We love a minimalism challenge. Any challenge to jettison items that are of no use to us gives us a sense of freedom, cleansing of sorts. A couple of the statements we have rid from our conversations are “I’ll keep this around, just in case,” and “I may need this one day.” Which brings us to our May minimalism challenge-
As you are working your way through your spring cleaning, and run across items that you are not using, maybe due to it being a non-seasonal item, maybe it is a clothing item that no longer fits, or perhaps you haven’t used it in a year (or three) and you hear yourself saying aloud, or even thinking, “this may be of use one day,” get rid of it.
Here are some examples of what we are talking about:
- Duplicates- you have more than one of something, or back-ups “just in case.”
- Empty bins or boxes.
- Kitchen items/appliances you only use for one recipe.
- Books you have already read, or still haven’t.
- 18 sets of linens in case that army of people come and need to stay at your house.
- Extra towels that you have to keep in another closet, because you may need them one day.
You get the picture here, right? All of these items can be donated to someone who can use them. The towels and linens can easily be donated to a shelter (human or animal) and the other items to Goodwill, thrift store, or can be sold. Since we started our No-buy year, we have made a good amount of money selling items that no longer fit us, or that we no longer wear, on Poshmark. We keep the balance and reuse that balance to buy on Poshmark when we need clothing. Not only are we not spending money, but we are keeping clothing items out of the landfill by buying and selling within that marketplace.
Think of all the ways you can be helpful to yourself and others if you just change the way you think about your stuff. Check out our blog, “The Lies We Tell Ourselves About Our Clutter” for more on the subject, and for more helpful tips.
Let us know how the month goes for you! We’d love to hear your wins, your successes, and ways that you have found to rid yourself of not only your stuff, but the way of thinking you need to hold on to your items for that future self who may or may not need them one day.