It’s the time of the year when many of us look to make our lives more organized. That may mean clearing the clutter from the closets, basement, garage, or storage areas. To help you clear your clutter, I’m going to give you five strategies to dump your junk . If you live in Bloomington-Normal, I have some local resources that you’ll find useful. If you don’t live in Blo-No, look for similar resources in your community.
Once you identify the items in your house you no longer need, you’re going to divide them into five piles. Each pile will correspond with one of the clutter-clearing strategies. A good way to get started is to use storage tubs. Mark the tubs as follows: Sell It, Donate It, Freecycle It, Recycle It, and Trash It.
Strategy 1: Sell It
Selling is my favorite clutter-clearing strategy. Not only do you end up with a cleaner closet, you also get some cash in your pocket.
For the sales tub, you want items that have some value and that you’ll be able to turn around in short order. Otherwise it will continue to clutter your home. Good sales items include toys in gently-used condition, electronics that are in good working order, household items that work well (like a blender). There is also a thriving second hand market for used video games, DVDs, CDs, musical instruments, and books.
To get some money for your goods, check out local consignment, antique, second hand and pawn shops in your area. You may be able to exchange your unwanted possessions for cash or store credit. If you live in Bloomington-Normal, you can find a list of second hand shops in my article titled My Comprehensive List of Second Hand Stores.
Once you have your sales items, you can list them on e-Bay or Craigslist. You might also want to check Facebook for Online Yard Sales in your Community. To learn how to find an Online Yard Sale near you, you can read my article titled Shop at Yard Sales All Year and Online.
Strategy 2: Donate It
Some items, though in good condition, may not do well for second hand sales. Those items may include adult everyday clothing and household knick knacks. Rather than dumping perfectly good items in the landfill, however, consider donating them to another person or organization.
Finding the right place to donate items is easy. All you need to do is identify local charities in your area that provide services to individuals that may need what you have. Think homeless shelters, hospitals and child service agencies. Before loading your trunk and heading over to the local shelter, however, you might want to give them a call. Tell them what you have and see if it’s something they need.
For residents of Bloomington-Normal, you can drop off most items for donation at Good Will, Mission Mart, CISAR or Advocate Bromen Thrift Shop. Contact information for these organizations can be found in my article titled My Comprehensive List of Second Hand Stores.
In addition, don’t forget the Habitat for Humanity Restore. They accept almost anything including appliances, cabinetry, furniture, molding, windows, faucets, and fixtures. Basically they’ll take everything and the kitchen sink.
Strategy 3: Freecycle
As people become more conscious about reusing goods, Freecycling is becoming more popular. Basically Freecycling is when one person offers items for free to others, no strings attached. You can find information about Freecycle.org in your community by reading my article Looking for the Best Bargains? How Does Free Sound?
Freecycling can work for almost any item that isn’t complete trash. Take a broken VCR as an example. While the item may be trash to you, a fellow freecycler may find it useful for the parts. Likewise, while a half can of pink paint might not be a candidate for sale, you may find a freecycler who’s looking for free paint to coat an art table for their daughter.
In addition to Freecycle.org, you can also freecycle through Facebook. You can do this informally or formally. Informally means posting a notice on your Facebook status describing the goods you have and inviting your friends and family to stop by and help themselves. Formal means joining an online “For Free” group where you can list your items. In Bloomington-Normal, find a “For Free” group by searching Facebook for terms like “For Sale Wanted or Free in Bloomington”.
Strategy 4: Recycle
The recycle strategy is used for items that can be converted for future use. The Town of Normal provides drop off stations to recycle items such as mixed paper, cardboard, plastic and glass. The City of Bloomington provides curb sick pick up for recycling. Check with your local community to determine their recycling policies.
If your town doesn’t take certain items in their recycle program, all is not lost. Some businesses specialize in recycling additional items not included in usual city recycling programs. In Bloomington-Normal, before dumping your clutter in the dumpster, visit the Morris Tick recycling web page. Morris Tick will accept a variety of items for recycle including cans, old gas grills, aluminum lawn chairs, storm windows, small appliances and pots and pans. Morris Tick also accepts electronics such as computers, fax machines, radios, VCRs, head phones, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners and toasters.
Strategy 5: Trash it
Trash it is my least favorite clutter clearing strategy. Use this for anything that can’t be discarded in any of the other strategies mentioned above. Feel free to trash anything that’s stinky, sticky or gross.
But be careful. Some items such as medication, cleaning solutions, paint, and oil may not be acceptable in your trash bin. Check out your local ordinance for information on how to dispose of hazardous waste.
Go To It
Now that you know you know what to do, it’s time to go to it. Get to work and clean out that clutter.
Comments