Tag: schedule a pickup

Are You a Decluttering Lion or Lamb?

Posted on by Jordank

With its rapid temperature fluctuations and blustery winds, it’s often said that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. This begs the #spring-cleaning question: When it comes to #decluttering, which one are you?

#Decluttering lions roar into a room and make snap decisions. They’re prepared to sort things into #keep, #trash and #donate piles fast, and have labeled bins, boxes and bags at the ready. They’re fed up with #clutter and perhaps preparing for a deadline or an imminent life change.

“Aggressive decluttering isn’t gentle editing; it’s decisive, time-boxed and real about what your home can hold,” says The Scarlet Society. “You’ll move fast, make smart calls and stop saving for a ‘someday’ that never comes.”

Aggressive #declutterers often follow if/then rules: The 20/20 rule, for instance, says that if you can replace an item in less than 20 minutes for less than $20, then get rid of it. If you can replace a rarely used memorabilia item with its memory (a photo), it’s time to say goodbye.

You might take as little as 48 hours as a decluttering lion, spending a few hours on each specific area of the home and paring things down to the essential, often-used #stuff. Then, you can bundle the rejects for #sale or #donation and contact ClothingDonations.org for a #free #donation #pickup.

If you’re more of a lamb when it comes to #decluttering, you will aim for slow and steady progress instead of a frantic purge. You might target one drawer instead of a whole room, taking just 30 minutes to #sort things out. The next day, you can move on to #organize another spot.

Gentle #declutterers often get overwhelmed by the task. To prevent decision fatigue, Simple Clean Living suggests keeping a “Not Sure” box close to catch things that may have true practical or sentimental value. “You can revisit it days, weeks or months from now, when your nervous system is more settled.”

You can let go of #clutter without the rush if you do it in manageable moments. The key is to make it a regular, ongoing practice to ensure progress. With time and regular effort, lambs can create calmer #spaces for themselves.

Lion or lamb, ClothingDonations.org is here to accept your #donations of lightly used clothing, media and household items. Let us take care of the things that no longer serve your lifestyle or fit your space!

African Americans and the Vietnam War

Posted on by Jordank

It’s Black History Month — a great time to remember that African Americans have served honorably in the U.S. military for as long as there has been a U.S. military. But service often meant fighting for one’s country even while being denied equal rights at home.

More than 300,000 Black Americans fought in the #Vietnam War, making up an outsized share of those drafted (16.3%) compared to representation in the general U.S. population (11%). Black soldiers were more often assigned to combat duty in Vietnam and less likely to be elevated to command roles.

Fighting shoulder-to-shoulder in desegregated units for the first time in Vietnam often helped build camaraderie among the troops, regardless of racial and ethnic differences. But most Black #veterans recall discrimination during and after their service.

Upon being drafted or enlisting, “Black soldiers were immediately faced with discrimination and racism during basic training, which typically took place in the Jim Crow South,” an article in Time magazine says. “The racism was there: It was real and felt between soldiers.”

After the war, Black veterans suffered disproportionately high rates of PTSD and were twice as likely as white veterans to lack full-time employment. Veterans Affairs often routinely denied Black veterans’ claims for disability benefits even through the 1970s.

Institutional and interpersonal barriers have since eroded with no small amount of struggle. Military service is now regarded as a viable career option among African Americans; today, they make up one-quarter of enlisted Army soldiers while making up 13% of the population.

Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) and its local chapters support all veterans of all U.S. conflicts by helping with benefits claims and connecting them with health care and mental health care services, housing and job assistance, and much more. And it does this with your help!

You can easily support the nation’s #veterans by clearing out some of your #clutter and scheduling a #free #donation #pickup with ClothingDonations.org. Your lightly used clothing and household goods will be resold to #support programs that #veterans rely on nationwide.

Celebrate Black History Month with a #donation! You’ll #support veterans and eliminate some of the #stuff you don’t need at the same time. #BlackHistoryMonth

How to Help Your Aging Relatives Declutter and Downsize

Posted on by Jordank

As people get older, they often enter a paradox: They have collected a lifetime of memorabilia and possessions, and they may only use a tiny fraction as their needs, interests and health circumstances change.

The problem isn’t limited to the elderly; people of all ages keep substantial amounts of things they don’t necessarily need. But the older one is, the more one is likely to have amassed a lot of #stuff — and the more likely that life changes will demand a #downsizing.

If one of your parents, relatives or friends is “getting up there” in age, they may need some help #decluttering. It can be physically, mentally and emotionally challenging, says The Homes I Have Made, but the effort will be worthwhile.

#Clutter affects physical safety and mental well-being. Once thoroughly #decluttered, a home is easier to navigate and keep #clean if a relative plans on aging in place. And if they are planning on moving to a smaller space or a sunnier location, it will be easier to pack up and go.

The whole family can get involved if an aging parent has a lot of stuff — sharing memories and making new ones. Take your time, but have everyone involved target specific areas for decluttering. Have boxes and bags ready and take frequent breaks to enjoy one another’s company.

When you help a family member shed cherished furnishings and accessories, you can ensure that those things go to a good home. Someone in the family may need that antique armoire that’s been in the family for decades, for example, or want to give that dining-room set a new home.

Any unwanted goods can be #donated to a worthy charity. ClothingDonations.org accepts used clothing, furniture, appliances, housewares, kitchen items, media, toys and many other items, for example, and will pick them up to make #decluttering convenient. Those #donations will be resold to help fund valuable #veterans programs throughout the country.

It’s never easy to #declutter or #downsize, but your aging relatives don’t have to go it alone — or worse, suddenly have to make a life change that’s hindered by a lifetime of stuff. Start today to make their golden years happy, healthy and #clutter-free.

How to Shake off Your Winter Hibernation

Posted on by Jordank

The trees are budding and the first flowers of #spring are starting to pop up — depending on your location, sometimes through a lingering snow. But you may still struggle to get energized for the warm weather, having been in human “hibernation” through winter.

“Humans cannot actually hibernate, but in the coldest months of the year, many of us are drawn to something similar,” writes Katherine May in Wintering: How I Learned to Flourish When Life Became Frozen. “We want to batten down the hatches, preserve our energies, lay on fat.”

Now, it’s time to shake off that hibernation and meet the sunniest months of the year head-on. You can shed that winter weight, tackle long-overdue warm-weather projects and reinvent your outlook for the rest of the year. Here are a few ways:

Move your body. You don’t have to start training for a triathlon, but any activity that gets your blood circulating will help you snap of the winter doldrums. Get off the couch and commit to move every day, even if it’s just a short walk.

“Moderate exercise will release endorphins that encourage you to move a little more next time,” says Optimi. “If you can be outside when the sun’s shining, all the better. Sunlight provides a variety of health benefits you don’t want to miss, including creating your own supply of immune-building vitamin D.”

#Declutter and #organize. Not only can #decluttering get you moving, it can also lighten the psychological load of a crowded, chaotic space. Simply having less #stuff to gather dust will make it easier to find the things you do like and streamline your home life.

Contact ClothingDonations.org for a #free #donation #pickup, and that extra #junk will be out of your life for good. Your mood will brighten knowing that #donating lightly used goods helps fund programs benefiting the nation’s #veterans.

Deep-clean. They don’t call it spring #cleaning for nothing. Shake out the rugs, wash the windows and scrub the baseboards. A #clean, fresh-smelling and bright home is a more pleasant place to be; it will put the spring in your step and may even inspire you to let some fresh air in.

Whatever gets you moving, socializing and planning again after a long winter is fair game. Just know that you no longer have to bundle up, huddle on the couch and binge Netflix. Spring has sprung, so go out and take advantage of it!

Treat the Vets in Your Life on Vietnam Veterans Day

Posted on by Jordank

Tomorrow, remember the #Vietnam #veterans in your life and community with a special visit, message, card or meal on National Vietnam War Veterans Day. But remember, you don’t have to wait for March 29 to honor and support #Vietnam #veterans. Every #donation made to ClothingDonations.org is resold to fund valuable veterans programs. That means that even as you improve your life and space by #decluttering, you can ensure that those who served have access to health care, food, housing, camaraderie and more. Fill a few boxes or bags with your unwanted #stuff and #schedule a #pickup today!