energy and time into this tradition, so there were many items she was able to donate.
• Pictures and frames: my parents have accumulated many framed pictures that no longer pertains to their tastes and removed them from the walls and storage.
• Niece's toys and belongs: My niece is now a teenager and no longer plays or utilizes many of her things at my parent's house. She went through her things, and kept those that she was unable to get rid of yet.

Dish sets and random dishes

This shows about 60% that was donated

Old luggage, stuffed animals, games, and the couch were donated

Puzzles, games, stuffed animals, books, and videos

Dish sets that are not used and wedding crystal

The items that my niece donated

Figurines that I had received over the years of my childhood.

Stuffed animals that were donated

We recycled this box of old TV guide books

We filled up this entire truck of things that we decluttered.