Perhaps the best-recognized proponent of a #minimalist lifestyle, Joshua Becker offers a practical companion to his bestselling The More of Less in The Minimalist Home. The book offers easy-to-use strategies to achieve the mental benefits of #minimalism, including a room-by-room approach that starts by #decluttering the easiest room of the house and ends with the most challenging. Keep only what matters to you most, the book says; not only can #minimalism save you money, it can free up the time necessary to give back and engineer a fulfilling, productive life. (As always, you can give some of that unwanted #stuff back by scheduling a free #donation #pickup at ClothingDonations.org.) #SummerReading
Tag: declutter
Summer Reading for the Dedicated Declutterer, Part 2
As anyone who has ever moved after a few years in the same place knows, #decluttering often goes hand-in-hand with #downsizing. While its title has the unfortunate tendency to get people singing from the Frozen soundtrack, Peter Walsh’s Let It Go can help people going through a major downsizing resulting from a divorce, marriage, death in the family or move. The book can help readers sort out their feelings surrounding that #stuff, keep only the most meaningful #mementoes and divide up inherited possessions. After #downsizing, Let It Go encourages readers to focus on learning, experiences and helping others. #SummerReading
Summer Reading for the Dedicated Declutterer, Part 1
If you have time for a little summer reading and a desperate need to #declutter, there are plenty of books that can help. For example, Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup offers advice that empowers its readers to “take their lives back” from the stultifying effects of #clutter — not just in the home, but also in finances, relationships and mental outlook. Practical solutions encourage readers to cultivate new habits and make intentional choices about what they buy, keep and do on a day-to-day basis. Unstuffed offers #decluttering ideas for the mind, body and soul, giving readers “permission to NOT do it all and much-needed relief from the constant pressure to perform.” #SummerReading
Veterans Put the ‘Fun’ in Fundraiser
Regular followers of The Organizing Blog know that #donations of used clothing and household goods to ClothingDonations.org go toward programs that help #veterans pay for food, housing, health care and other necessities.
But did you know that Vietnam Veterans of America’s local chapters throughout the country also host #fundraisers that get veterans more involved with each other and their communities — while also helping veterans in need?
Veterans put the “fun” in fundraisers with parades, car shows, barbecue cook-offs and more. In doing so, they sustain chapter outreach and good works in the community, supplementing and building upon the proceeds from #donations of used goods.
Texarkana Chapter 278, for example, hosts a Wagons for Veterans fundraiser that gives locals a taste of the chuckwagon-style cooking of the Old West. The all-you-can-eat feast draws thousands of patrons for a full day of festivities every year.
Chapter 116 in Leominster, Mass., holds a fundraiser that sells locals guesses as to when a mannequin seated on a lifeguard’s perch, “Rocky,” will fall through pond ice during the spring thaw. The closest entry to the exact time wins $500, and veterans get the rest.
Many chapters sell flags, wreaths and walkway bricks to place in honor of those who served. Some hold outdoor festivals, 5Ks and charity motorcycle rides. And more host luncheons, dinners and dances, often inviting interesting guest speakers.
In addition to supporting member veterans, every chapter uses some of the money raised to give back to its community. They award college scholarships to local students, march in parades, build memorials, donate to local food pantries and much more.
If you can attend a local event, great! You’ll take part in the fun. But also remember that every time you #declutter and contact ClothingDonations.org for a free #donation #pickup, you are #donating not just to area #veterans, but to the entire community.
Help Mom Be More Minimalist
Moms — everyone has one. And this Sunday is the day many among us will celebrate them. You might do that by taking her out to brunch, giving her a day off, flowers, cards or a call.
There’s another option that can help you show you care, however, in combination with one or more of those classic options or separately throughout the year: Help Mom be more minimalist.
No two moms are alike, of course; some are packrats with closets full of clothes and big collections of tchotchkes and gewgaws; some are spartan neat-freaks. Wherever yours fits on that spectrum, she needs help managing and organizing her #stuff.
We at The Organizing Blog were fortunate to have moms who kept everything #neat and #tidy, never allowing unwanted or unused #junk to pile up. But there was nothing they liked more than a little help with their household tasks.
If your mom is getting older, it’s more urgent for you to help her #downsize. There may be many things that are easy to let go, says Aging Outreach Services, but handle sentimental items with care.
If a move to a smaller space is imminent, make an action plan to eliminate everything but the essentials, room by room. Recruit family members and friends to make a day out of a decluttering effort. And most importantly, be patient.
Repeat the process as often as as necessary to get Mom to a refreshed, #decluttered place. It might even be something you can bond over — especially if you have a #garage sale that helps fund a dinner out or a spa day.
Remember, you can schedule as many free #donation #pickups as you want at ClothingDonations.org to get any extra clothing or unused household goods out of Mom’s sight as quickly as possible.
Helping #Mom #declutter is a Mother’s Day gift that keeps on giving. Not only will she appreciate having a cleaner, more organized space, but both of you will cherish the time you spend together.