Our email inbox has been inundated with food and clothing drives this week, looking for support for the homeless. Even though folks are already overextended during the holiday season, we think this is the best time of year for decluttering.
- Location, Location, Location. During the holiday season, you're bound to find more drop-off sites and events that might be more convenient than a local thrift store. This makes giving back to the community an easy task on your part. We actually like to have a bag in our car, ready to go. It's likely we'll spot a drop off site for clothes during the holiday season--making it effortless on our part.
- It's the season of giving. Most folks are already in the mindset of giving during the holiday season--making it that much easier to turn to their own belongings to donate towards those that need it the most.
- Decluttering creates extra space. When we declutter, we're making room for our current things to breathe and the effort usually evokes some sort of change in our environment. Added space makes things easier to find, and allows new items to come into the space (without feeling cramped). Not to mention, the holiday season is when new items are coming into the home at a rapid pace. It only makes sense to make room for these items by donating.
How about our Apartment Therapy readers--do you find that you're more apt to declutter and donate this time of year?
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- Tip: Our Best Decluttering Solution
(Image: Flickr member Edu-Tourist licensed for use under Creative Commons)
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Comments (3)
Please Please Please! When donating, only donate items that are in good condition - no stains, rips, are clean. Just because people are less fortunate and cannot afford or are homeless does not mean that they want your ripped, stained clothing. It really only adds insult to the situation. Sorry, I work in charitable non-profit and have to constantly school my friends that their wine stained white shirt or moth eaten wool coat are actually worthless to those in need - they get tossed not given to anyone. Please just clean your closets - if you haven't worn it because you hate it/doesn't fit/mom bought it/etc. and it is in good condition - donate it to those in need. No one deserves to get a ripped/stained/dirty/garbage item. Think dignity!
Now is the time to also donate all those scaves and sweaters and gloves and socks that you recieved as holiday gifts, the ones that you never used, never will use, don't like...
But some charities sell donated clothing for rags, don't they?
thanks, cherrybomb. lots of people throw their junk into [salvation army] [goodwill] [insert charitable organization name here] bins & walk away patting themselves on the back for the good deed they've just done--which translates into hours & hours & hours of sorting through things that will just end up in a landfill, anyway.
fantasticmrfaux, how much money do you really think they get from selling crap clothes for rags? enough to offset the time they spend going through other people's castoffs & junk?