Tag: used clothing

Make Every Day Boxing Day

Posted on by Jordank

Happy Boxing Day! British custom has it that the first weekday after Christmas is the day to acknowledge those rendering services throughout the year with gifts or gratuities. Servants and tradesmen have accepted “Christmas boxes” of gifts, cash bonuses, leftovers and secondhand items since medieval times, House Beautiful says.

Today, the United Kingdom and former colonies such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand celebrate Boxing Day as a shopping holiday, similar to Black Friday or a post-holiday clearance sale in the United States.

We’ve likely done all of the shopping we need to do for a while, and more shopping just means more #stuff to put away — or more #clutter. So let’s return to the “#giving” definition of Boxing Day and make it an everyday tradition from now through the new year.

It’s a great holiday for #minimalists, because it calls upon those celebrating to #give things away. Assuming it’s in good working order, the stuff you no longer use — wrong-sized clothes, extra kitchen and dinnerware, appliances, books, small furniture and so on — may have a second useful life in someone else’s hands.

That’s where ClothingDonations.org can help. Our drivers will pick up those extra things and resell them to #thrift stores to fund an array of programs that the nation’s #veterans rely upon. It’s a generous, safe and convenient way to observe the Boxing Day tradition of acknowledging others’ service.

You don’t have to limit yourself to a single box, of course. ClothingDonations.org will #pick up as many boxes and bags of #donations as you want to give. And if you’re still in the process of household #decluttering, you can schedule a #donation to match your progress as often as you gather a few boxes of stuff to #give away.

As the #holidays wind down, we hope you can make Boxing Day an everyday tradition — one that recognizes service and sacrifice while helping #declutter and #streamline your home life. Get started today, and make a new habit of observing Boxing Day as early and often as you want while getting organized for the new year. #BoxingDay

5 Ways to Shop Sustainably This Holiday Season

Posted on by Jordank

You’ve got a dilemma: You want to give gifts that your friends and family will love during the holiday season, but you want to do so without creating undue environmental impact — not such an easy task in today’s global economy.

Mass-market merchandise requires raw materials — petroleum products, rare-earth minerals and so on — that are often toxic to extract. Manufacturing byproducts and product packaging go into landfills and oceans, where they can last thousands of years.

What’s more, even things that break down or recycle easily often travel long distances to get to your front door, using fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources. So even if you buy imported foods for the holiday feast, you add more carbon to the atmosphere.

But there are ways to at least minimize your impact during the #holidays:

1. Support small, local businesses. The closer you are to the product’s source, the less fuel it takes to get to you. Locally grown foodstuffs and handmade items — that one-of-a-kind scarf from the craft fair, for example — have minimal environmental impact and are usually better than anything you can find at a big-box store.

2. Shop sustainable businesses. Businesses that pledge to recycle, use #sustainable materials, plant trees and offset carbon emissions are easier on the environment; just be wary of claims that seem too good to be true. “Fast fashion” brands are some of the worst for creating trash.

3. Give an experience. Tickets to the movies, a local play or concert; a restaurant meal; or gift certificate to a yoga session, spa or salon make great gifts that don’t require a lot of sweatshop labor or create extra greenhouse gases.

4. Shop the thrift. Giving used goods a second chance is a great way to keep lots of clothing and household items out of landfills while saving money. Bonus? Buy from a #thrift shop supplied by #donations to ClothingDonations.org, and you’ll help fund veterans programs.

5. Donate. #Charitable organizations need help on Giving Tuesday and throughout the year. Choose a cause that aligns with your giftee’s goals and #give in their name. It won’t be the same as unwrapping the latest air fryer or smart speaker, but still makes a thoughtful #gift.

#Giving can be its own reward — especially if you shop #sustainably.

Give the Gift of Time

Posted on by Jordank

The Organizing Blog regularly espouses the benefits of reducing, reusing and recycling used clothing and household goods, and you can slash waste even as you buy #holiday #gifts for family and friends. Utopia.org suggests a variety of ecofriendly gifts such as a reusable water bottle to cut plastic waste, a donation to an environmental preservation group or planting a tree. But best gift of all this season, the site says, is the gift of time. It’s hard to come by and incredibly valuable, and spending a few hours or sharing a meal with family and friends will make an unforgettable gift. #SustainableShopping

Fall Fashion 2018: Out With the Old

Posted on by Jordank

Every September, the fashion industry introduces its new styles for the fall season. And while annual “fashion weeks” throughout the world serve largely to drive consumer demand for clothing manufacturers and retailers, most people like to express their personalities through what they wear and get a genuine sense of excitement from buying something new.

This year, the Elle trendspotters positioned at the edge of the runways say, “power red” will be huge. Western-style details will be common on everything from blouses to boots, and 1970s plaids will be back alongside futuristic “athleisure suits.” There will be “couch” florals, Victorian collars, fishnets and lots of velvet.

Vogue says the ’80s will be back in a big way, with designers showing off garments with big shoulders and neon colors. Fashions featuring sporty looks and logos will make their way to market, as well as oversized utilitarian outerwear, chain-mail dresses, shaggy furs, and lots and lots of scarves.

In other words, there’s a lot for the everyday fashionista to like in 2018.

Most of the trendsetting runway styles are already being adapted for people who can’t afford to spend thousands on a couture garment. Within weeks — maybe days — of the designer debuts, you’ll see ready-to-wear labels and fast-fashion retailers such as H&M adapt many of the hottest looks trends into affordable garments.

The only problem? When people go shopping and find clothes that fit their fabulous new look for fall, they don’t often throw out the old.

Your closet is probably teeming with all kinds of garments that were the tip of hip a couple of years ago, but are now no longer on your short list for daily wear. You might not wear a particular item due to a change in size, a change in styles, or because that garment just never fit into your overall scheme.

Those garments are still in your closets and dresser drawers because you formed an emotional attachment to them — a fond memory of wearing them or when you bought them, or a determination that someday, you will find a way to wear them. But right now, they’re just taking up space.

Do yourself a favor this year as you shop and integrate new styles into your wardrobe: Get rid of the old. Anything you aren’t wearing is occupying valuable real estate in your closets and mind. When you buy anything new, eliminate something old (or two of those somethings, if you really want to declutter).

Bag those lightly worn, once-fashionable rejects up and contact ClothingDonations.org for a pickup. There’s no better way to stay on-trend than to eliminate the clothing that just isn’t working for you.

Garage Organization

Posted on by Jordank

With kids riding bikes and playing outdoors, it’s easy to let your garage get cluttered! Make sure you have a specific spot for your children to park their bikes or rollerblades, and also make sure that all of their games, toys, and sports equipment have designated shelf space in your garage. A clean garage allows you to find different things more easily and quickly if you’re in a hurry!