Spring is around the corner, and that means lots of opportunity for spring cleaning. Sometimes it’s difficult to determine if you should sell, donate or straight up throw something away, but Michele Connolly lays out some clear guidelines to help you figure it out. Connolly is an organization guru and offers her services and advice through the Get Organized Wizard. Happy organizing! – A.M.
Declutter Clinic: Should I Sell It, Donate It Or Throw It Away?
One of my mottoes is: Have what you love; use what you have. Anything that doesn’t serve you, doesn’t earn a place in your life.
But an obstacle to decluttering that many people face is deciding what to do with the stuff they get rid of. Unfortunately, this dilemma can be so confusing that some people get completely immobilized – they end up unable to part with their stuff because they can’t decide where it should go. Don’t let confusion stop you from releasing unloved, unused things from your home and your life. Instead, use this guide.
1. When To Sell
If it’s worth good money, you should sell it, right? Well, not necessarily. When you’re decluttering, only allocate something to the ‘Sell’ pile if:
1. It’s worth more than it would cost to organize the sale (list online, hold a garage sale, etc), and
2. You can be bothered to do the work to organize the sale.
The second point is crucial – if you know you’re unlikely to ever get around to doing what’s needed to sell your items, then save yourself time and guilt and don’t tell yourself you’ll sell.
If you’re looking for ways to make cash then that’s a different matter. But if your top priority is to declutter your home and your life, then don’t create unnecessary hurdles. Skip the ‘Sell’ pile.
The Bramble Berry warehouse is moving towards becoming more lean. Lean is a production practice that emphasizes organization and efficiency. These “red tags” are a lean tool that aid in organization. They let others know whether an item should remain, move or be thrown away!