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2014 ~ Celebrate The New Year with Ways to Get Rid of Last Year’s Unused Items

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With the New Year now upon us, one of the first things I actually did on New Year’s Day was clean up my house by putting the Christmas decorations away and sorting through the new toys and getting rid of those we no longer use anymore, as well as just over all did a once over with out with the old and in with the new.

So, I thought today, I would share some ideas here that I happily collaborated on for all of you to benefit from.

  • Sorting out your household items

Some of you may have a knack for keeping your houses clean and clutter-free at all times. Others may need a little more motivation when it comes to being organised. Often, these are the same people who include de-cluttering their homes in their list of New Year’s resolutions. 

We all know that de-cluttering one’s home is easier said than done. Don’t worry, if you’re one of those people whose resolutions are to be neater and start the New Year with a clean home, there are several ways to get your house organised before the New Year starts. The first step starts with you making time to go through your household items. 

Assuming that you have made the decision to set a day or two for de-cluttering, you can now follow the simple guidelines below to help you with your New Year’s resolution. 

  1. The first step after setting a date for general cleaning is to prepare at least 2 boxes. One will be used for items to be kept, while the other is to be used for discarding unwanted items. 
  2. Now, look around the house and determine which room to start with.
  3. Your dresser drawers and wardrobes are a great place to start. Try on all clothes you haven’t worn in the past 12 months. Do they still fit? Have you used them in the past 2 years? Can you see yourself using them again in the coming months? Drop them in the Discard box if you answered no to any of those questions. 
  4. Next, do you have children? Do they have old toys lying around? Trust me when I say that toys lying around from my two is a daily battle! So, you may want to consider if your little ones have outgrown them or if they stay hidden in the cupboard without use. It’s a good idea to let your kids know that old toys will be given to other children who aren’t as fortunate as they are. This way, your kids won’t feel bad about losing their toys. At the same time, they will be thought the valuable lesson of sharing one’s blessings. Remember when I recently shared how, Emma told me that now that I got a new handbag, I should donate my old one.  This is because as I have shared time and again, we have taught her this lesson over and over again.
  5. However now that you have discarded some of your children’s playthings, you may want to look at your shoe cabinet. Women are known to be notorious at collecting shoes, which does add to clutter! If you’re guilty of being a shoeaholic, maybe it’s time to let go of a couple of pairs. There’s no point in keeping shoes which are either falling apart, give you blisters or that you can’t walk in.  Again, I have my fair share, but do go through them every so often for this sole purpose.
  6. Aside from shoes, books are also part of a family’s collection. Go over your bookshelves and determine which book’s you’ve read which you intend to read and which you know you’ll never read again. 
  7. The toughest parts of your house to do a spring clean are going to be the attic and the basement. Don’t get overwhelmed and give up on these 2 areas. Get those boxes out of the attic or the basement and work on them while you’re in front of the tellie; or try getting help from the family. 
Donating Some Older Toys
  • Getting rid of your unwanted items

Now that you have finished sorting through your things, there are 3 ways to get rid of the items in your discard box.  

  1. Donating to schools, orphanages, and other charitable institutions – You may find books, toys, and clothes that you can still give to charity. Segregate these items and determine which organisation you’d like to help. They’ll be more than happy to receive your donations. Remember, there is truth in the saying, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” These items don’t have to look brand new – just ensure that these items you donate are still in decent condition.
  2. Have a garage sale/sell your items online/join a car boot sale – If you have items which could net you a bit of extra cash, then selling these options may be the way to go. You will need to check with your local council if you need to have a permit before having a garage sale. If you don’t have the means for a garage sale, you can try selling through online classifieds like Quicksales in Australia or Craigslist here in the US. The advantage to selling online is that your item will reach a much larger number of potential buyers.
  3. Take them to the dump – once you’ve gone through your items, given some away to charity, sold others, it’s now time to let go of all the rest and send it to the dump. It may be difficult at first, but you’ll feel so much lighter after you’ve done this. Just ensure you don’t send any harmful items like laptops, phones, printer cartridges or batteries to the dump as these need to be disposed of properly.

Now that you’ve disposed of all your unused items, you can head into the New Year with a de-cluttered home and fresh mind to tackle all your other New Year’s resolutions!

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And many do know I am also an affiliate for Pandora Towson, so I hope to be able when I do share these posts to link you right up to their site for the new collections, as well.  And yes if you buy from them being referred from me, I do make a small commission, too.

Pandora Towson

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About Janine

Janine is a published author of the books, The Mother of All Meltdowns and Only Trollops Shave Above the Knee. She has been featured on The Huffington Post, Mamapedia, Today Parenting Team and SheKnows. She also runs her own graphic design company at J9 Designs.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Janine Huldie says

      Trust me I think we too could use a great big dumpster, but being that my husband is the one that is the pack rat here, I would have to do it when somehow he wasn't around, because every time I suggest throwing something out, he will find an excuse not to. Can't wait to see your posts on this and just nice to know that it isn't just us who have more organizing to do, too!

  4. lovingmarshall says

    Great tips! We are book-a-holics, and I've found a couple of great options for selling those back–cash4books.net will give you free shipping on the books they want and send you a check after they receive them. You can get a quote by entering the ISBN numbers on their website. And Half Price Books–I've taken many many boxes of books here. They sort through them, make you an offer, and donate/recycle the books they don't keep.

    I really need to motivate myself to go through my closet! I'm still wearing stuff I was wearing when I was dating my husband in college! It's terrible!!!

    Thanks again for the motivation. I bet it feels good to start the year off free from clutter. 🙂
    My recent post Flying with my 3-year-old

    • Janine Huldie says

      I have also used both those sites and you are right about he ease of using them. I also have doe older clothing, but have gone through quite a bit, but every once in awhile it is so hard to part with some item of clothing that holds some memory or sentimental value. So, I totally do get that. Just happy to share and help others here today with this though if I can 🙂

  6. dianeroark says

    Janine,

    While the kids were home during the holidays, we loaded up my son's pick up truck (YES, we drive pick up's in the south) with everything from kitchen appliances, rugs, pictures, clothes, books, and much more and drop it off at Goodwill. They have a drive thru and people come out to help unload as soon as you pull up.
    My son tells me that Goodwill is not a good place to donate but it is convenient.

    Blessings,
    Diane Roark
    My recent post Blackened Chicken Wrap

  7. day-with-kt.com says

    Great tips!! I'm big on purging – at least once a year we go through and get rid of stuff. Mostly I just can't stand clutter – I don't mind a bit of dust but stuff just sitting around grates on me!!
    My recent post Do You Like to Know When Something Dreadful Is Coming up or be Surprised?

    • Janine Huldie says

      Totally my pleasure and seriously Kate I was so happy that I did a good chunk of it believe it or not on New Year's day myself, but trust me there is still more and can always find something else that needs cleaning or organizing around here, too.

  9. spiritedlife says

    I REALLY need to get on doing this! I will also be putting any good clothing on Poshmark or Threadflip. I need some cash!
    My recent post Thumping Thursday is Here Again!

  10. tamaralikecamera says

    My husband does the two box thing! The first time we cleaned together, I got two plastic bags. He looked at me like I was nuts. He said, "Bags? Maybe extra large trash bags?"
    Sigh. We've grown together to de-clutter efficiently. It's harder for me, but oh so freeing!
    My recent post Where’s My “Get Up And Go”?

    • Janine Huldie says

      Tamara, maybe we were separated at birth! Seriously, I get garbage bags all the time when the girls won't clean up their toys messes! But seriously, I I am so with you on growing together and trying to declutter as best as I can now.

  11. Amy_CMI says

    Fantastic list. My goal all year is always to de-clutter. I have so much stuff, but really it is not enough storage space. I am a fan of going through toys though. Before Santa comes, it is a requirement to get rid of the unused toys and trash the broken ones. I am working on channeling June Cleaver. 🙂 Have a great day!
    My recent post Mom's Monday Mingle 86 #bloghop

    • Janine Huldie says

      Amy, we have the same requirement for the girls toys, too before Santa does come now each year and got to love June Cleaver (I mean I still love watching old reruns of that show!). Have a great day, too!! 🙂

      • Amy_CMI says

        Those old shows are the best. I mean I think her life is kind of mundane, but I would kill to have the will to have an immaculate home and still wear pearls while chilling. 🙂 Bewitched is probably my favorite black and white show ever. Have a great weekend.
        My recent post Mom's Monday Mingle 86 #bloghop

      • Janine Huldie says

        Amy, just something else we have in common and seriously Bewitched is still one of my favorites and I always wished I could twitch my nose like Samantha to make my home clean!! Happy Weekend!! 🙂

  14. vitatrain4life says

    It feels so good to de-clutter! I find that I have a "toy clean-out" every three months to try and stay ahead of the game. No matter how many ways I try to organize the toys that are left, there's always a mess at the end of the day. I guess I just have to wait until the boys are 18! Great tips here though on shoes (I need a clean out!) and books. Luckily I have so many on my Nook that it's easier to manage but the kids books are another story….ha ha, get it? Sorry, I'm getting punchy just thinking about all the cleaning I have to do!
    My recent post In Defense of Skinny

  15. stephanie2006 says

    Sadly, I think I've given up on organizing the apartment right now and focus on properly organizing the house once we move later this year. I'll have baskets next to the doors to drop stuff in that I usually just put down otherwhere and organize those once a month. Hope to be able to keep those shelves and window sills free from clutter once we move 🙂 Thanks for sharing those tips, Janine!
    My recent post Wordless Wednesday – Totally Married Her

    • Janine Huldie says

      Stephanie, that totally makes sense and trust me I have those moments while we still don't have our own house, but then my OCDs about clutter creep up and don't allow me to leave it as such. My pleasure in sharing though and hope you are having a great day!! 🙂

  18. gigigirl says

    Good suggestions. I'm not a clutterer by nature, but I am on a sorting out kick. Organizing my tops and making a promise to buy only after I have discarded. Feels so good to have things in order! xxoo

  20. Brittnei Washington says

    This sounds like great tips! I'll be honest, I'm quick to give something away or throw it up. I'm totally opposite from being a hoarder. I guess we'll see how things go over the years, especially with the kids and toys and more clothes, etc. 🙂
    My recent post Feature Friday- Week 5

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