Perfectly Practical #144 - Decluttering Part 2

The medicine drawer gets cleaned out every January.
I give away all medicines that expire in the current year.

Last week I told you about how I was decluttering throughout the month of January.  I gave myself the month since I usually would give myself a week, work myself to death, only get halfway through, then fizzle out.  Sound familiar to anyone else?

Lesson #1 learned:  Set a realistic goal and go forward.

This year with the help of Nony's e-book Drowning in Clutter and the 15 Minute Decluttering Calendar, I am off to an excellent start answering the how, when, and where questions.

But now that you know how to purge and have this massive pile of stuff leftover, what do you do with the stuff?

It kind of depends on the stuff.  Ask yourself a few questions:
Is it worth selling?  Does it hold sentimental value to anyone?  Can it be useful in a new light?

After you've asked those questions then be proactive and get the stuff out of the house.

For me, that means once my donation box is full, I put it in the trunk of my car to take to charity and start filling another box.  When the trunk is full, it all goes away - and there is no pulling from the trunk.  Once it's out, it's out.

Alternatively, if I will be giving away items to someone that I will be seeing during the week, I will put their pile of stuff by the door so I can grab it before I see them and put it in their hands.

Take it to charities - Hope's Closet, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Red Cross, Animal Shelters, Homeless Shelters, Food Pantries, Churches, Local Charities, Women's Shelters
Most Obvious and Minimal Effort Involved

Give it to family members - Specifically I am thinking of family items that have been passed down but you no longer have a use or need for it.  You may not have a place for Granny's rocking chair anymore but it would be right to ask your sibling/cousin if they would like it before you give it away/sell it.
Less Obvious Could be Mentally Taxing and Time Consuming

Sell it - EBay, Craig's List, word of mouth, newspaper, garage sale...I don't employ this method since I don't like to sell anything.  However, I have good friends that have regular garage sales and love it.  It's whatever you are comfortable with and I, personally, am not comfortable with selling stuff.
Less Obvious, More Labor Intensive and Time Consuming 

Type set drawer turned wall art/jewelry hanger

Repurpose it - Turn trash into treasure by creatively recycling items in your home to be used for a purpose that was not originally intended (more on that in next week's Madly in Love post.)
Least Obvious, Potentially More Labor Intensive, Time Consuming, and Mentally Taxing

As of right now, I have decluttered both bedrooms (including under the beds), all three bathrooms, all five closets, the formal living/dining room, garage, and the kitchen.  I only have the den and attic to go as far as inside space is concerned and I can't do either without enlisting the help of Engineer.

If I find I have plenty of time at the end of the month, I will go through our hall bookcase (what Diva calls our Library); it will be a major project...mainly due to the volume of cookbooks...maybe I should revisit what Ms. Nony says about keeping what you can handle.  >Sigh...<

This is part of Works for Me Wednesday.

I am an affiliate for Nony's book (because I liked it that much.) Nony provided me with a copy of her e-book to review. All opinions and photos of random items are my own.  Thanks Ms. Nony!