Donate, Ditch, or Sell

(This picture was taken when we broke down while moving across the country - we had a 16 month old and had to wait 6 hours. Lots of fun!)

We have moved a lot in our married life (8 times to be exact) and moved most recently 3 weeks ago. We have been pretty good about not taking junk with us whenever we move but lately we have had the overwhelming urge to simplify our lives by living with only the things we need. So when I read what Sally Allen, owner of A Place for Everything (an organizing service in Golden, Colorado) said in this article, "Chances are, you use only 20 percent of your stuff regularly." it really got me thinking. We decided to test her statement and we have not unpacked all of our boxes in an effort to see what else we can live without. So far, we haven't missed anything. In August our plan is to go through the unpacked boxes and to donate, ditch or sell whatever we don't need and to put in storage those things that will come in handy later in life.

This article helped me feel better about making decisions for what to donate, toss, or try to sell. One thing I learned was that you can email thecdexchange a list of the CD's and DVD's you are trying to part with and they will email back what price (or in store credit) they are willing to offer you. Then you mail them the merchandise and they mail you a check. The whole process is safe (they have Better Business Bureau approval), quick, and easy.

This article was especially useful in recognizing how to organize your existing space, to get rid of clutter, and how to decide what should be tossed.

I thought Vicki Norris (president of Restoring Order, organizing company in Portland Oregon) gave sound advice in the article when she said, "Walk through your house with a pen and a notebook, writing down the activities that take place in each room and the items associated with those activities. "Then 'purpose' your space." I love the idea of each room having a purpose or a theme (or multiple which seems more likely with kids). I think that would help me a lot even in the buying process. If it doesn't fit into a room, it seems less likely I would buy it.

My goal is to someday have a house where everything has a purpose and a place. Hopefully I can teach my kids the same principle for their bedrooms - wish me luck!