#Decluttering is the first step in any plan to get #organized in the new year. “It’s important to let go of what you no longer need or want,” says Better Homes & Gardens. “It’s silly to create space for something that doesn’t belong anywhere, so don’t be afraid to #toss or #donate the items that no longer serve a purpose in your home.” Start with a small area and get rid of the easy stuff first — expired food and medicine, ill-fitting clothing and #tchotchkes that don’t fit your #decorating aesthetic. Schedule #decluttering sessions on your calendar; even just a half-hour of targeted decision-making done regularly will get you more #organized in no time. Happy New Year! #NewYearNewlyOrganized
Tag: donations
A 10-Minute Decluttering Strategy for 2025
With only hours left in 2024, you may be contemplating how to make the new year more productive in a number of ways. If one of your #resolutions is to become more #organized and none of the usual methods have helped so far, maybe it’s time to try a new strategy. Nourishing Minimalism suggests taking just 10 minutes a day to #declutter a space. Once you have #trash bags, #donation boxes and #storage bins in place, it’s a “psychologically manageable” strategy that allows consistent #decluttering efforts to build into real results. Set a timer and get started; in a few weeks, you’ll have a more streamlined space. #NewYearNewlyOrganized
Better Ways to Spend Black Friday
#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
Set Your Thanksgiving Table at the Thrift
Hosting a #holiday feast but don’t have the proper table settings? Never fear — #thrift and #secondhand stores are overflowing with previously owned serving dishes, dinnerware and glassware that can lend your #Thanksgiving table a hint of seasonal elegance without a lot of money. Dishes and platters “don’t have to match exactly but should go together,” says Jane’s Distractions. “Here is where you can start to design the table with colors, textures or shapes.” For a great selection, visit a thrift store that’s supplied by generous #donations to ClothingDonations.org; the proceeds from #resale will go toward programs that help #veterans during the #holidays! #EasiestThanksgiving
Supporting POW/MIA Accountability
Earlier this year, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified the remains of U.S. Air Force Maj. John Creighton Gillespie Kerr, leaving the number of Americans still missing in action and unaccounted for from the Vietnam War at 1,576. The Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and its local chapters help find and identify MIA remains through its Veterans Initiative Program, which uses artifacts taken from battlefields such as maps, after-action reports, pictures and other items to help locate the remains of those who gave their lives in service. Your #donations of used #clothing and #household goods to ClothingDonations.org support this program and many others that help living veterans on a daily basis. Schedule a #pickup today! #NationalPOW/MIARecognitionDay