Make an Impact on National Give Something Away Day

National Give Something Away Day — celebrated each year on July 15 — was created as a reminder for people to give back. How you choose to give can take multiple forms, but selfless acts are their own reward.

Many people have much more than what’s necessary to survive, but know that there are people in need nearby. National Give Something Away Day encourages us to take stock of the #things and comforts around us and share them with others.

What you give and to whom is entirely up to you. You might give a friend an old #tchotchke they’ve long admired or a bouquet of flowers. You might buy the person behind you in line a coffee or a sandwich. No gift is too small.

You can also choose #donate the gift of time to a local charity or organization by #volunteering. Perhaps there’s a food pantry or outreach organization that could use your help and specialized knowledge.

One fantastic way to celebrate National Give Something Away Day is to #clean out your #closets and other #storage areas to weed out the #stuff you no longer need. If whatever you find is in wearable or working condition, chances are that somebody else can use it.

Start with a single #closet or room. Sort through all of the #clothing, #books, #decorations and other #household items to see what has a place, setting aside anything that doesn’t fit or only creates #clutter. You’ll probably see the piles build up fast!

Put that #junk into #bags and #boxes and contact ClothingDonations.org to schedule a #free #donation #pickup. Not only will you be giving something away and reclaiming #space, you’ll be #helping to fund programs that benefit the nation’s #veterans.

You can observe National Give Something Away Day on any day of the year, of course. But its reminder to give is one that yields benefits for everyone involved. #NationalGiveSomethingAwayDay

Goods That Will Make or Break Your Garage Sale

There are 12 categories of #garage-sale goods that “sell like hotcakes,” WiseBread says. Good quality, gently used #clothing; tools; furniture (especially bookcases or shelves); vintage dishes, glassware, and casseroles; garden tools; handbags; costume jewelry; games, toys, and bicycles; books; appliances; camping gear and other sporting goods; and exercise equipment. “Put pictures in your ad. Basic exercise equipment like weights will usually go quickly, but older treadmills or exercise bikes may linger, depending on how you price them and how quickly you want to get rid of them.” #GarageSaleHacks

Leap Into Spring Cleaning

It’s difficult for busy people to find the time to tackle their many #organizing and #cleaning tasks, The Kitchn says. The good news? Every Leap Year offers a full extra day to #declutter, #organize and #clean the trouble spots in your home. Take advantage of that extra 24 hours to organize a kitchen cabinet, pantry or countertop; #purge and #donate the cookbooks you don’t use; or go on a full #decluttering “spree” with a #donation bag or box a the ready. It’s also a great time to wipe down and #sanitize things that escape routine cleaning, such as windows, ceiling fans, ovens, baseboards and picture frames. #SpringCleaning #LeapDay

U.S. Presidents Aren’t Immune to Clutter

The holiday reserved to celebrate the birthdays of founding fathers George Washington and Abraham Lincoln is often recognized with sales on mattresses and other household goods. But U.S. presidents had a range of organizing habits, says Clutter.com. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, for example, had bookshelves built into every available space in his “Little White House” in Warm Springs, Georgia. His successor, Harry S Truman, had a desk built of scrap wood from a White House renovation that had at least 10 drawers, but nonetheless attracted a lot of stacks of important paperwork. So if #clutter ever gets you down, remember that  it’s a problem even for the most powerful. #PresidentsDay

Celebrate National Give Something Away Day

July 15 is a day that makes an official acknowledgement that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure — National Give Something Away Day. Established in 2015 by Linda Eaton Hall-Fulcher to encourage generosity, the day promotes #giving selflessly, mindful consumerism and #sustainability.

It’s a great incentive to #declutter and redistribute anything that you no longer need or want. “The reward goes both ways,” National Today says. “We benefit from feeling good about giving and making someone’s day, and at the same time, we also let go of items that we no longer need and are just lying around.”

The sheer amount of stuff in the average American home is staggering — about 300,000 different things. One in 10 Americans rents offsite storage for their extra #junk, and 25% of people with two-car garages don’t have room to park a car inside. The average 10-year-old owns 238 toys, but plays with only about a dozen of them.

Check your closets: There are probably outfits in there that you not only don’t wear, but didn’t even know you had. Pack up any items that no longer fit or don’t get worn, and schedule a free #donation #pickup at ClothingDonations.org to do your part on National Give Something Away Day.

You can also #donate lightly used household items, appliances, books and other items. Whatever you decide to give, having less #clutter in your life to worry about makes everything simpler. And giving actually activates the brain’s pleasure centers, a 2007 study revealed.

Whether you give someone flowers, pay for the next person’s order at the coffee shop, or sort through your old things and donate them to ClothingDonations.org, observing National Give Something Away Day is good for the giver and the recipient. Give something — one thing or a whole truckload — away. You’ll be better off for it!

#NationalGiveSomethingAwayDay