Trash, Sell, Donate

Well, you've reached the part of organizing that has you deciding what to do with the things that you aren't keeping. You know you want them to leave your house but you don't know in what way it will leave. There are so many different ways to get items out of your home.

Give it to a friend who needs that specific item.

Throw it away.

Sell it.

Donate it.

Let's talk about how to know if you should donate something or not. First and foremost, please only donate things that are in good condition. If you wouldn't give it to a friend, you shouldn't donate it. If it is torn, broken, or worn out then it is trash. (Or up for a recycle or upcycle! But if you have a lot of things in your home, the chances that you will do something with the trash is not likely. Just be realistic at this stage.)

Depending on the amount of time you have you may just throw everything away or you may make different donations at different locations or somewhere in the middle just taking everything to one donation location.

There are so many situations that people find themselves in. You may be retired, know a lot of local establishments, and also have a lot of time on your hands. In that case, you may want to take your old magazines to a retirement center, your plastic utensils to the local burn center, and your women's clothing to the local safe home drop-off.

You may have a particular relationship or connection with the local fire department who has a special mission that they are on so you help them whenever you can.

If you do not find yourself with that much time or a specific passion, do not feel bad for donating all those things to one place. Just because someone else is passionate about something doesn't mean that you have to be passionate about the same things in the same ways.

In the same way that I will direct you to a small business to do your shopping and other living, I will direct you to a local charity for your donations. Your local charity can let you know what they are in need of and you can know that your donations are going to be used specifically and immediately. A simple search online should yield a charity or ministry of some sort and a quick phone call should let you know when you can make a drop off and what items they are currently in need of.

If you are looking for the best place for environmentally friendly recycling here are just a few place to be on the lookout for in your area.

Hardware store- battery and lightbulbs

Grocery store or Kohl's - plastic grocery bags

Best Buy - electronics

Walmart - eye glasses

What other places do you recommend for donating? In what ways have you seen your still-good items be a blessing to others?