Tag: donate

Hygge and Wintertime Self-Care

Posted on by Jordank

You’ve probably heard a lot about hygge (hyoo-gah) from this blog and others. It’s the Danish concept “of creating cozy and convivial atmospheres that promote well-being,” said the Collins English Dictionary in naming it a Word of the Year in 2016.

At the center of the concept — perhaps not surprisingly, giving the streamlined, no-nonsense lines that have long characterized Scandinavian design — is simplicity. Hygge practitioners are encouraged to relax, light candles and swath themselves in warm blankets.

In a hygge home, everything has its place. Furnishings feature natural woods and fibers. Sightlines are uncluttered. There isn’t a surplus of tchotchkes, but everything one needs to be comfortable is readily available. It’s a space that inspires calm.

Hygge is said to lower stress and improve emotional well-being, or at least many of its tenets do. Warm, dim lighting is more relaxing than bright white lights, for example, and spending time with friends and family supports physical and emotional health.

Researchers found that the hygge lifestyle had significant positive impacts for women in a correctional facility in Denmark. Encouraged to share food and fellowship according to hyyge principles, the women’s moods and perceptions of safety improved.

If you aren’t yet in a hygge space, start by #decluttering. Eliminate any things — or piles of things — that you set aside for a later date and just haven’t needed since. #Schedule a #free #donation #pickup with ClothingDonations.org to get rid of some of that #junk.

Then, reorganize your #space to be a warm, inviting source of calm and contentment. Turn down the lights. Have blankets and slippers ready. Offer guests a warm beverage, bake some cookies or relax with a good book instead of doom-scrolling through the mind-clutter of social media.

“The important thing to remember is that your #environment does influence how you feel,” environmental psychologist Sally Augustin told Everyday Health. “You can take control of your environment and actually make it really good.”

Organizational Accessories Perfect for Giving

Posted on by Jordank

One of the critical steps in #decluttering and #organizing is to corral all useful items into the spaces you can find them easily. Depending on the item, that may be a shelf, a drawer, a box or a bin — as long as you know where to look for it and get in a routine of putting things in their proper places, you’ll never be left wondering where something is. Whatever you or the people on your #gift list have trouble organizing — tools, jewelry, hats, closets, spices or life in general — That’s Why I’m Broke offers 33 accessories that can keep #clutter in check and perfect for #holiday giving. #GiftsToConquerClutter

Give a Gift That Cuts the Clutter

Posted on by Jordank

If you have a friend or family member who struggles with #clutter, consider giving them a #holiday #gift that helps get #organized. Good Housekeeping recommends a variety of #containers, #organizers, packing cubes and #storage bins that will help organize everything from charging cables to kitchen implements to yard tools, plus a labelmaker that can help put a name to the place. Once the essentials are organized and stored in a reliable spot, it’s easy to determine what’s extra and inessential — and those things can be #decluttered and #donated to benefit the nation’s #veterans through ClothingDonations.org.

When You Need Nothing, Declutter

Posted on by Jordank

If you’re anything like the authors of the The Organizing Blog, you don’t really want any thing for Christmas. That’s when you know that the #clutter has gotten to be too much. You need to step back, take a hard look at what you have, and decide — item by item — what can stay and go. Maybe you have enough base layers, sweaters and coats for winter, and you really wear only a tiny portion of them. Or you might have enough glasses and dinnerware to host dozens at your #holiday dinner party, but rarely have more a half-dozen people over at a time. Sort that #stuff into “use” and “don’t-use” piles, and schedule a #donation #pickup with ClothingDonations.org.

Better Ways to Spend Black Friday

Posted on by Jordank

#Thanksgiving is upon us! And even before many family #feasts have cooled on the countertop, the malls and the big-box stores will reopen with much fanfare — and promises of rock-bottom low prices — to mark the beginning of the #holiday #shopping season: Black Friday.

Overnight, we’ll see crowds gather in hopes of getting an unreal price on a big-screen TV, gaming system or computer. The doors will open, and crowds of crazed bargain-hunters will rush in, jostling their way to low prices. Is it worthwhile?

We at The Organizing Blog don’t have anything against #shopping. Our hunter-gatherer heritage lives on in the desire to equip ourselves with food to eat, clothes to wear and tools to use to survive comfortably. And we love getting a good #deal.

But the manufactured urgency of limited-time offers and loss leaders is designed to get people to buy before they get a chance to think a purchase through, CNET notes. For another thing, that low, low long-weekend price may not be the best you can do.

To save, consider buying used, certified refurbished or closeout goods. Search the online classifieds for antiques, collectibles and bigger-ticket items. Or find unique — yet inexpensive — gifts at the #thrift and #secondhand stores supplied by #donations to ClothingDonations.org.

There are better ways to spend the long weekend than elbowing through the crowds. Consider taking a hike, celebrating Buy Nothing Day and Native American Heritage Month, or visiting the public library, NPR suggests, instead of wasting time and money chasing supposed “deals.”

Take a day to make a few homemade gifts, visit a museum or #declutter a #closet and #donate the things you aren’t using, adds Money Talks News. Or prepare for the holidays by baking a batch of cookies, putting up lights or decorating a tree.

Trust us, the deals will keep coming throughout the holidays, in stores and online. And if you can’t get whatever you want at a price you can afford, maybe it isn’t worth having. Take your Black Friday back from the retailers — you won’t regret it. #BlackFriday